Conditional Clause 2

A type of adverbial clause that states a hypothesis or condition, real or imagined.

A conditional clause may be introduced by the subordinating conjunction if or another conjunction, such as unless or in case of.

See also:

• Clause
• Subordinate Clause

Examples and Observations:

• "If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog."
  (Harry Truman)

• "If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome."
  (Anne Bradstreet, "Meditations Divine and Moral")

• "If I had only known, I would have been a locksmith."
  (Albert Einstein)

• "Conditions deal with imagined situations: some are possible, some are unlikely, some are impossible. The speaker/writer imagines that something can or cannot happen or have happened, and then compares that situation with possible consequences or outcomes, or offers further logical conclusions about the situation."
  (R. Carter, Cambridge Grammar of English. Cambridge Univ. Press, 2006)

• There are six main types of conditional sentence:
1. For example, the equilibrium between liquid and vapor is upset if the temperature is increased.
   (General rule, or law of nature: it always happens.)

2. If you start thinking about this game, it will drive you crazy.
   (Open future condition: it may or may not happen.)

3. But if you really wanted to be on Malibu Beach, you'd be there.
   (Unlikely future condition: it probably won't happen.)

4. If I were you, I would go to the conference center itself and ask to see someone in security.
   (Impossible future condition: it could never happen.)

5. "I would have resigned if they had made the decision themselves," she said.
   (Impossible past condition: it didn't happen.)

6. If he had been working for three days and three nights then it was in the suit he was wearing now.
   (Unknown past condition: we don't know the facts.)

(John Seely, Grammar for Teachers. Oxpecker, 2007

Read More

CONDITIONAL CLAUSE 1

Type 1. The open conditional statement :

This usually refers to a future event which is conditional on another future event.
The verb of the main clause is in the future tense with "will" (or sometimes another modal).
The verb of the conditional clause is in the simple present tense. 

•      If you eat too much, you'll get fatter.
•      You'll get fatter if you eat too much.
•      If everyone works fast, we'll finish in time.
•      We won't finish in time unless everyone works fast.
•      If I go to London, I can visit the British Museum.
•      If you visit Scotland, you should visit Edinburgh Castle.
•      Unless the directors can increase sales, we'll have to close this shop.

Occasionally, the open conditional statement describes one potential state of reality or circumstance which is dependent on another.  In this case, both verbs are in the present tense.

•      If I sleep well at night, I feel much happier next morning.
•      If the temperature falls below zero, it freezes.
•      If it rains, everyone gets wet.   

In an open conditional statement, if is sometimes replaced by when: but there is a difference. Using "if" implies that the condition really is open and may not be fulfilled, using "when" implies that the condition will be fulfilled, that the event will really take place.

Type 2. The open hypothetical conditional statement:

This refers to a possible future situation which depends on on another possible future situation. The verb of the main clause uses the present conditional tense (would + infinitive, or could +infinitive);
The verb of the conditional clause normally uses the present subjunctive or preterite (these two tenses are identical except with to be). Occasionally, the conditional aspect of the statement can be emphasised by using the form were + to + infinitive.

•       1A  If you ate too much, you'd (you would) get fatter.
•      1B  You'd get fatter if you ate too much.
•      2A  If everyone worked faster, we would / could finish in time.
•      2B  We wouldn't finish in time unless everyone worked faster.
•      2C  If everyone were to work faster, we would/could finish in time.
•      3    If I went to London, I would / could visit the British Museum.
•      4.   If you visited Scotland, you could see Edinburgh Castle.
•       5    Unless the directors increased sales, we'd have to close this shop.                                   

Read More