If Clauses - Medensina
If Clauses - Medensina
If Clauses - Medensina
Class today: conditionals, zero and first conditionals, second and third conditionals, special conditional structures.
Conditionals
What are conditionals in English grammar? Sometimes we call them 'if clauses'. They describe the result of something that might happen (in the present or future) or might have happened but didn't (in the past) . They are made using different English verb tenses. There are four kinds!
First vs. Zero Conditional The first describes a particular situation, whereas the zero conditionaldescribes what happens in general. For example (zero conditional): if you sit in the sun, you get burned (here I'm talking about every time a person sits in the sun - the burning is a natural consequence of the sitting) But (first conditional): if you sit in the sun, you'll get burned (here I'm talking about what will happen today, another day might be different)
First vs. Second Conditional The first conditional describes things that I think are likely to happen in the future, whereas the second conditional talks about things that I don't think will really happen. It's subjective; it depends on my point of view. For example (first conditional): If she studies harder, she'll pass the exam (I think it's possible she will study harder and so she'll pass) But (second conditional): If she studied harder, she would pass the exam (I think that she won't study harder, or it's very unlikely, and so she won't pass)
How is this different from the first conditional? This kind of conditional sentence is different from the first conditional because this is a lot more unlikely. For example (second conditional): If I had enough money I would buy a house with twenty bedrooms and a swimming pool (I'm probably not going to have this much money, it's just a dream, not very real) But (first conditional): If I have enough money, I'll buy some new shoes (It's much more likely that'll have enough money to buy some shoes)
Exercise
Exercise
Questions?