Conditional Sentences II: Tenses, Conjunctions, and Modal Verbs, Slide di Lingua Inglese

Scarica Conditional Sentences II: Tenses, Conjunctions, and Modal Verbs e più Slide in PDF di Lingua Inglese solo su Docsity!

CONDITIONAL SENTENCES

PART II

GENERAL VARIANTS ON CONDITIONAL SENTENCES

The imperative form

The imperative mood can be encountered in sentences that could fall into Zero or First Conditional types, to give commands or instructions. Examples:

• (^) If you see Robert, tell him to come to my office.
• (^) If you smoke in here, remember to open the windows first!
• (^) If you have a mobile phone, turn it off!
• (^) If you go to the supermarket, bring back a carton of milk, please.

Conjunctions

We can use a range of conjunctions in conditional sentences as well as if. These include: supposing (that), suppose (that), as long as, on condition (that), unless, imagine (that), providing (that), provided (that), etc. Examples:

• (^) Where will you go, supposing you manage to have a holiday?
• (^) I would help him as long as he asked me nicely.
• (^) I wouldn’t have come unless you’d phoned and asked me to. Supposing, suppose and imagine suggests an act of imagination; provided, as long as, and on condition (that ) suggest reservation – often it is the speaker who is imposing the condition. We also use

Conjunctions

Very informally we sometimes leave out any word or words that directly express conditional meaning when it is clear from the context that conditional meaning is implied. In these cases we usually link two clauses with and or or. Examples:

• (^) Eat any more of that pudding and you’ll explode! (i.e. If you eat…)
• (^) Keep still or you’ll hurt yourself. (i.e. If you don’t keep still…/ Unless you keep still…)

Modal Verbs

Type 1 We can use may , can, might , and could in the conditional clause of Type 1 to show that something is a possible consequence (rather than a certain one). Examples:

• (^) I can bring something to eat if you want.
• (^) If you listen to me carefully, you may learn something useful. Type 2 and 3 We can use might and could in place of would. Examples:
• (^) If you explained a bit more clearly, I might understand.

Modal Verbs

Zero Conditional We can use modal verbs in either or both clauses of a Zero conditional. Examples:

• (^) If you already have a ticket, you can go through.
• (^) You should wear glasses if you can’t see.

Single Clauses

When learning conditional sentences we are given the impression that all conditionals have two clauses. In fact we very frequently use only one clause. Sometimes we use the if clause. This is usually when the conditional clause is already understood – for example, in replying to questions. A: Are you going on holiday this year? B: If I pass my test. More often we just use the conditional clause. In this case, a condition is usually implied. I would have appreciated some help. (i.e. If it had been available) Sometimes the condition is expressed in some other way.

Mixed Conditional Sentences

Thing we did in the past may have present consequences, and equally these past events may be the result of timeless or present facts. We often refer to both the present and the past in conditional sentences, and we choose the tense of the main verb in each clause accordingly – one clause may be conditional Type 2 and the other may be conditional Type 3. Past action : You wasted money last month. Present consequence : We can’t afford to go on holiday. If you hadn’t wasted so much money last week, we could go on holiday. Present (general) fact : I am very busy.

Future in the past

Now consider the following situations:

• (^) After dinner I would go for a walk. Am I talking about something unreal / that did not happen? (no, it’s a plan for the future in a past moment)
• (^) Simon told me he would call Susan after dinner. Am I talking about something unreal / that did not happen? (no, it’s a plan for the future in a past moment) Nothing suggests that these events didn’t happen, or that I think they are impossible. I am talking in the past about a future event. The original sentences were probably:

Future in the past

The Future in the Past is used to express the idea that in the past you thought something would happen in the future. It doesn’t matter if you are correct or not. Future in the Past follows the same basic rules as the Simple Future. Both would and was/were going to can be used to make predictions about the future. Examples:

• (^) I told you he was going to come to the party. (plan)
• (^) I knew Julie would make dinner. (voluntary action)
• (^) Jane said Sam was going to bring his sister with him, but he came alone. (plan)