Grammar study & practice: "If..." sentences

Question: Why do we make "if..." sentences (often called conditional sentences) in such strange ways?

Answer: To express different meanings.

Study: Zero (0) Conditional

Examples:

• What happens if you press this red button?
• If you press this red button, the light goes on.
• Student A: If we come to class even five minutes late, our teacher gets angry.
• Student B: Really? Our teacher's pretty relaxed. She doesn't mind if we're a little bit late.

Form:

• If + present tense, + present tense.
• Present tense + if + present tense.

Meaning:

Because this kind of conditional sentence talks about facts, we use the grammar of things that don't change, that are always true: the Present simple tense (happens, gets, doesn't mind). We use this tense for things that are real, that are true facts. Compare (1) facts and (2) "if..." sentences:

• (1) Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius. (2) If you boil water, it turns to steam.
• (1) Ice melts at room temperature. (2) If ice melts, it turns to water.
• (1) Students are sometimes late to class. (2) If students are late to class, some teachers get angry.

Practice: Zero (0) Conditional

Are you ready to test your understanding of the zero conditional? Yes? Good! Try these exercises:

• Vocabulary preparation for exercise 1
• Exercise 1
• Vocabulary preparation for exercise 2
• Exercise 2

Study: First (1st) Conditional

Examples:

Form:

The condition is in the Present Simple tense (he goes).

We do not only use 'will' in this conditional! Because we can easily predict a likely consequence, we can use the same forms as we use in predictions, offers, promises and real possibilities:

• 'll, will and won't
• can and can't
• may and may not
• might and mightn't

Meaning:

Remember, it is the consequence, or the result that is predicted, not the condition.

Compare:

• Prediction (pretty sure): "I think I'll fail my driving test."
• Prediction (not so sure): "It may rain this evening."
• Offer: "My wife will show you your bedroom."
• Offer: "I'll help you with your homework."
• Promise: "I'll love you forever! I'll never leave you!"
• Promise: "I won't be late! I promise! Believe me!"
• Real possibility or offer: "I can show you how to skate!"

Practice: First (1st) Conditional

Are you ready to test your understanding of the first conditional? Yes? Good! Try this exercise:

• First (1st) conditional exercise

Study: Second (2nd) Conditional

Examples:

• If he loved me, I'd marry him!
• I could buy a castle if I won the Lottery, but I wouldn't, I would buy a small chic apartment in Madrid instead!
• If I were dark-skinned instead of fair-skinned, I could spend much longer out in the sun.
• If wishes were horses, beggars would ride!            

Because this is not very probable, we feel the action and its consequence are distant from real life. In cases when the action and the consequence are impossible and we are using our imagination, the action is distant from reality. So we use the Second Form* of the verb and a modal verb, because we use these forms when we want to suggest some kind of distance.

* The Second Form means:

• The past or -ed form, for example: walked, laughed, invited
• This is the form you find in the second column of lists of Irregular Verbs, for example, did, went, had, chose, thought, ran, ate.
• Modal past or Second Forms include could, would, should, might

Kinds of distance

There are different kinds of distance, including distance in time, distance in social relationship, and distance in directness of communicating meaning.

Group 1: Distance in time

Examples:

"I went shopping yesterday"
(= Distance in time, from yesterday to now)

"When he was a child, my father lived in the north of Japan".
(= Distance in time, from yesterday to now)

Group 2: Distance in relationship

Examples:

"Excuse me, could you help me, please?"
(= Distance in relationship: politeness)

To a boss: "Would you mind if I went early this evening?"
(= Distance in relationship: politeness)

Group 3(A): Distance in directness: reported speech

Examples:

She told me her plans had changed. She's going to Scotland next week, not this week.
(= Distance in directness: reported speech)

Group 3(B): Distance in directness: reported thought

"You're 23! Yes, my mother thought you were. I thought you were only 18"
(= Distance in directness: reported thought)

"Jane's father is a butcher! No! He can't be! I thought he was a lawyer!"
(= Distance in directness: reported thought)

Practice: Second (2nd) Conditional

Are you ready to test your understanding of the differences between the zero, first, and second conditionals? Yes? Good! Try this exercise:

• Mixed (0, 1, 2) conditionals exercise