Ana's ESL blog: syntax

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Tuesday, 7 January 2020

Conditional sentences

ZERO TYPE CONDITIONAL SENTENCES

MEANING& USE

The zero conditional is used to make statements about the real world, and often refers to general truths, such as scientific facts. In these sentences, the time is the present or always and the situation is real and possible.

If you heat water, it boils.
Water boils if you heat it.
When you heat ice, it melts.
Ice melts when you heat it.
If it snows, the grass gets white.
The grass gets white if it snows.
When it rains, the grass gets wet.
The grass gets wet when it rains.

FORM

We can make a zero conditional sentence with two present simple verbs (one in the 'if clause' and one in the 'main clause'):

If/when/unless + present simple, .... present simple.

EXERCISES

Perfect English

1ST TYPE CONDITIONAL SENTENCES

MEANING & USE
The first conditional is also called the "real" conditional because it is used for real, or possible, situations. These situations take place if a certain condition is met.

In the first conditional we can salso use unless, which means "if... not". In other words, "... unless he hurries up" could also be written, "... if he doesn't hurry up."

1st type conditional sentence

If it rains, we will stay at home.
He will arrive late unless he hurries up.
Sophie will buy a new car, if she gets her raise.

FORM
The first conditional is formed by the use of the present simple in the if clause followed by a comma and a future simple verb (will + infinitive) in the result clause. You can also put the result clause first without using a comma between the clauses.

If he finishes on time, we will go to the movies.

We will go to the movies if he finishes on time.

EXERCISES

exercise 1- Ego4you
exercise 2- Ego4you
exercise 3- Englisch Hilfen: statements
exercise 4- Englisch Hilfen: negatives
exercise 5- Englisch Hilfen: mixed
exercise 6- Englisch Hilfen: mixed-two blanks
exercise 7- ESL Partyland
exercise 8- Isabel Pérez matching exercise
exercise 9- English Exercises
exercise 10- First English
exercise 11- English Grammar
exercise 12: Perfect English

This sheet contains a summary of first, second and third type conditional sentences.

2nd TYPE CONDITIONAL SENTENCES

MEANING

2nd type conditional sentence

The second conditional is used to talk about situations or actions in the present or future which are not likely to happen or are imaginary, hypothetical or impossible.

If I were a rich woman, I would travel around the world. I think it is very unlikely that I will be rich. However, in this unlikely condition, I will travel around the world.
If I weren't / wasn't watching TV now, I would be playing tennis. I am watching TV, but I am imagining an alternative activity I would be doing if I wasn't watching TV
If you had a bigger dog, your house would be protected. You don't have a big dog, but I am imagining how protected you would be if you had one.
If I were an alien, I would be able to travel around the universe. It is impossible for me to be an alien. However, I am imagining what I would do in this situation.
We would go to Paris this summer if we passed all our subjects. That is our plan but, unfortunatelly, we know we are not going to pass all our subjects.

FORM

If + past simple + conditional (would)

Conditional (would) + if + past simple

Verb be is usually were for all subjects; was (1st & 3rd person) is colloquial.

SONGS

If I were a rich man (Fiddler in the Roof-movie)

If today was your last day (Nickleback)

If I were a boy (Beyonce)

EXERCISES

- from Isabel Pérez

- Englisch-hilfen.de 1

- Englisch-hilfen.de 2

- Englisch-hilfen.de 3

- Englisch-hilfen.de 4

- Englisch-hilfen.de 5
- Perfect English Grammar

- Malted ESO-4 unit 7 (Gwineth and the Wizard)

FIRST AND SECOND TYPE CONDITIONALS

3RD TYPE CONDITIONAL SENTENCES

MEANING

The first conditional and second conditionals tell us about the future. With the third conditional we refer to the past. We speak about a condition in the past that did not happen. That is why there is no possibility for this condition. The third conditional is also like a dream, but with no possibility of the dream coming true.

If I had travelled to Italy I would have visited Luca. But I have not travelled to Italy and, therefore, I have not visited Luca.
If you had got a good mark, would you have complained to the teacher? but your mark was bad, so we don't know for sure what you would have done.
What would you have done if it had snowed last weekend? but it didn't snow.
I wouldn't have called if I had known that she wasn't home. but I knew so I called

FORM

If + past perfect // would have + past participle

Past participle // if + past perfect

EXERCISES

SONGS:

ALL TYPES OF CONDITIONALS

Eso 3 conditional sentences from Ana Arias Castro

Wednesday, 25 September 2019

How to ask questions in English

Monday, 19 March 2018

Use linking words in your texts

Saturday, 17 February 2018

First and second type conditional sentences

Thursday, 26 October 2017

Relative clauses

RELATIVE PRONOUNS:

who → when we talk about people
which → when we talk about things
whose → instead of his/her or their
We also use that for who/which.

OMISSION OF THE RELATIVE PRONOUN

We leave out the relative pronoun (who/which/that) if it is not the subject in the sentence.

That is the book I like.

If there is a verb after the relative pronoun who/which/that, do not leave out the relative pronoun.

He is the teacher who spoke to us yesterday morning.

Examples with the relative pronoun who

1st part of the sentence			2nd part of the sentence
This	is	the boy	who	was	at the party yesterday.
Subject	Verb	Rest	Subject	Verb	Rest

who is subject in the sentence, do not leave it out.

1st part of the sentence			Pronoun	2nd part of the sentence
This	is	the boy	who	I	met	at the party yesterday.
This	is	the boy	can be left out	I	met	at the party yesterday.
Subject	Verb	Rest		Subject	Verb	Rest

who is not subject in the sentence, it can be left out.

Examples with the relative pronoun which/that

1stpart of the sentence			2nd part of the sentence
This	is	the bike	which	was	in the shop window.
Subject	Verb	Rest	Subject	Verb	Rest

which is subject in the sentence, do not leave it out.

1st part of the sentence			Pronoun	2nd part of the sentence
This	is	the bike	which	I	bought	yesterday.
This	is	the bike	can be left out	I	bought	yesterday.
Subject	Verb	Rest		Subject	Verb	Rest

which is not subject in the sentence, it can be left out.

TYPES OF RELATIVE CLAUSES

http://4thgradeela.weebly.com/uploads/2/0/7/7/20771340/5289752_orig.jpg

To understand the distinctions between that and which it is necessary to understand defining (restrictive) and non-defining (non-restrictive) clauses.

Learning these distinctions is one technical aspect of grammar that every user of English should understand, because it is at the root of an assortment of grammatical errors.

NON DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES

A non-defining, or non-restrictive, clause is one that can be regarded as parenthetical:

My house, which has a blue door, needs painting.

The italicized words are effectively an aside and could be deleted. The real point of the sentence is that the house needs painting; the blue door is incidental.

Use commas to set off non-defining elements, which contribute to, but do not determine, the meaning of the sentence. These elements may be clauses (groups of words that contain a subject and a verb) or phrases (groups of words that do not contain both a subject and a verb).

DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES

A defining, restrictive, clause is one that is essential to the sense of the sentence.

My house that has a blue door needs painting.

Here the blue door is a defining characteristic, it helps to distinguish that house from my other houses.

Defining clauses or phrases are not separated off with commas. A restrictive clause or phrase is essential to the meaning of the sentence; it defines the word it modifies by ›restricting‹ its meaning. Eliminating a restrictive element from a sentence changes its meaning dramatically.

EXERCISES