Conditional sentences e43 Introduction I A Most conditiona l ~entence s have a s ub-clau se starting with the word If We can use many different verb forms in conditional sentences. Here are some reat example s. If YOli haven't got television, you can't watch it. Ifyou go 10 one of the agencies, rhey halJe a lOl of temporary jobs. If someone else has requested the book, YOIl would have to give it bac k. l[ you lived on the planet Mercury, yO/1. would have four birthdays in (1 single Earrh year. In general we usc verb forms in conditional scnlCnccs in the same way as in other kinds of sentences. If you've finished work Jor today, YOll can go home. Compare: You've finished work for today, so you l:an go home. In an open cond ition (w hen something mayor ma y not happen) , we usc the present tens~: tfyou go to one of tile agencies. When we talk about something unreal , we often use the past ten se: if you lived on the planet MerCIny. Af te r an unreal condition, we use would in the main clause: you would ha/Jc .fou r birthdays. B There are some verb forms which often go together. These patterns arc usually called Types 1. 2, and 3. Type I: If the company Jails, we will lose our money. > 245 T ype 2: lf the company Jailed, we would lose our money. > 246 Ty pe 3: lfthe company hadfail ed, lVe would have lost our mone y. > 24 7 There is another pattern which we can call Type O. Type 0: If the company fails, we lose our money . > 244 C The if-clause usually comes berore the ma in clause, but it can come after it If you're in a hurry, you needn't wait for me . You needn't wait for me if yo u Ire in a hu rry. A comma bet ween the clauses is more likely when Ihe if-clause come s first and less likely when it comes at the end. 343 Condiliona l sentences o We can lise conditional s entences in a numh er of differenl way s: not only to g iv e inf orma tion hut al so, for example, when wc request , advise, criticize, ilnd so on. li se Reque ~ ling: Advising: Crilicizing: Suggesting: Offering: Warning: "hreatening: Example - ~ - ~ ~- - - - If you're going into IOwn , could you pOSI cliis leller for me , plea se? If your headac he persists, you .<; Iwu/r/ see a doctor. If you'd remember ed your passpurt, we uJ(Jlddrz '{ be in sllch a rush. We can go for a walk if yon like. If you'd like a sandwich, jus / help yourself If you don't save the in[ormaliofJ to (Jisk, you risk lo sing il. If you don'[ leave imm ediate ly, I'll call [he roli ce. 244 Type 0 conditionals A The pattern is if . + present . + presenr. If the doorbell rings, [he dog bark.,. If you add tw elve and fifteen, what do you get? The balleries take over if the mains supply!aiL<;. This pallcrn means that one Ihing always follow s aUlOmaticaJly from another. We can use when insl ead of ifwhen the meaning is ' eac h lime'. IpM l hell / reverse the ca r, it makes a funny noise. (= Eac h time I rev erse the car, ) For more abo ut ifand when, > l49A . B We can also use Type 0 for the automatic r esu h of a possible future action. If the leam win tomorrow, Th ey gel promotion 10 a high er league. We could also use a Type 1 conditional with they will get. 245 Type 1 conditionals A This is a very common ty pe . The ba sic pattern is If + present + will. 344 If it rains , t he rece ption wm take pla ce indoor s. If we don 't hurry , we wo n 't get th ere in cim e. If we wallt 10 ask question s, will we be allowed I.O? The milk will go off if )'011 leave it by tile radiator. The if-clause expresses an open condition. In the first examp le. if it rains leaves open [he question of whether it will rain or no!. The pr es ent simple ( rain s) expresses future lime . For more examp les of rh e present lIsed in this way, e.g. Let's wait until everyone arrives, > 59. 