The Grammaring Guide to English Grammar with Exercises

Conditionals

Conditional sentences usually consist of a subordinate if-clause and a main clause. The order of the clauses is optional, but if the if-clause is first, a comma is used to separate the two clauses:

You might have been accepted if you had applied earlier.

If you had applied earlier

,

you might have been accepted.

If the if-clause is first, we can use then in the main clause:

If you had applied earlier,

then

you might have been accepted.

The different types of conditionals, which are discussed on the following pages, may refer to different times (future, present, past) and express different degrees of reality. The choice of verb forms used in conditionals depends on whether the condition is true, probable or unreal.

If the condition is true or probable, we use real tenses:

If you

missed

the 6 o'clock train, you

won't get

here before 7.

(the condition is true: you missed the train; here

missed

refers to the past and

won't get

to future time)

If you

miss

the 6 o'clock train, you

won't get

here before 7.

(the condition is probable: you may miss the train; here

miss

and

won't get

refer to future time)

If the condition is unreal, we use unreal tenses:

If you

missed

the 6 o'clock train, you

wouldn't get

here before 7.

(the condition is unreal or improbable: you probably won't miss the train; here the past subjunctive form

missed

and

wouldn't get

refer to future time)

If you

had missed

the 6 o'clock train, you

wouldn't have got

here before 7.

(the condition is unreal: you didn't miss the train; here the past perfect subjunctive form

had missed

and

wouldn't have got

refer to past time)

Zero conditional

First conditional

Second conditional

Third conditional

Mixed conditionals

IF, EVEN IF, ONLY IF, AS LONG AS, PROVIDED, SUPPOSING, UNLESS, BUT FOR, IF NECESSARY, IF SO, IN CASE etc.

Less likely conditions

Conditionals and inversion