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Conditionals (The second conditional (= the improbable conditional) (Used…
Conditionals
The second conditional (= the improbable conditional)
Used to
describe an improbable future event or situation. The condition is unlikely to be fulfilled because the future event is unlikely to happen
Used to
describe a hypothetical current situation or event (one which is contrary to known facts)
Tense:
past simple (conditional clause) + would + infinitive (result clause)
If
can be followed by
were
or
was
;
were
is more common in formal English
The zero conditional (= the general conditional)
Used to
express facts and general truths
Tense:
present simple
If
or
when
can be used in the conditional clause
, without a change in meaning
The first conditional (= the possible conditional)
Used to
describe a possible future event (which is likely to happen)
If
or
when
can be used in the conditional clause
, but with a change in meaning (when is more optimistic than if)
Tense:
present simple (conditional clause) + will + infinitive (result clause)
The third conditional (= the impossible conditional)
Used to talk about
situations that did not happen in the past. Often used to express criticism or regret.
Tense:
past perfect (conditional clause) + would have + past participle (result clause)
Would
can be replaced by
could have/ might have
in the result clause
General variants on conditional sentences
Conjunctions other than
if
(supposing, as long as - type 1+2-, provided, on condition -that-, unless)
Leaving out conjunctions
(informally, one can leave out the "if" and replace it by linking words such as and/ or)
Verbs in a continuous form
(to express "continuous meanings", one can use the continuous form of the verb in the conditional and/or result clauses)
Mixed conditionals
Mixed second/ third conditional
Used to
describe a hypothetical situation or event in the present, which is contrary to known facts. The result in the main clause refers to the past.
Tense:
past perfect (conditional clause) + would + infinitive (result clause)
Mixed third/ second conditional
Used to
describe a hypothetical situation or event in the past, which is contrary to known facts. The result in the main clause refers to the present.
Tense:
past simple (conditional clause) + would have + past participle (result clause)