THE CONDITIONAL SENTENCES A conditional sentence often has a main clause and a subordinate clause (If clause). The subordinate clause may be placed before or after the main clause. There are three main types of conditional sentences: CONDITION/TENSE If -clause Main clause PROBABLE Simple Present Will + Infinitive (without TO) PRESENT-UNREAL Past Subjunctive Would+ Infinitive (without TO) PAST-UNREAL Past Perfect Subjunctive Would + have + past participle I. PROBABLE CONDITIONS: These conditions may be easily fulfilled in the present or future time. Ex: If I have time, I shall visit you. You will be late for class if you do not hurry. NOTES: a. Instead of the Simple Future, we can use CAN/MAY/MUST + VERB (without TO) or the imperative in the main clause. Ex: If you try hard, you can pass the examination If anyone asks for me, tell him to call back in half an hour. b. The Simple Present may be used in the main clause to show a real condition. If you are right, I am wrong. II. PRESENT- UNREAL CONDITIONS These conditions are contrary-to-fact in the present or future time III. PAST- UNREAL CONDITIONS These conditions are contrary to fact in the past. GENERAL NOTES ON THE CONDITIONAL SENTENCES: a. IF may be omitted and WERE, SHOULD, or HAD is placed before the subject. b. UNLESS: IF .NOT (nếu không). c. PROVIDED (THAT), ON CONDITION (THAT), AS LONG AS, SO LONG AS (miễn là, với điều kiện là). SUPPOSE, SUPPOSING (giả sử như), IN CASE (nhỡ mà, trong trường hợp mà), EVEN IF (dù là, ngay cho là). EXERCISES: Supply the correct tense, paying careful attention to the sequence of tense. 1. If war (come) . , the nation will be ready. 2. If today (be) Sunday, we should not have to work. 3. If you don’t study your lessons, you (have) poor marks in the examination. 4. If she had had your address, she (write) to you. 5. I (catch) cold if I went out in the rain. 6. If the weather is nice, we (go) to the beach. 7. If she (write) more carefully she might not have made so many mistakes. 8. Were he speak to me like that, I (be) very happy. 9. Supposing your father (see) you going to the movies with me, what might he think? 10. If it (be) convenient, let’s meet at three o’clock. 11.How nice it would be for Mother if we (can) rebuild the house. 12.Rice will not grow well unless there (be) enough rain. 13.If I (become) really rich, I should build a hospital for the poor. 14.The crop could have been ruin if the flood-water (rise) any higher. 15.If he (give) up smoking, as his doctor orders, he will soon be well again. 16.Provided he (not, be) interrupted, he can finish the work on time. 17.If he had not been driving so fast, he (not, have) an accident. 18.They would not be paid unless they (do) their work well. 19.So long as you return the book by Saturday, I (lend) it to you with pleasure. 20.It’s too bad we lost the game. If you (play) for us, we (win) Complete the following sentences with your own words 1. If they attended class regularly, they . 2. I shall not tell you anything else unless . 3. If we had known it was going to rain, we 4. He would not have been angry with us if . 5. Had she gotten up earlier this morning, she . 6. If I fail in the the coming college entrance examination, I . 7. Today is not a holiday. If it . 8. He never does his homework, If he 9. I didn’t know your phone number. If I 10. Yesterday Suzy got wet because she forgot to bring her raincoat. If Suzy .