CONDITIONAL CLAUSESCONDITIONAL CLAUSESCONDITIONAL CLAUSESCONDITIONAL CLAUSESEnglish Grammar - English Grammar - 4ºESO4ºESO

Montse Flores Adeva & Ana Hernández Montse Flores Adeva & Ana Hernández BartoloméBartolomé

IES Hoces del DuratónIES Hoces del Duratón

Outline1. Parts2. Uses3. Subordinators4. Types5. Inversion 6. Ellipsis

1. PartsThey are divided into two main

parts:Protasis: if-clause usually at the

beginningApodosis: main clause usually in

second positionIf you phone me, I will go with you.

protasis apodosis

2. UsesThere are 5 different uses of conditional

clauses:1. to talk about the situation which

exists or existed sometimes.If I met him in the street, he’d pass me by.

2. to talk about a situation which we know that it does not exist.If I were rich, I would travel to China.

2. Uses (cont.)3. to talk about the situation which we do

not know whether it exists or not.If he is right, we may have a problem.

4. to talk about the situation which may exist in the future.Don’t bring drinks unless I tell you.

5. to talk about situations we regret not having done.

If I had won the lottery, I would have travelled round the world.

3. Subordinators• Common subordinators: if, unless,

whether• Other subordinators: providing

that, provided that, as long as, so long as, on condition that, suppose that, supposing that, only if, even if, even though, in case…

3. Subordinators (cont.)IF• It is used for positive conditions to

say that something is or would be the consequence of something else happening

• IF clause, (THEN) main clause. If this is your last word, then I will leave right now.

3. Subordinators (cont.)UNLESS• It is used for negative conditions

(a menos que) and its meaning is similar to IF NOT.

• Main clause(,) UNLESS clause. Don’t tell her unless you are sure

3. Subordinators (cont.)WHETHER• It is not replaceable by IF.• WHETHER…OR: a situation affected by 2

or more things• WHETHER…OR NOT: a situation

affected by either of 2 opposite situations combination of conditional & disjuntive meaning. You won’t arrive on time whether you run or go on a bicycle or go in a taxi.

He will not come to the party whether they invite his

wife or not.

3. Subordinators (cont.)PROVIDED (THAT) PROVIDING (THAT)SO LONG AS AS LONG ASSUPPOSING (THAT) SUPPOSE (THAT)ON CONDITION (THAT)• They mean ‘IF and only IF’• They express that one situation is necessary

for another situation to take place type 1 I’ll do it provided (that) I am well paid. Providing (that) there are no questions, we will finish in 5 minutes.

I’ll go as long as you go with me.

4. TypesConditional clauses can be classified

according to:• MeaningNotional classification

(open, unlikely and impossible conditions)

• Form Structural classification. We will study 5 groups:

– Type 0– 3 basic types– Mixed types

4. Types (cont.)TYPE 0• Also called ‘neutral type’ or

‘cause/effect’• Universal truths or common occurrences• Same tense in both clauses: present or

past

If you don’t water plants, they die.

If it was raining, they watched television.

4. Types (cont.)TYPE 1What is said in the main clause is

depending on something that may not happen, though this “something” is assumed by the speaker to be a real possibility, i.e., something will happen if a certain condition is fulfilled.

4. Types (cont.)TYPE 1If clause Main clause

FUTURE: WILL / SHALL

PRESENT IMPERATIVEPRESENT MODAL AUXILIARY

If you go to Turkey, you will learn Turkish.If you find her, give me a ring.If you know Paris, you must know the Eiffel Tower.

4. Types (cont.)TYPE 2What is said in the main clause is an imaginary

consequence of a present non-fact.

If clause Main clausePAST SIMPLE CONDITIONAL (WOULD)

(subjunctive) PAST MODAL AUXILIARY

If I were you, I wouldn’t open that door.If we caught the 8 o’clock bus, we might arrive on time.

4. Types (cont.)TYPE 3What is said in the main clause is now seen as

an imaginary consequence of a past (non)-fact stated in the if-clause.

If clause Main clausePAST PERFECT PAST CONDITIONAL

PAST MODAL AUX.+PERFECT INF.

If you had parked your car here, they wouldn’t have towed it away.

If we had caught the 8 o’clock bus, we might have arrived on time.