Conditional Sentences

Definition:
A type of adverbial clause that states a hypothesis or condition, real or imagined.
A conditional clause may be introduced by the subordinating conjunction if or another conjunction, such as unless, provided that, or in case of.
Like other adverbial clauses, a conditional clause can come either before or after the clause on which it states a condition

Examples and Observations:

• "If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog."
  (Harry Truman)



• "If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome."
  (Anne Bradstreet, "Meditations Divine and Moral")



• "Romans park their cars the way I would park if I had just spilled a beaker of hydrochloric acid on my lap."
  (Bill Bryson, Neither Here Nor There: Travels in Europe. William Morrow, 1992)

• "If I had only known, I would have been a locksmith."
  (Albert Einstein)



• "Conditions deal with imagined situations: some are possible, some are unlikely, some are impossible. The speaker/writer imagines that something can or cannot happen or have happened, and then compares that situation with possible consequences or outcomes, or offers further logical conclusions about the situation."
  (R. Carter, Cambridge Grammar of English. Cambridge Univ. Press, 2006)



• Types of Conditional Clauses
  There are six main types of conditional sentence:
  1. For example, the equilibrium between liquid and vapor is upset if the temperature is increased.
     (General rule, or law of nature: it always happens.)
  
  
  2. If you start thinking about this game, it will drive you crazy.
     (Open future condition: it may or may not happen.)
  
  
  3. But if you really wanted to be on Malibu Beach, you'd be there.
     (Unlikely future condition: it probably won't happen.)
  
  
  4. If I were you, I would go to the conference center itself and ask to see someone in security.
     (Impossible future condition: it could never happen.)

5. "I would have resigned if they had made the decision themselves," she said.
   (Impossible past condition: it didn't happen.)


6. If he had been working for three days and three nights then it was in the suit he was wearing now.
   (Unknown past condition: we don't know the facts.)

(John Seely, Grammar for Teachers. Oxpecker, 2007)

Business English 2 Assignment

 Exercise 21 : Conditional Sentence

1. were understand
2. wouldn't have been
3. will give
4. would have told
5. would have been
6. had
7. could stop
8. were needed
9. would have found
10. enjoyed
11. paint
12. were
13. she write
14. could have permitted
15. were spednding
16. willl accept
17. has buyu
18. has decideod
19. would havwe written
20. will leak
21. had studied
22. has hear
23. see
24. has get
25. turn
26. were
27. would have called
28. would have talked
29. explained
30. spoke

Exercise 22 : Used To

1. eating
2. eat
3. swim
4. like
5. speaking
6. studying
7. dance
8. sleeping
9. eating
10. eat

Exercise 23 : Would Rather

1. stay
2. have stayed
3. work
4. study
5. not study
6. have
7. had stood
8. not cook
9. hadn't arrived
10. have slept

Exercise 24 : Must/Should + Perfective

1. should have had
2. must have been
3. must have damaged
4. mustn't have parked
5. must have studied
6. should have studied
7. must have been
8. should have deposited
9. must have forgotten
10. must not studied

Exercise 25 : Modals+Perfective

1. I would
2. would have gone
3. may have had
4. must have done
5. must have forgotten
6. may have slept
7. might have had
8. could have lost
9. shouldn't have driven
10. may have run