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Second Condition Al: Grammar Guide

This document provides information about second conditional sentences in English grammar. It explains that second conditional sentences are used to talk about improbable or hypothetical situations in the present. They consist of an "if clause" with a past simple verb form and a "main clause" with "would" plus the base verb form. Examples are given to illustrate the structure and usage of second conditional sentences. Variations using "might", "could", and "were" are also discussed.

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63 views

Second Condition Al: Grammar Guide

This document provides information about second conditional sentences in English grammar. It explains that second conditional sentences are used to talk about improbable or hypothetical situations in the present. They consist of an "if clause" with a past simple verb form and a "main clause" with "would" plus the base verb form. Examples are given to illustrate the structure and usage of second conditional sentences. Variations using "might", "could", and "were" are also discussed.

Uploaded by

Glare F Dagyagnao
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Second Condition

al
Grammar Guide

mgr Anna Waligórska – Kotfas


PWSZ Konin
Introduction: Clauses

Conditional sentences usually consist of two


clauses:

aconditional clause (or IF CLAUSE) and a


main clause (or RESULT CLAUSE).

 The result in the main clause is dependent


on the condition in the conditional clause.
Second Conditional: Verb Patterns

 RESULT CLAUSE IF CLAUSE

would/wouldn’t + infinitive if + past simple

I would tell you her name if I knew it.


Second Conditional: Clause Order

 Youcan reverse the two clauses of a seco


nd conditional sentence without changing t
he meaning:
We would lend you a map if we had it.
=
If we had a map, we would lend it to you.

REMEMBER ABOUT A COMMA WHEN YOU START A SENTENC


E WITH IF CLAUSE!
Second Conditional: Variations of
the main clause
 MIGHT or COULD may be used instead of WOULD in th
e result clause with a slight change of meaning:

If you tried again, you would succeed.


(= certain result)
If you tried again, you might succeed.
(= possible result)
If I knew her number, I could call her. (= ability)

If he had a work permit, he could get a job.


(= permission/ability)
Use: Unreal Present Situations
 We use the second conditional to talk abo
ut improbable situations now, things that a
re untrue or imaginary. It is impossible to f
ulfil the condition:

If lived near my office, I would be in time fo


r work. (=But I don’t live near my office.)

If I dyed my hair blue, everyone would lau


gh at me. (=But I am not going to do it.)
If I were a rich man …
 We often use WERE instead of WAS after IF.
This is common in both formal and informal styles. Ho
wever, it is possible to use WAS in colloquial English:

If I were rich, I would spend all my time travelling.


If my nose were a little shorter, I would be quite pretty
.
If Tom were here, he would know what to do.
If I were you, …
 We often use the structure If I were you to
give advice:

If I were you, I would get this car serviced.


If I were you, I would talk about it with a sp
ecialist.
If I were you, I wouldn’t marry him.
If I were you, I wouldn’t take her out of that
school.
IF: Other words with the same meaning
 Many words and expressions can be used
with a similar meaning to IF, and often with
similar structures:

Supposing you fell in love with your boss,


what would you do?

Imagine that you won a million euros, woul


d you help a local charity?
Example sentences

If I had a car, I would drive to school.

If I saw a tarantula, I would be terrified!

If my sister were older, she would come wi


th me to the party.
Example sentences

My parents would buy a bigger house if th


ey had more money.

I wouldn’t know what to do if I found a mou


se in my kitchen.

What would you do if you lost your job?


1st Conditional vs. 2nd Conditional

 1st: refers to future, conditions seems rath


er realistic – so we think it is likely to happ
en:

If John has the money, he will buy a Ferrar


i.
(= I know John very well and I know that he earns a lot of
money and that he loves Ferraris. So I think it is very like
ly that sooner or later he will have the money to buy a Fe
rrari.)
1st Conditional vs. 2nd Conditional

 2nd: refers to present. An action could hap


pen if the present situation were different. I
don't really expect the situation to change,
I just imagine:

If John had the money, he would buy a Fer


rari.
(= I know John very well and I know that he doesn't have
much money, but he loves Ferraris. He would like to own
a Ferrari in his dreams. But I think it is very unlikely that
he will have the money to buy one in the near future.)
Bibliography
1. Bourke K.: Verbs and Tenses: Intermediate. Test it, Fix i
t. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006.
2. Leech G., Cruickshank B., Ivanic R.: An A-Z of English
Grammar & Usage. Harlow: Longman, 2004.
3. Murphy R.: English Grammar in Use. Cambridge: Camb
ridge University Press, 2006.
4. Swan M.: Practical English Usage. Oxford: Oxford Univ
ersity Press, 2005.
5. Thomas A. J., Martinet A. V.: A practical English Gramm
ar. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1986.
6. Vince M.: Intermediate Language Practice (New Edition
) . Oxford: Macmillan Education 2010.

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