Conditional Sentences / If-Clauses Type I, II and III Conditional Sentences are also known as Conditional Clauses or If Clauses.

They are used to express that the action in the main clause (without if) can only take place if a certain condition (in the clause with if) is fulfilled. There are three types of Conditional Sentences.

If Clause Type 1 It is possible and also very likely that the condition will be fulfilled.

Form: if + Simple Present/ Simple Future

Example: If I find her address, Ill send her an invitation.

*The main clause can also be at the beginning of the sentence. In this case, don't use a comma.

Example: I will send her an invitation if I find her address.

Exercise 1

Some friends are planning a party. Everybody wants to party, but nobody's really keen on preparing and organising the party. So everybody comes up with a few conditions, just to make sure that the others will also do something.

If Caroline and Sue prepare/prepares/will prepare the salad, Phil decorate/ decorates/ will decorate the house. If Sue cut/cuts/will cut the onions for the salad, Caroline peel/peels/will peel the mushrooms. Jane hoover/hoovers/will hoover the sitting room if Aaron and Tim dust/ dusts/ will dust the furniture. If Bob tidy/tidies/will tidy up the kitchen, Anita clean/cleans/will clean the toilet.

Elaine buy/buys/will buy the drinks if somebody help/helps/will helps her carry the bottles. If Alan and Rebecca organise/organises/will organise the food, Mary and Conor make/makes/will make the sandwiches. If Bob look/looks/will look after the barbecue, Sue let/lets/will let the guests in. Frank play/plays/will play the DJ if the others bring/brings/will bring along their CDs. Alan mix/mixes/will mix the drinks if Jane give/gives/will give him some of her cocktail recipes. If they all do/does/will do their best, the party is/are/will be great.

Exercise 2

Complete the IF Clause (Type I) by putting the verbs into the correct form.

If you (send) ......................... this letter now, she (receive) ......................... it tomorrow. If I (do) ......................... this test, I (improve) ......................... my English. If I (find) ......................... your ring, I (give) ......................... it back to you. Peggy (go) ......................... shopping if she (have) ......................... time in the afternoon. Simon (go) ......................... to London next week if he (get) ......................... a cheap flight. If her boyfriend (phone / not) ......................... today, she (leave) ......................... him. If they (study / not) ......................... harder, they (pass/ not) ......................... the exam. If it (rain) ......................... tomorrow, I (have to/ not) ......................... water the plants. You (be able/ not) ......................... to sleep if you (watch) ......................... this scary film. Susan (can/ move/ not) ......................... into the new house if it (be/ not) ......................... ready on time.

IF Clause Type 2

It is possible but very unlikely, that the condition will be fulfilled.

Form: if + Simple Past, would + vb

Example: If I found her address, I would send her an invitation.

Were instead of Was

In IF Clauses Type II, we usually use were even if the pronoun is I, he, she or it .

Example: If I were you, I would not do this.

Use

If Clause Type II refers to situations in the present. An action could happen if the present situation were different. I don't really expect the situation to change, however. I just imagine what would happen if

Exercise 1

Janine is a daydreamer. She imagines what would happen if she won the lottery.

If I would play/ played the lottery, I would have/ had a chance to hit the jackpot. If I would hit/ hit the jackpot, I would be/ were rich. If I would be/ were rich, my life would change/ change completely. I would buy/ bought a lonely island, if I would find/ found a nice one. If I would own/ owned a lonely island, I would built/ built a huge house by the beach. I would invite/ invited all my friends if I would have/ had a house by the beach.

I would pick/ picked my friends up in my yacht if they would want/ wanted to spend their holidays on my island. We would have/ had great parties if my friends would come/ came to my island. If we would like/ liked to go shopping in a big city, we would charter/ chartered a helicopter. But if my friends' holidays would be/ were over, I would feel/ felt very lonely on my lonely island.

Exercise 2

Complete the IF Clause (Type II) by putting the verbs into the correct form.

If we (have) ..................................... a yacht, we (sail) ..................................... the seven seas. If he (have) ..................................... more time, he (learn) ..................................... karate. If they (tell) ..................................... their father, he (be) ..................................... very angry. She (spend) ..................................... a year in the USA if it (be) ..................................... easier to get a green card. If I (live) ..................................... on a lonely island, I (run) ..................................... around naked all day. We (help) ..................................... you if we (know) ..................................... how. My brother (buy) ..................................... a sports car if he (have) .................................... the money. If I (feel) ..................................... better, I (go) ..................................... to the cinema with you. If you (go) ................................. by bike more often, you (be / not) ............................... so flabby. She (not / talk) ..................................... to you if she (be) ..................................... mad at you.

