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Conditionals (Zero conditional:
(a) if + subject + present simple,
(b)…
Conditionals
Zero conditional:
(a) if + subject + present simple,
(b) then subject + present simple
- is used to talk about sth that is GENERALLY true (e.g. scientific facts).
- explains that if (a) is true, then (b) is also true
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If it snows, I don't drive car.
'If' can be replaced by 'When':
When it snows, I don't drive car.
First conditional:
(a) if + subject + present simple,
(b) then subject + will + verb
- is used to talk about the consequences of FUTURE events which are (at least in the opinion of the speaker) realistic, possible or likely.
- The 'if' clause describes the future event and the result clause explains the possible or probable consequence of the action.
- can only refer to future events (things which haven't happened at the time of speaking)
If I win the lottery, I will buy a house.
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if you go to bed earlier, you won't be tired.
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'will' can be replaced by another future form ('be going to', and others)
'will' can be replaced by another modal verb (depending on meaning) including 'can', 'may', 'might', 'shall', 'should', 'ought to', 'need to'.
Second conditional:
(a) if + subject + past simple,
(b) then subject + would + verb
- is used to talk about hypothetical consequences of future events which are (at least in the opinion of the speaker) unlikely, improbable, impossible or unrealistic
- The 'if' clause describes the future event and the result clause explains the hypothetical consequence of the action.
- can only refer to future events (things which haven't happened at the time of speaking)
If I won the lottery, I would buy a house.
If i were you, I would study english by all means.
If you went to bed earlier, you wouldn't feel tired.
If Brian were here, everything would be all right.
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'would' can be replaced by another modal verb (depending on meaning) including 'could', 'should', 'ought to'.
Third conditional:
(a) if + subject + past perfect,
(b) then subject + would + present perfect
- is used to talk about things that would have happened if events in the past were different
- refers only to the past
- refers only to ideas or actions which are hypothetical and impossible
- is usually used to express regret about actions in the past that the speaker would like to change
- the 'if' clause describes the past event which didn't happen and the result clause explains the hypothetical consequence of the action.
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If I had studied harder at University, I would have been a lawyer.
If i had known he was married, I wouldn't have gone to dinner with him.
Typically, the third conditional does not change, though 'Could' can replace 'Would'. However, it is very common for the conditional clause of a Third Conditional to be added to the result clause of a Second Conditional, to form a "Mixed Conditional". In spoken English this is perfectly acceptable, provided the meaning of the sentence is not altered.