245 Type 1 conditionals "'"e do not normally u se will in the ir -c1a us e. (Nm I ftl -wtH-rttHt, . ) But we can li se will in the if-clause to talk about something that is funhcr in the future than the action of the main clause. If thi s medicine does me/will do me good, I'll take it. For will in the if-clause cxprcsslIlg willingness, > 245D. NOTE We can u se . ~hall inslCad of will aflCr /I we. > 54/\ If we dOll 'I hurry. we willlshtlil miss elU! Iram . B As well as the pre sent simplc, we C~1I1 use the prescnt conlinuous or perfect. If we're ',ailing a party, we'll have to invite the neighbours. If I've finished my work hy ten, I'll probably walch {l film on 'Iv. As well as will, we can usc other modal verbs and similar expressions in til(' main clause. If someone sees me , how can / explain what I'm doing? If you challge the lime o],your flight, you may be charged a fee. I'm going to look silly If I can't answer any of the qu estions. We can also lise the imperative in the main clause. If you've got a problem, ring ()ur Ilelpline. If you mak e a mistake, don't panic . C A prescnr tense in (he if·clause can refer to the present If you think mod elling is glamorous, think again. If iI'S raining already, I'm definitely not gOi'lg ma. D We can use will in the if~dause for willingness and won 't ['or a re fu sal. If all of you will lend a hand, we'll soon get Ille job done. If lhe car won 't start, I'll have to ring the garage. For more about this meaning of will a nd won'l, > 54 O. We can use will in the if-clause for a request. If you'll take a seal, someone will be with you in a moment. If you'll JUSl sign here, please. Thank you. E Instead of a Type 1 conditional wi{h If you + simple present, we can usc this pattern with and and Qr in informal speech. Touch me and I'll scream (= If you touch me, I'll scream.) Go away or I'll scream. (= If you don't go away, J' ll scream.) 345 Co ndit io nal sentcnccs 246 Type 2 conditionals A The basic pattern is if + past + wou ld . If I flad lOIS of mOTley , I would travel round the wo rld . I'd tell you the allswer if I kn ew what it was. If we did,, 't think the plane was safe, we wou ldn 't fly it. Here the past ten se expresses an unreal condition. In the fir st example, If I had lots of money means that really 1 haven't got lots of money; I am only imagining a situation where I have. For more examples of the past us ed in this way, > 230. We do not normally use wo ul d in the if-claus e. (NOT 1!-I-tIJ(mItH'twtHttl., ttf "'_y;- . ) N Ul r. a We Cl m usc S IIOI~ld instead of wuulrl afler IIwc. If Ili ad luiS of mOTley, I UlQIl/tl/.(IIOuld traw l rout/d th e world. Would IS lII ore usual. Should is rather lit er ary here. b In inrnrmul American speech woltlfl ls ~omel im cs u se d to exprcss an unreal condillon. If those pt.'Op/e WlJuld get u nu c kar bomb , It UJou ld be a great threat to u s. Hut this IS nUl acceptable in wrning, so you should a vo id it . e We sometim es use were IIlstead of was in an if-clau se . > 231 C l[ I was/were a IJlllionaire, I would " 'auel round the wor ld. 8 We also use the Type 2 pattern for a theoretical possibility in the future. If we cau ght the ea rly trai" lOmorrow, we'd he in York by lunch lime . If you lost the video, you would Ilave 10 pay for a flew one. ~ Here the past ten se refers to a possible future action such as catching the ea rl y train tomorrow. Compare Types 1 and 2. T)'pe I: If we stay in a hOlel, it will he expens il J e. Type 2: If we s ta yed in a hOlel, it would be expells;'Je. Type I expresses the action as an open possibility - we Illay or may not stay in a hotel. Type 2 expresses the action as a theoretical possibiliry only, some thing more distant from reality. Sometimes it can be more polite to li se Type 2 rather than Type I, for example when making a request. Would it be all rig ht if I brought a frie nd ? - Ye s, of cOllrs e. I-It:re Type I would be more direct and less tenta ti ve. C You might occasiona ll y see a mix tur e of Types I and 2. 