CONDITIONAL SENTENCES (If Clause)

Conditionals describe the result of a certain condition. The if clause tells you the condition (If you study hard) and the main clause tells you the result (you will pass your exams). The order of the clauses does not change the meaning.

If you study hard, you will pass your exams. [1]
You will pass your exams if you study hard. [2]

★If you are writing a sentence starting with if clause, you have to place comma (,) just before the main clause [1]. 

★If you are starting a sentence with main clause then you don’t have to place comma before if clause [2].

Conditional sentences are often divided into different types.

Zero conditional

We use the zero conditional to talk about things that are generally true, especially for laws and rules.

The structure is: if/when + present simple >> present simple

If I drink too much coffee, I can't sleep at night.
Ice melts if you heat it.
When the sun goes down, it gets dark.

First Conditional

We use the first conditional when we talk about future situations we believe are real or possible.

In first conditional sentences, the structure is usually: if/when + present simple >> will + infinitive

If it doesn't rain tomorrow, we'll go to the beach.
Arsenal will be top of the league if they win.
When I finish work, I'll call you. 

It is also common to use this structure with unless, as long as, as soon as or in case instead of if.

I'll leave as soon as the babysitter arrives.
I don't want to stay in London unless I get a well-paid job.
I'll give you a key in case I'm not at home.
You can go to the party, as long as you're back by midnight.

Second conditional

The second conditional is used to imagine present or future situations that are impossible or unlikely in reality.

The structure is usually: if + past simple >> + would + infinitive 

If we had a garden, we could have a cat.
If I won a lot of money, I'd buy a big house in the country.
I wouldn't worry if I were you.

When if is followed by the verb be, it is grammatically correct to say if I were, if he were, if she were and if it were. However, it is also common to hear these structures with was, especially in the he/she form.

Third conditional

The third conditional is used to imagine a different past. We imagine a change in a past situation and the different result of that change.

In third conditional sentences, the structure is usually: If + past perfect >> would have + past participle

If I had understood the instructions properly, I would have passed the exam.
We wouldn't have got lost if my phone hadn't run out of battery.

Mixed conditionals

We can use mixed conditionals when we imagine a past change with a result in the present or a present change with a result in the past.

1. Past/Present 

Here's a sentence imagining how a change in a past situation would have a result in the present.

If I hadn't got the job in Tokyo, I wouldn't be with my current partner.

So the structure is: If + past perfect >> would + infinitive.

2. Present/Past

Here's a sentence imagining how a different situation in the present would mean that the past was different as well.

It's really important. If it wasn't, I wouldn't have called you on your holiday.

And the structure is: If + past simple >> would have + past participle.

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Bibliography

British Council. (2021, 6 6). Conditionals. Retrieved from British Council: https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/intermediate-to-upper-intermediate/conditionals-1

British Council. (2021, 6 6). Conditionals. Retrieved from British Council: https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/intermediate-to-upper-intermediate/conditionals-2