Questions tagged [conditional-constructions]
For questions about constructions which associate a hypothetical or imagined 'condition' with a 'consequence' which is inferred to be true if the 'condition' is true OR predicted to occur if the 'condition' occurs. "If John arrives tonight we will have a party."
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Is this mixed conditional sentence correct?
Consider the following sentence. I want to talk about something in future which is related to something in the past! Unfortunately the thing in the past did not happen and therefore in future it will ...
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We couldn't be on time if you hadn't given us a ride
Is there a natural scenario for the following sentence?
We couldn't be on time if you hadn't given us a ride.
Note that I'm not asking about "We couldn't have been on time if you hadn't given ...
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Have I used mixed conditional structure correctly?
If there was ample affordable housing, the rent level would have been
much lower.
In the above sentence I tried to express this idea that, currently, there is not enough housing therefore the prices ...
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If I could go back in time, a time when I wasn't born/hadn't been born/didn't exist yet, I would
Which would be correct here and why?
If I could go back in time, a time when I wasn't born/hadn't been
born/didn't exist yet, I would...
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Should we use "if" or "when" in this sentence?
1)We will go to restaurant , if our son completes his work
2)We will go to restaurant , when our son completes his work.
Meaning wise, we will go to restaurant only if/when son completes his work. ...
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Which tense should be used in the conditional construction?
Now move on to the next part if you succeed in practicing Part 1.
Now move on to the next part if you have succeeded in practicing Part 1.
Now move on to the next part if you succeeded in practicing ...
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THEN: since that is so; therefore
in that case; in those circumstances: If you want to quit, then do so. If you're sick, then you should stay in bed. If traffic is heavy, then allow extra time.
since that is so; therefore: If the car ...
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Google translate says that both sentences are correct, so which one should I use?
If I would have known you were sick, I would have brought you some meals.
Or.
If I had known you were sick, I would have brought you some meals.
For example that.
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Why is the past tense used in: "if you needed a new employee”?
Good Economics for Hard Times: Better Answers to Our Biggest Problems By Abhijit V. Banerjee, Esther Duflo
In fact, firms in almost every industry tend to be clustered. Suppose you threw darts at ...
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Usage of "would have" in real-past situations
It's unfortunate that Stephanie's face wasn't captured at this moment
because she would have no doubt been immediately struck by the
psychological reaction known as fight or flight. Her brain would
...
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If I met him, I would say "hello" to him [closed]
Friend: My father was at the same party you were yesterday.
Me: Really! If I met him, I would say "hello" to him.
Me: Really! If I had met him, I would've said "hello" to him.
...
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Conditional sentences usage
I have read this sentence in a Indian newspaper article
If he was angry, then would he have spoken to me.
What is the difference in meaning if we change the sentence like below
If he had been angry,...
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What tense is used in "how the hell else could he have been flying off to Asia"?
The source is from the the movie "My Dinner with Andre. The full sentence is "People have always known that he had some money somewhere, I mean, how the hell else could he have been flying ...
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Is this tense form correct here or has the writer erred?
If the larger picture of ancient forager life is hard to reconstruct, particular events are largely irretrievable. When a Sapiens band first entered a valley inhabited by Neanderthals, the following ...
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Conditional form in the status related sentence
The following sentence belongs to which conditional form:
If you are speaking a lot some particular language, you are in love
with that language.
As per my knowledge, we use present/past simple/...
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Is using "could" in an "if" clause, like "If you could..." grammatical?
Today, I was watching this YouTube video, I found that at 1:18, she used the 'could' in the if-clause.
I just want to know, is it right grammatically, or is it a new grammar rule that I don't know?
...
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Assuming yesterday I met your brother, I would say
Person A: What is the meaning of "bump into someone"?
Person B: If I met your brother somewhere unexpectedly, I would say, "I bumped into him yesterday."
Here I'm only interested ...
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would + perfect infinitive with future perspective
Even if I hadn't reminded you, you would still have cleaned the room tomorrow.
Even if I hadn't reminded you, you would still clean the room tomorrow.
Does the second sentence sound equally natural? ...
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"If people were not there for their friends when they {need/needed} them" - which tense is correct?
I was writing this sentence:
If people were not there for their friends when they need them the most, the world wouldn't be a nice place to live.
I know that according to the rule of second ...
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Conditional sentence where both clauses are in the simple past
Which conditional is this?
If John did not come to work yesterday, he was probably ill.
I would hazard a guess that it is a first conditional as there is a fair probability that John being ill was ...
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Subjunctive mood usage in Conditionals
India’s concern is that if it takes a decision that irks Generals in Myanmar, China would get closer to the junta and use the opportunity to hurt India’s interests in Myanmar.
I studied that would is ...
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Does this fit as a counterexample?
Still learning about conditional statements, I'm now learning about Proofs in the same subject from here: How to make this hypothesis in a negative form?
It's given that I should rewrite the ...
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"I will shoot you a message, if you ___ available, we can play!"
I will shoot you a message, if you ___ available, we can play!
So, what verb should I use here? "were" or "are"?
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How to make this hypothesis in a negative form?
I'm learning conditional statements in Math and I am tasked to make the hypothesis and the conclusion rewritten in a negative form.
This one is where I have trouble with:
If a polygon has exactly ...
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if I had enough money, I could buy a 20-room mansion
In the morning, person A says:
if my leg were not injured, I would attend the party tonight.
if I knew his home address, I could go to his house to meet him tonight.
if I had enough money, I could ...