346 If b'flgland win against Ge r many tonight, il would be a miracle. Howev er , this is unu sual. Normal,ly we do not mix Types I and 2. (NOT 1[J't;e gal OOt .1 &/JII(hlt!') , fbQu l d-trttbd If :H"td-tfttHtI(tf'/d.) ) • TIP Do not mix Types 1 and 2. Say If you break it, you will have to pay for it. OR If you broke it, you would have to pay for it. N OT if}fJ/4 hi eak it , }6/:t tt!6t1. {ti ha bt! td pa, lar it. and N OT -If-yttlr brttlre i t:;-yQ u-wifl-have-tfj-parior-it. NUfE 247 Type 3 cond it ionals a We can use a mixiurc ofl he pasl Icnse and will when we comb in e a past cot ld ition wIth a fmure resu lt If they l lOsre u file parcel ),es t erday , it won't get here hefore Friday. b A Type 2 pa tt ern can he Ihe past of a Type I, for example in reponed speech Type I: lx m 'lgo . If yo II acce pt the inIJitQlion, you will regret it Typ e 2. J w id you fila.t If YO " acce pted tile invitation, you would regret it, D As well as the past simpl e, we can use the past continllolls or co uld in th e jf-clause. lj the sun was shining , everyth ing would be perfect. Ij I could have my child looked after, I would go out to work. As well as wou ld, we can li se other modaJ verbs such as could or miglll in the main clause. If I had a light, I c ould see what I'm doing. If we could re-starl the computer, lhaI mighl solve the problem. We can also u se continuo us form s. If Shakespeare was alive lOday, he would be writing Jor wlevision. E We can u se would in the if-clau se for a request. If you wouldn't mind holding th e line, J 'lll .ry to put you throu gh. If you 'd just sign h ere. p{ea.~e Thank you. We can also use wo uld l ik e. Ifyou 'd lik e to see the exhibilion, it would be nice 10 go together . 247 Type 3 conditionals A The ba sic patt ern is If . + past perfect + WOf. dd + perfect. Ifyou ha.d taken a taxi, you would have got here in lim e. I would have bought that guitar yesterd ay if I'd had enough money. My brother would have been promoted if he'd stayed in his job. We'd huzle gone to the talk if we'd known abo Lll il. (= We wou ld have gone jf we h ad kn ow n .) - Here the verb forms ref er to some thing unr eal, to an imaginary past action. In the fi rst exampl e, if you had taken a taxi means that .r eally you didn't take a tax i; I am only imagining a situation where you did. For more examples of the past perfect used in this wa y, > 230C. 347 Conditional sentences We cannot use the past si mple or rhe past perfect in the m ai n clause. (NO r if j'Qtl- hatl-tttkefHt - ltt:X + yott-hud-gtJt-ftere-itt-time.) Anti we do not norma ll y u se would in the If-clause. (NO T /f-yotJ - wotJllHtfJtJe-fOlretHl' IttXr yolrltfOtllti - hove , ~ol - h ert . ""'; n - time .) NOTe You lIla~ ' ocrasiona ll y hear a form suc h as UJOllfd IUllle lakell ( OM had Imllt' laA :c lI ) in an If· clause in informal speech. Rut lllilny peuple regard it as ;nc Oi reet. and It is nOI acceptable in writ in!::. so you should uvoid i t. B We ca n use could + perfect in the if-clause. If I co uld Itave warned you in lime, I would have done . As weli as would. we call usc oth er modal verbs suc h as could or might in the main clause. If I'd wrillell lite address dowll. I could hav e sa ved myself some trouble. The plan might not have worked if we hadn 't had a piece of luck. We ca n aJso lise continuous forms . If he hadn 'l been ev icted by his landlord, he wouldn 't have been sleeping on Ih e streets. C We ca n mi x Ty pe s 2 and 3. If Tom was ambitious, he lVould have found him se lf a beller job years ago. / fyou hadn't woken me up in the ni ghl, J wouldn't/eel so lired now. We ca n also use a Type 1 condilion wi th a Type 3 main clause. If you knolll London. so well. y OIl sho uld,,'t hav e got so hopelessly lost. 248 Should. were, had. and inversion The following types of clause are rather formal. A We can usc should in an if-clau se to talk i. lbollt something th at m ig ht possIbly happen . If you should fall ill , the company will pay yo ur ho s pital ex pens es. If I s hould be c ho sen as your represent.alilJ(!, I wou ld do my best for yO Il . More neutral would be If you fall ill , and If I was c ho sen We can also u sc /tappen lo. If you (s hould ) iullJpen to fall ill , 'he cnmpany will pay YOllr ho spital expenses. B Some time." we use were instead of was. > 23 1 C If the pic wre was/were genuine, it uJ{Jlild be worlh a m.iIlion pound s. We can also li SC were to for a the oretical po s~ ihilit y. If rile (./(!C : is ion were to go again st u s, we UJOuld appeal. 