CONDITIONAL CLAUSES (EXTRA)

CONDITIONAL CLAUSES (EXTRA)

1) ZERO CONDITIONAL

IF-CLAUSE: Present Simple   MAIN CLAUSE: Present Simple / Modal / Imperative

EXAMPLE:
If you don't eat enough healthy food, you get ill
Metal gets hot if you heat it
Water boils if it reaches 100 ºC 
If you train hard, you can improve your marks
If you are bored, read a book

USES:

·                    To describe general facts or true situations.

·                    If can be replaced by when or whenever since we are talking about something always happens.

2) WISH / IF ONLY (if only is more emphatic)

They are used to express REGRET (pesar, lamento, arrepentimiento) or COMPLAIN (queja).

*    PRESENT SITUATION: wish / if only + Past Simple or Continuous. REGRET.

I wish the Artic Monkeys were touring again this year

If only David didn't live next door / I wish I knew the answer / I wish she were here

*    PAST SITUATION: wish / if only + Past Perfect. REGRET.

I wish I had followed my friend's advice and not gone out with Paul

If only I had visited Hawaii when I had the chance / I wish I had eaten less

*    PRESENT SITUATION for a FUTURE CHANGE: wish / if only + would (could). COMPLAIN. Subjects in both clauses must be different.

I wish my boyfriend would stop smoking / If only you would shut up!

I wish she would notice me / I wish it would stop raining

She wishes he could come with her

3) AS LONG AS / PROVIDED (that) / PROVINDING (that)

They are usually only used in the FIRST conditional with the meaning of ONLY IF.

You can go out tonight as long as you finish your homework

He will work for them provided that they offer him more money than his present company

She will go to university providing she can pay her fees

4) EVEN IF

To give emphasis where the action of the main cannot be change whatever the if-clause states.

She wouldn't have won the race even if she had trained harder

5) UNLESS

With the meaning IF ... NOT.

You won't go on holiday this year unless you save some money

Unless you studied you wouldn't go out tonight

6) WILL and WOULD

WILL and WOULD are not normally used after IF in Conditional Sentences except:

- POLITE CONDITIONALS (meaning 'are / were willing to'):

If you will take a seat, the director will soon come

If you would let me know the answer, I should be most grateful

- POLITE REQUEST (meaning 'I wonder if you would / could ...'):

(I wonder) if you would tell the teacher I am waiting for him

(I wonder) if she could take a message for me

- WILL strongly STRESSED (showing emphasis on an habit and its consequences):

If you will arrive late, the teacher will get annoyed

- WON'T (meaning 'refusal'):

If he won't learn his lesson, he will never improve his French