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THE 4 MAIN
ENGLISH
CONDITIONALS
GRAMMAR LESSON & QUIZ
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THE FOUR CONDITIONALS:
Each conditional sentence has an 'if clause' and a 'main
clause'. With all conditional sentences, the order of the
clauses is not fixed. You may have to rearrange the pronouns
and adjust punctuation when you change the order of the
clauses, but the meaning is identical.
If I practice, I will get better.
I will get better if I practise.
1
THE ZERO CONDITIONAL
A zero conditional sentence consists of two present simple
verbs. One is inn the ‘if clause’, and one is in the ‘main clause’.
Both parts of the sentence are in the simple present tense.
Zero Conditional: time = now/always, situation = general truths
If + present simple, ...present simple.
If this thing happens, that thing happens.
We use the zero conditional when, in general, there is a
guaranteed result, like scientific facts. The most important
thing to note is that zero conditionals are about conditions
which are generally true, NOT about conditions on specific
occasions.
Zero conditionals have the following characteristics:
You can usually replace the ‘if’ with ‘when’ or ‘whenever’
without changing the meaning.
When I am happy, I smile.
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When we use the word 'you' in zero conditionals, it often refers
to people in general, not somebody in particular.
2 don’t eat enough, you lose weight.
If you
Examples:
If I am sad, I eat chocolate.
People die if they don’t drink enough water.
If dogs get angry, they growl.
If you melt ice, it becomes a liquid.
If British people are bored, they talk about the weather.
It is also often used to give instructions, with the imperative in
the main clause.
If she rings the doorbell, tell her to go away!
Text me if you get lost!
2
THE FIRST CONDITIONAL
The first conditional has the present simple after 'if', then the
future simple in the other clause\
1st Conditional: time = present or future, situation = real/specific
If + present simple, ...will + infinitive.
If this thing happens, that thing will happen.
We use the first conditional to talk about things which might
happen in the future. We can’t know for sure what will happen
in the future, but we can use the first conditional to talk about
possible things that could easily come true. We use the first
conditional to make statements about the real world, and
about particular situations. With the zero conditional we spoke
in general.
Examples:
If we don't leave now, we will miss the train.
If you study hard, you will pass the exam.
If I see my boss, I will ask her.
If it gets colder, we will light a fire.
I'll finish my painting if I have time.
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You can also use modals in the ‘main clause’ instead of ‘will’ to
express the degree of certainty or permission, or a
2
recommendation.
If we don't leave now, we might miss the train.
If you study hard, you could pass the exam.
If I see my boss, I shall ask her.
If it gets colder, we should light a fire.
I will be able to finish my painting if I have time.
3
THE SECOND CONDITIONAL
The second conditional uses the past simple after if, then
'would' and the infinitive, or ‘would’ and the present
continuous.
2nd Conditional: time = now or future, situation = unreal
If + past simple, ...would + infinitive OR present continuous
If this thing happened, that thing would happen.
If this thing happened, that thing would be happening.
We can use it to talk about things in the future that are
probably not going to be true. We often use it to talk about
fantasies.
If I won the lottery, I would buy a house in Barbados.
If he had more money, he would buy a boat.
We can also use it to talk about something in the present
which is impossible.
It is very common to say ‘If I were’ instead of ‘if I was’.
If he were younger, I would ask him out.
If I were you, I would stop poking the cat.
If I was taller, I wouldn't wear high heels.
In type 2 conditional sentences, the continuous form of the
present conditional may be used to talk about something that is
impossible.
If I spoke French, I would be living in Paris.
If I had an exam tomorrow, I'd be revising now.
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4
THE THIRD CONDITIONAL
We use the third conditional to talk about the past. It's used to
describe a situation that didn't happen, and to imagine the
result of this imaginary situation.
3rd Conditional: time = in the past, situation = contrary to reality
If + past perfect, ...would + have + past participle
If this thing had happened, that thing would have happened.
Examples:
If I had studied harder, I would have passed passed the exam.
If we had left earlier, we wouldn't have arrived late.
You wouldn't be so tired if you had gone to bed earlier.
Activity
Fill in the gaps with the verb in its correct form.
Part A - Zero Conditionals
1. If you ________ (freeze) water, it _________ (solidify).
2. If you ________ (add) two and three, you ________ (get) five.
3. The teacher ________ (get) annoyed if the students ________ (use) their
phones.
4. If you ________ (be) unemployed, you ________ (be) entitled to
unemployment benefits.
5. When he ________ (not feel) well, he ________ (go) to the doctor’s.
Part B - First Conditionals
1. If you ________ (drop) that vase, it ________ (break).
2. I ________ (call) the police if he ________ (not leave)!
3. Nobody ________ (notice) if you ________ (forget) to wear socks.
4. If she ________ (be) early, our boss ________ (be) pleased.
5. You ________ (get) wet if you ________ (not have) an umbrella.
Part C - Second Conditionals
1. If I ________ (be) you, I ________ (not go) out tonight.
2. If I ________ (have) more money, I ________ (buy) a nicer car.
3. You ________ (be) happier if you ________ (pass) your driving test.
4. We ________ (come) for lunch if we ________ (have) time.
5. You ________ (lose) weight if you ________ (do) more exercise.
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The End
Part A:
1. freeze, solidifies
2. add, get
3. gets, use
4. are, are
5. doesn't feel, goes
Part B
1. drop, will break
2. will call, doesn't leave
3. will notice, forget
4. is, will be
5. will get, don't have
Part C
1. were/was, wouldn't
2. had, would buy
3. would be, passed
4. would come, had
5. would lose, did
Part D
1. had gone, would have learnt/learned
2. would have studied, had attended
3. hadn't gone, wouldn't have met
4. would have got/gotten, hadn't been
5. would have come, had received
Answers:
5. She ________ (come) if she ________ (receive) an invitation.
4. We ________ (get) married if there ________ (not be) a pandemic.
3. If I ________ (not go) to the party, I ________ (not meet) my husband.
2. I ________ (study) maths if I ________ (attend) university.
1. If I ________ (go) to school in Italy, I ________ (learn) Italian.
Part D - Third Conditionals
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