343 249 More details about if C In a condition with should or were, we can invert the subject and verb and leave out if Should you fall ill, the company will pay your hospital expenses. Should we nul succeed, the consequences would he disastrous. Were thl! picture genuine, it would be worth a million pounds. Were the decisi on to go against u s, we would appeal. We c annot do this with wa s. Tf t he picwre was genuine, it Ulould he worth a million pounds. (Ncr! Was-tlte-piettffe-genttine, it /:t;ottlti he; t:.,(), th -a- tllilli8Jl )l(}Itf'ttij .) We can al so use inversion with the past perfect (Type 3, > 247). Had you wken a t(lxi, you would hal Je guc he re un lime. Had I not car ri ed (Jut the order, I would have iJ een sacked. But an jf-c1ause (//you had taken a taXi) is mor e c ommon , especially in informa l Eng li sh. D Look at these examples with II nol for. You sailed my life. If it hadn 't been for YOll, I'd luwe droumed. (= Without you, I'd have drowned. ) I'd give up teac hing if it wasn't!werell 'I for the holidays. We can also u sc bue for. > 25 1B But for you, I'd have droume.d. [249 More details about if A When and if When we talk about the future, we usc when for someth ing that wi ll ha ppen a nd if for someth ing th at might happ en. When the doctor comes, C WI you lei her in? (The doctor will come.) If the doctor comes, ca n you leI her in? (The doctor might come .) We use if ( not when) for an unreal c ondition. If I had a credil card, I would spend euen more money. (I don't have a credit card.) In so me contexts eith er when or if is po ss ible. > 244A I always feel guilty when/ if I use my credit card. B Then After an if-clause we can li se then in the main clause. If the figures don't add up, then yuu must halJe made a mistake. If no one else has reqllesr.ed (h e book, then you can keep it jar al/Olller three weeks. 349 Condi ti onal sentences Here th en is not an adverb of tim e. It empha sizes the link between the con dition (e. g. no one eL<;e has requested the book) and the result of the co ndition being met (e . g. you can keep it). We cannot use so in t hi s way. (NOT Ifthe-Jigttres- don 't fldti - up; s e-yott-tftt1.Sr~mt1de-tc-m i s -tak e.) C Short clauses We can somClimes u se a short clause with if leaving ou t the subject and the verb. I'd like a room with a view of the sea if (that is) possibl e. If (you are) in difficulty, ring this number. We can do this when the meaning is still clear without the missing words. For if so and if not, :;;. 28D . D What if We can usc what if to ask so meone to imagine a situation. What if the tickets don 't arrive in time? Mlat if you'd h ad an accident? We can also u se it to mak e a suggestion. What if we all meet in London at the weekend? Suppose and supposing are u se d in the sa me way as what if > 230 Supposing the tickets don't arrive in tim e? E Ev en if }SO We ll se even if to express both a condition and a contras t. I'm going to finish lhis report even if it takes all night. (This report mayor may not take a ll ni ght, but I'm goi ng to finish it.) We cannot use even on its own as a conjunc ti on. NOT Fm-goiflg fa jillish-lfti5 rfp(Jf-t-even it-ltik-e-aU-nighe. Compare even if and even though. Even if the rumou r is untrue, people will scill believe it. (The r umour may or ma y not be untru e.) Even though the rum our is untrue, people will still believe il. (The r umour is untrue .) 