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I've got a problem with The First Conditional sentences
so far I've learnt to use "Will" in the "First Conditional" sentences.
for example we can say:
If it rains tomorrow, we'll go to the cinema.
but can I use might instead of will?
...
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Conditionals where consequences take place before conditions
How do I express the thought that the occurrence of some event results in the occurrence of another before it.. in other words, that if an event were to happen, some other event would happen before it?...
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if present tense + subject would/will V
a. If Mary tells you the details of her job, she would be failing in her duty.
b. If Mary tells you the details of her job, she will be failing in her duty.
I know the sentence does not belong to ...
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What does the phrase “If there were more busses” mean?
If there were more buses, we would leave the car at home
What does this “If there were more buses” indicate? Does this mean a) we are imagining just about more buses or b)It also suggests that it is ...
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Sherlock's English (Benedict Cumberbatch): subjunctive in conditional structures
So, if you are a big fan of Sherlock, you have probably watch BBC series ''Sherlock''. I think it is the third chapter in Series 1, the one that starts with Sherlock in Eastern Europe talking to a man ...
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Why is this sentence not in the subjunctive? "If you draw yourself, how would it turn out?"
If you draw yourself, how would it turn out?
Someone said it should be like "If you were to draw...", but why? I'm not troubled with the "were to" sentence. I'm just quite ...
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This would be entirely appropriate if her not having come had strained their relationship
While answering a certain question, someone (a native speaker) writes:
"My sister came over last night. She'd been promising to come for
weeks, and she finally came."
"My sister came ...
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Past perfect with 2nd conditional
Let's consider this situation: There was a test last Monday and I cheated on that test, so I tell a friend:
If the teacher found out, they would fail me.
and I also wanna tell my friend that the ...
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"If I wasn't ... " vs "if I weren't ..."
I understand that we use "If I weren't..." in conditional sentences like
If I weren't busy, I would do XYZ
But what if I have a sentence like
I would not have done ABC if I wasn't/ weren'...
user119042
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Mixed conditionals?? (1st and 3rd?)
I came across these sentences and I couldn't determine which type of conditional they were.
If you didn't go to the last meeting, you won't be allowed in the
next one.
If you didn't like that car, ...
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Which is right about a text on life 2000 years ago:"The house must have had a cosy roof of turf." or "It would have a cosy ..." or "It had a cosy..." [duplicate]
I have seen this sentence in an article on bbc, which is about how people lived thousands of years ago.
"When this Neolithic home was built, it would have had a cosy roof of turf.."
When I ...
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To tell about a guess about a case in the past, why use "would+have+past participle" instead of "must+have+past participle? [duplicate]
I have seen this sentence in an article on bbc, which is about how people lived thousands of years ago.
"When this Neolithic home was built, it would have had a cosy roof of turf.."
When I ...
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scope of clause within complex sentence
If I said, "I will run, not if it is snowing, if I my shoes are comfortable."
Does the "if my shoes are comfortable" modify the "I will run" clause?
I agree the sentence ...
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Meaning of sentence with 2 conditionals [duplicate]
I said out loud, "I will ride my boat....not if it is raining....if the wind speed is 5mph”
Does this mean:
I will ride my boat if it is not raining outside and if the wind speed is 5mph. That is,...
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Which clause is being modified [duplicate]
I said, “I will go to school today, not if it is snowing, if my cat is awake.”
The meaning is odd, but my question is regarding the grammar of the statement. Does the “if my cat is awake” place a ...
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grammar - Conditionals
Let's say, I have something that I rarely use, but I don't want to throw it away because I think I may need it in the future. So, do I use conditional 1 or 2?
I thought I should keep it in case I ...
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if you hadn't done this, it would be... or it would have been
Which one is correct?
If you hadn't done this, it would be this.
or
If you hadn't done this, it would have been that.
I am having trouble with understanding this structure.
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Why was the verb put in simple past tense in this sentence?
While reading Oxford Practice Grammar Advanced, I came across this sentence in one of the book's exercises:
If she got up early enough and came downstairs, we had breakfast together.
I wonder why ...
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What conditional to use when something possible in the future would affect something in the future happening afterwards
Imagine in half a year you want to go to a festival. Imagine you are not vaccinated before that. You want to say that there would be fear because of that.
Which of these is correct?
I assume the first:...
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Further questions: Even if with subjunctive mood or indicative mood
My main question is; Even if can be used with subjunctive mood or something like indicative mood.
Actually I do know Even if used with subjunctive mood. But my main point is latter one.
===============...
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The difference between "if" and "even if"
I've tried to figure out the difference between "if" and "even if".
My reasoning is as follows. Do I correctly understand?
Even if your partner were a saint, he would not accept ...
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What type of mood is this main clause in this sentence: “If he comes to apologize, I will forgive him."?
If he comes to apologize, I will forgive him.
When it comes to a conditional type 1 clause, what type of mood is this main clause?
This main clause is a Future indicative?
Or
I had better consider ...
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Past perfect or past simple + if
Which one is more correct?
It is hard to say whether the more up-to-date file had indeed been on his desk before the meeting took place. If it had been he should be regarded as a liar.
It is hard to ...
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Using would with present tense
Is this correct?
I would buy it if it actually does what it is supposed to do?
Should we replace this sentence with this? If so, please explain.
I would buy it if it actually did what it was ...
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"Would be" in a conditional sentence [duplicate]
I heard this sentence in a series.
I would be a fan of your work if you could get us two seats on the
next flight.
What is the conditional type of this sentence?
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