Conditional Sentence/ If Sentence (Grammar)

 English Grammar

Conditional sentence/ If sentence

 

Conditional sentences are used to speculate about what may happen, what might have happened, and what we wish would happen. There are mainly four types of conditional sentences. They are zero conditional, type-1, type-2 and type-3.

Ø Zero conditional:                If you boil water at 100⁰ Celsius, it changes into steam.

Ø Type-1 (cause and effect): If it rains, I will stay at home.

Ø Type-2 (possible) :              If  you were a bird, you would fly in the sky.

Ø Type-3 (impossible) :         If I had come in time, he would have caught the bus.

 

There are two clauses in conditional sentence. They are: (i) if clause (ii) main clause. The tense of “main clause” depends on the tense of “if clause”. Instead of if, other connectives like whether or unless (if not) can be used.

 

The situations and uses of condition are presented below:

 

Conditional sentence type	Usage	If clause verb tense
Zero	General truths	Simple present
Type 1	A possible condition and its probable result	Simple present
Type 2	A hypothetical condition and its probable result	Simple past
Type 3	An unreal past condition and its probable result in the past	Past perfect

 

The structures of conditional sentences are in the following way.

 

S.No.	Condition	If-clause	Main clause
1.	Zero	V1/V5	Ø V1/V5
2.	Cause & effect	V1/V5	Ø will/shall + V1 (simple future) Ø can/may/must + V1 Ø Imperative (V+O)
3.	Possible	V2	Ø would/could/should/might+ V1
4.	Impossible/ hypothetical	had + V3	Ø would/could/should/might+have +V3

 

Some examples:

Oil floats if it is poured into water.

If we heat water, it gives off vapour.

You will pass if you work hard.

Unless you study hard, you won’t pass the exam.

If you buy a car, drive carefully.

What would you do if you were the headmaster?

If he knew the answer, he would tell the teacher.

If I were a bird, I would fly in the sky.

If she invited me, I would attend her wedding.

If he had studied hard, he would have passed the exam.

Had he studied hard, he wouldn’t have failed the exam.

Madan would have helped you, if you had asked him.

 

For CAUSATIVE VERBS CLICK HERE.

For EXERCISE CLICK HERE.