25 0 Unless 250 Unless A Unless with a po siti ve ve rb is eq ui v alent to if with a negative verb. The cluh will go bankru pt unless it finds a new backer soo n. (::: if it doe s n't find a new backer soon.) Unless I get up when I w ak e, I feeL tired all day. (::: If I don 't get up when I wake, ) We're going to ha ve a pic ni c - unless it rains, of course. (= if it doe sn 't rain, of co ur se.) In these exa mple s, the main clause is negative. You can't get y uur money ba ck unless you've got a receipt. (::: You can get your money back only if you've got a receipt.) Won't YOIl join u s? - Not unless you apologize first. (= I'll join you only if you apo logi ze first .) B We do not normally li se unl ess me aning if not to express an lInreal condition. If you didn 't talk so much, you'd get more work dune . lIthe horse hadn't/allell, it would have won the race. (NOT i+ttie.'1 5 l lte-iICtfSe -httd-[allertoff- !lJ(JUitJ- hatJe -Wtffl;;he fftCe .) We do not use unless to ta lk about a feeling which w ould result from s omething not happening . Laura will be upset if you don't come to her party. I'll be very surprised if you don 'I get the joh. ( NOT J' IJ-be very-mrpr ised tI fileSS }'61l -geHhe-jttIJ.) 251 Other ways of expressing a condition A As long as, provided, etc As we ll as if, we can u se as long as or SO l ong as to express a condition. You cftn s moke as long as you do it o ut side the building . I don't care what a car looks like so long as it gelS me from A to B. We can also use provided (that), providing (t hat ), a nd all condition that. The machine will go on working for years provided (that) it is looked af ter properly. We are willing to accept your offer providing (that) payment is mad e within seven days. 'l11 e country was given aid on condition tllat it 1signed a tr(l(i e agre eme llt. Th ese co njun ctions are more formal. 351 Conditional sentences B In case of, with, etc We can use the preposition s i'l case of and in the eu(mt of In case of fire, break gUlS S. (o n a sign) (:;: If there IS a fire, . _.) In rite eve"t of a major emergency, local hospiwls would be alerted. (.;: If there was a major emergency • ) The prepositions with, without, and but Jor can also express a condition . With a bit more time, we could do a proper job. (::;: If we had a bit more time, . ) Without my mobile, I would Iialle been in big trouble. (~ If 1 hadn't had my mobile , ) But for ril e climate, Edinburgh would be a per/ ec L place to live. (::;: If il wasn't for the climate , ) In {hal case means 'if that is so'. I've lost my tickel In that case you'll have to buy another one. We can also use otherwise fo express a condition. If means 'if that is not so'. I'd better wriw the address dOWIJ , oilierwise I'll forget il . C In case Compare if and in case. I'll get some money from the cash point if I need some. (I'll wait until I need some and then get il.l I'll ger some mOlley from the ca.'ihpoint in case I need some. (I'U get it now b eca use [ might need it later .) Here are some more eX(lInples with ill case. You should insure your belongings in case they get stolen (::: because they might get stolen.> Ilefl a glass of umter by my bed in case I woke up thirsty lfl the night. (::: . because I might wake up thirsty in the night.) We can also u se should or mighl in a clause with in case. J'II take my mobile in case you should/might need to contact me. We can lise in case as an adverbial. /'Ii get some money from the cashpoi'lt UUSl) in case. But for in case of, > 13. NOn: 352 In I\l1lelican English III calC ciln m ea n the same as if 1/),011 'wed J In rose you l/(!f ~ d any help. let mc know. [...]... allli novels 360 and IIJJI/\fJer 2 59 Verbs of reporting B There art! many different verbs of reporting Here arc some that we can usc before a Ihat·c1ause or a wh·clause tUlmit agree announce argue ask hear believe consider feel inquire insist know point out read say suggest suppose chink understand wonder With many of these verbs we can use I passive pattern with it > 92 A At that time it was already known... timelimmediately yesterdaY/ lliat daylon Tuesday, elc the day before! clle previous day / on Monday, etc Ihe nexl day/the/allowing day /on Thursday, etc last weeki that week the year beJore/the