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Conditional Sentences (#1), by Dennis Oliver
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Conditional ("if")
sentences normally
have two parts. One part shows
a
result and the other shows a condition on which the
result depends. The condition is normally preceded by
if. In "He gets angry if he doesn't get what he wants," the result is "he gets angry"
and the condition (introduced by "if")
is "he doesn't get what he wants.
There are two main types of
conditional sentences: real and unreal. Real conditional sentences
refer to situations that are either true
or possible. Unreal conditionals
refer to
situations that are untrue, impossible
or
hypothetical; conditional sentences of this
type are often described as being
contrary
to fact.
Let's look, first, at real conditionals.
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Real Conditionals
(#1)
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There are two types of real
conditional sentences. In the first type, the
result is known: it happens every time the condition
is met. In conditional sentences of this type, when, whenever, or every time may
be substituted for if
with no changein meaning:
If she studies, she gets good
grades.
(When / Whenever / Every time
she studies, she gets good grades.)
If
he's relaxed, he feels
more confident.
(When / Whenever / Every time
he's relaxed, he feels more confident.)
If
they have extra money,
they put it in
their savings account.
(When / Whenever / Every time
they have extra money, they put it in their savings account.)
Special Notes:
| 1. |
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If may be at either the beginning or
middle of conditional sentences:
If she
studies, she gets good grades. / She gets good
grades if she studies.
If he's relaxed, he feels more confident. / He feels
more confident if he's relaxed.
If they have extra
money, they put it in their savings
account.
They put extra money in their
savings
account if they have any.
Notice that
a
comma is used with the if clause when it begins a sentence.
Notice also
that there is no comma
when
the if clause is in the middle
of a sentence.
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| 2. |
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For
predictable situations, the simple present tense is normally used (see
the examples above). |
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