IF Clause Type 3

It is impossible that the condition will be fulfilled because it refers to the past.

Form: if + Past Perfect/ would + have + vb 3rd form

Example: If I had found her address, I would have sent her an invitation.

Exercise 1

Your favourite team has lost again! So after the game, the supporters discuss what could have been different.

If the midfielders would have passes/ had passed the ball more exactly, our team would have had/ had had more chances to attack. If the forwards would have run/ had run faster, they would have scored/ had scored more goals. Their motivation would have improved/ had improved if they would have kicked/ had kicked a goal during the first half. The fullbacks would have prevented/ had prevented one or the other goal if they would have marked/ had marked their opponents. If the goalie would have jumped/ had jumped up, he would have caught/ had caught the ball. If the referee would have seen/ had seen the foul, he would have awarded/ had awarded a penalty kick to our team. Our team would have been/ had been in better form if they would have trained/ had trained harder the weeks before. The game would have become/ had become better if the coach would have sent/ had sent a substitute in during the second half. If it would have been/ had been a home game, our team would have won/ had won the match. If our team would have won/ had won the match, they would have moved/ had moved up in the league.

Conditional Clauses Type I, II, III Remember! Type I expresses something that is likely. Type II expresses something that is unlikely. Type III expresses something that is impossible.

Exercise 1 New Orleans

New Orleans was founded by the French. It first had a French name, Nouvelle-Orlans, in honor of the Duke of Orleans, King of France. The city lies on the river Mississippi and a riverboat cruise on the Mississippi is an unforgettable experience. New Orleans is also an important center for music, especially for jazz and rhythm and blues.

Do you like jazz music? Because if you (like) jazz, you (love) New Orleans. Vanessa hates boat trips. But if she (hate/ not) boat trips, she (enjoy) a riverboat cruise on the Mississippi. I (do) a course in jazz dancing if I (have) more time. But unfortunately I don't have time. If the founders of the city (hate) the King of France, they (call/ not) the place Nouvelle-Orlans in honor of him.

Exercise 2 The Cat and the Mouse

Once upon a time the cat bit the mouse's tail off. Give me back my tail, said the mouse. And the cat said, Well, I (give) you back your tail if you fetched me some milk. But that's impossible to do for a little mouse like you. The mouse, however, went to the cow. The cat (give/ only) me back my tail if I fetch her some milk. And the cow said, Well, I would give you milk if you (get) me some hay. But that's impossible to do for a little mouse like you.

The mouse, however, went to the farmer. The cat will only give me back my tail if the cow (give) me some milk. And the cow (only/ give) me milk if I get her some hay. And the farmer said, Well, I would give you hay if you (bring) me some meat. But that's impossible to do for a little mouse like you. The mouse, however, went to the butcher. The cat will only give me back my tail if the cow (give) me milk. And the cow will only give me milk if she (get) some hay. And the farmer (only/ give) me hay if I get him some meat. And the butcher said, Well, I would give you meat if you (make) the baker bake me a bread. But that's impossible to do for a little mouse like you. The mouse, however, went to the baker. The cat (give/ only) me back my tail if I fetch her some milk. And the cow (give/ not) me milk if I don't get her hay. And the farmer will only give me hay if the butcher (have) some meat for him. And the butcher will not give me meat if you (bake/ not) him a bread. And the baker said, Well, I (give) never to steal my corn or meal. you bread if you promise

The mouse promised not to steal, and so the baker gave the mouse bread, the mouse gave the butcher bread. The butcher gave the mouse meat, the mouse gave the farmer meat. The farmer gave the mouse hay, the mouse gave the cow hay. The cow gave the mouse milk, the mouse gave the cat milk. And the cat gave the mouse her tail back. But imagine what would have happened otherwise: If the mouse (promised/ not) never to steal corn or meal, the baker (not/give) the mouse bread. If the baker (not/ give) the mouse bread, the butcher (refuse) to give the mouse meat for the farmer. If the butcher (refuse) the mouse any meat, the farmer (not/ be) willing to give the mouse hay. If the farmer (not/ be) willing to give the mouse hay, the mouse (not/ receive) milk from the cow. If the mouse (not/ receive) milk from the cow, the mouse (not/ get) back her tail.