Conditionals: Apart From If, The Following Links Can Be Used To Introduce Conditional Clauses
Conditionals: Apart From If, The Following Links Can Be Used To Introduce Conditional Clauses
Links.
Apart from if, the following links can be used to introduce conditional clauses:
Unless
In case
as / as long as
Suppose/Supposing (that)
Providing/Provided (that)
On condition (that)
Even if
What if
Otherwise
Or else
But for + ing/noun
Punctuation.
When the if clause comes first in the sentence, it is followed by a comma. When the
main clause comes first, no comma is used.
Omission of IF.
Should.
Using should + infinitive (without to) in the if clause makes the condition less likely:
If you should need any help, just let me know.
Should you need any help, please don't hesitate to contact me.
Were.
If I were you, I wouldn’t tell him.
Were I you, I wouldn’t tell him.
Had.
If I had known the truth, I would have called the police.
Had I known the truth, I would have called the police.
Zero Conditional.
We use the Zero Conditional to describe situations where one event always
results in the other:
First Conditional.
We use the First Conditional to talk about possible future events which depend
on other future events:
If you read this report, you will understand our economic situation much
better.
They will sign the agreement unless their financial situation changes
dramatically.
If you want to make a good impression, remember to smile and make eye
contact.
Second Conditional.
We use the Second Conditional to talk about impossible present situations or
imagined events in the future, which are impossible or unlikely:
If I went on 'Who wants to be a Millionaire?' I'd win a lot of money. (The event
is unlikely, and the sentence is about the future.)
If people had more common sense, there wouldn't be any wars in the world.
(The situation is impossible to fulfill. now, and the sentence refers to the
present.)
If we'd been driving faster, we would've crashed on that slippery road. (We
weren't driving so fast and we didn't crash.)
Mixed Conditionals.
We use 'mixed conditionals' to talk about:
Imaginary past situations that could have led to consequences in the present:
If I had more self-confidence, I would have applied for that job. (... but I wasn't
confident, so I haven't.)
If the rescue team hadn't found him, he would be dead. (... but they found him
so he's alive.)
If Anna was here, she would've known what to do. (... but Anna's not here, so
she can't help us.)
If she didn't love driving, she wouldn't have become a taxi driver. (She loves
driving, so she became a taxi driver.)