previous yea rl in 199 0, etc the month afcerl the following monthlin August, etc an hour before/an hour ea rlier/at two o'clock, etc today )Iesterday IOmo"ow tl,is week last year next month an flOur ago ~ - - - - -... remark report say suggest write 254 Noun clause as subject and as complement D We ca n us e a nou n cl ause afte r a passive verb It was assumed that the stock market would continue Fo r mo re de tails, > 92 1\ to rise 254 Noun clause as subject and as complement A We sometimes use a nou n clau se as the s ubj ec t o f a sentence That you lVant to be independent IS only natura l How they're going to enforce... happened We do this because the cl ause is lo ng and co mes mo rc na turall y at the en d NOTE a For it wi th seem, happen etc, > 36C If seem s that I've made a mlSlake b ror it with a passive ve rb, > 92 A It is fea red lhal many lives have been lost in the earthquake c We can lise the foll owing pauern wi th it as the object > 36B They haven't made it dear huw they're going to enforce {he law C A nou... were beaten by a better side One of the crilics claims it's lhe funniest play ill the West End I-Iere the ind irect speech is the object of said, admitted, or claims Th ese a rc verbs of reporting > 2 59 NO'IE a When we liSP indirect speech, we norma lly cxpress lllc I1ICaning of whal was sa id rnt l lt~ r L an the t'!xaci words that were spoken, h 'f had a really gmal tune,' SlIe said she had enjoyed... yeslerday We do not begin wi th '/1ull when the indirect speech comes nrst h We ca n usc a phrase with accordillg to 10 show who said something According to Gou ld his team were bealen by a beller side, 3 59 Indirect speech o With direct speech, we ca n sometimes invert the verb of reporling and the s uhject This happens mainl y in litera ry English, for cxn mpl c in SlOries ,/,11 see you Illler, ' said... clear that th e whole paragraph is reporting wha t th e prosecutor sa id It is not necessary to say, for example th at Mr Andrews added thaI police had later recollered tile bank nOles from h is hOllw 2 59 Verbs of reporting A We ca n use a verb of re porting with a that·clause or a wh -c1ause Poily says (t hat) she isn't feeling lJery well He wontleretl why elJeryone was smiling Most verbs of reporting... mistaken > 2:'4 B I'rn disappointed that I didn't gellhe job > 256A J heard a rumour that lite professor has been kidtlapped > 2561l Noun clauses are used in indirect speech after verbs like sa)' and ask > 2 59 You said you I-4.Ianted to come wilh us, Someon.e asked what tlte matter was 353 Noun clauses 253 Noun clause as object A A noun clause can be th e object of a vcrb We regret thai you did not fi nd our... include the following advise ask assure bet convince inform notify persuade promise reassure remind show teach tell warn write> No te With some of these verbs we cannot leave out the indirect object > 259C NOTE An ilHJircct object with write in Ihis palrern is used main ly III American English He wrote me that he couldn't cume In British English wrote CO me is more usual C With certain verbs we can use... sta tement or ques tion '/ ca n lend YOIl sume ,noney.' -+ Stella said she could lend me some money 'Why should I ha ve the smallest room?' -+ Emma wondered wh'y she shol.l.1d have the smallest morn 3 69 Indirec( speech [lut it is often nearer lO use a verb like OJ]iH or ohjeC:1 whlt:h makes clear the purpose of what was said '/ can lend you some money.' -+ Stella offered to Lend me sorne money 'Why . funny noise. (= Eac h time I rev erse the car, ) For more abo ut ifand when, > l49A . B We can also use Type 0 for the automatic r esu h of a possible future action. If. of rh e present lIsed in this way, e.g. Let's wait until everyone arrives, > 59. 245 Type 1 conditionals "'"e do not normally u se will in the ir -c1a us e po s~ ihilit y. If rile (./(!C : is ion were to go again st u s, we UJOuld appeal. 343 2 49 More details about if C In a condition with should or were, we can invert the subject and