Conditional sentences: Definition, Types, and Examples
I
know you were searching for conditional sentences and came here for the answer
and that’s why I am here again in your service.
I
will try to explain conditional sentences quickly so you can understand them
easily.
What are conditional sentences?
The
conditional sentence contains two parts: the first one shows the situation
which is known as the if clauses (also known as a conditional clause) and the second part shows the result of the situation.
For
example,
If you work hard you
will achieve your goals.
In
this sentence, if you work hard is
an if clause or conditional clause.
And you will achieve your goals as a
result of the situation.
Here,
notice, one thing: changing the order of the sentence wouldn’t affect the
meaning of the sentence.
For
example,
You will achieve your
goals if you work hard.
Now we will see some examples of conditional
sentences.
Examples:
1. If you
want, I can go with you shopping.
I can go shopping with you if you want.
2. If you
can help me with my homework.
Help me with my homework if you can.
3. If I
want to come with you, will you allow me?
Will you allow me if I want to come with you.
4. If she
said no what will you do?
What would you do if she said no?
5. If she
insists on you then you have come to the party.
You have come to the part if she insists on you.
This
is what if clauses and conditional sentences are, I hope you understood the
definition with the help of these examples.
There
are different types of conditional sentences now we will look at them.
Type 1:
In
this type, the condition can be possibly fulfilled.
The
formula is:
If +
simple present + will future
For
examples:
1. If I get
a chance, I will visit turkey.
2. If I
find his address, I will invite him.
3. If you
invite me to your party, I will come.
4. If he
asks me out, I will go with him.
5. If I get
this job, I will give you a treat.
If
we change the order of the clauses then we will remove the comma.
For example:
1. I will
visit turkey if I get a chance.
2. I will
invite him if I find his address.
3. I will
come if you invite me to your party.
4. I will
go with him if he asks me out.
5. I will
give you a treat if I get the job.
As
you can see in the above examples, we have removed the comma by changing the
order of the sentence.
In
type 1, action will happen in the future if a certain condition is fulfilled in
the present. That’s why we don’t know if a condition will be fulfilled or not.
Some exceptions for type 1 (Likely):
If
condition refers to future action:
Simple present + if clause + future (Modal Auxiliary, Imperative) + main clause.
Example: if the bag is fashionable, I will buy
it.
If
condition refers to ongoing action:
Present progressive + if clause +
future1 (modal auxiliary, imperative) + main clause.
If
condition refers to finished action:
Present perfect + if clause + future
1 (modal auxiliary, imperative) + main clause.
If
condition refers to improbable action:
Should have + infinitive + if clause
+ future 1 (modal auxiliary, imperative) + main clause.
If
condition refers to present facts:
Simple present + if clause + simple
present + main clause.
Type 2:
In
this type, it is possible but very unlikely that the condition will be
fulfilled.
Formula:
If + simple past + condition 1
Let’s
see some examples to understand this easily.
For
examples:
1. If I got
a job, I would give you a treat.
2. If I
found his address, I would invite him.
3. If you
invited me to the party, I would come.
Here
is the same case as type 1 if we change the order of the sentence then we will
remove the comma.
For
examples:
1. I would
give you a treat if I got a job.
2. I would
invite him if I found his address.
3. I would
come if you invited me to the party.
The
sentence can be negative, were
will be changed into was.
We
use type 2 to refer to the situation in the present. A certain action could
happen if the present scenario is different.
Exceptions for type 2 (Unlikely):
If the condition refers to
present or future events:
Simple past + if clause + conditional
1 + main clause.
If
condition refers to a consequence in the past:
Simple past + if clause + conditional
2 + main clause.
Conditional sentence type 3 (Impossible):
This
type refers to the past that’s why it’s impossible to fulfill the condition.
Formula:
If +
past perfect + condition 2 = (would + have + past principle).
For
example:
1. If I had
found his address, I would have sent him an invitation.
2. If I had
got the job, I would have given you a treat.
3. If you
had invited me to the party, I would have come.
4. If I had
got a chance, I would have visited turkey.
The
main clause can be at the beginning of a sentence but then we will remove the
comma.
For
example:
1. I would
have sent him an invitation if I had found his address.
2. I would
have given you a treat if I had got the job.
3. I would
have come if you had invited me to the party.
4. I would
have visited turkey if I had got a chance.
Type
3 refers to the past if a condition had fulfilled in the past an action could
have happened. We just imagine if the condition had been fulfilled the
situation had been different.
Exceptions for type 3 (Impossible):
If
the condition refers to the present:
Past perfect + if clause + conditional
1 + main clause.
If
the condition refers to the past:
Past perfect + if clause +
conditional 2 + main clause.
In
conditional sentences, we imagine certain actions if some certain conditions
had been fulfilled. After practice, you will easily understand these
conditional sentences and their types.
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