Questions tagged [conditionals]
Questions concerning conditional grammar in English. A conditional is a sentence, often starting with "if" or "unless", in which one half expresses something which depends on the other half.
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He had a good time with his manager. If he asked for a raise, he would get it. And he got it - a real past conditional valid here?
Example 1
What was he to do? If he leg go of the van, the people inside would fall. If he didn't help the people in the water, they would freeze.
I am curious as to how this kind of conditional is ...
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Would have vs would
So, I was watching a movie where I encountered this dialogue.
"There was no way we could have known our pilots would have been this ineffective against them".
Isn't "would have" ...
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if or after you are ready
Question 17 We can go _____ you’re ready.
A) if B) after C) before D) while
The answer to the question above is "after". But what about "if"? Which is used by the ...
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It will be awesome/interesting/nice, etc. if you can join us. - is "it" a dummy it?
Example 1
It will be awesome/interesting/nice...etc. if you can join us.
Example 2
If you can join us, it will be wesome/interesting/nice...etc.
Can it be written this way like Example 2?
I always ...
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What is the grammar of the conditional "If students are having difficulties..., early detection can help"?
I read an essay, and one of the sentences is like this.
If students are having difficulties with basic skills like reading, writing and mathematics, early detection can help educators to remediate ...
TheGoodboy
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What's the main difference of "If you go to see him, he will be delighted." and "If you went to see him, he would be delighted."
If you go to see him, he will be delighted.
If you went to see him, he would be delighted.
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How tasty would it be?
As a student of English, I have met two possible types of uses of the word "would". The first type of use refers to a situation that can actually happen, while the second one refers to a ...
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If using would implies conditionality are those conditions always unlikely? Because in conditionals when the condition is probable will must be use
I mean yes "would" implies hypothetical situation and conditionality, but didn't we have rule about conditionals that if the condition is probable we must use will and if it's unlikely we ...
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Should I use "would be" or "would've been" in this conditional?
Consider the following text:
"There are many beautiful hills and country parks in Hong Kong that I want to hike, but it's too hot right now. I would rather wait until the fall. What a pity! Hong ...
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"If you (would/will) all stop shouting, I will try and explain the situation!"
explanation and an example are from cambridge.org:
"Will" and "would" can be used in conditional clauses, either with the meaning of "being willing to do something", or ...
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The Use of the Past or Present Progressive Tenses in Zero Conditionals
Is it correct to use the past progressive tense in both clauses in a conditional sentence?
And can I use the past progressive and past simple in a conditional sentence?
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Conditional Type 2 - If I went to a school in Wales,
I came across this exercise with my young students. An official German school-book in use.
Here we exercise the "Conditional type 2" where it says:
"If I went to a school in Wales, I ...
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What is the difference between "were moved" and "were to be moved" in the if-clause of a second-conditional sentence?
Consider the following sentence, from "Introduction to Control Systems" by Malgorzata Zywno:
Note that if a summer were to be moved behind the block, the additional gain would be equal the ...
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What does "were to be" mean? Is that some kind of a tense?
Consider the following sentence, from "Introduction to Control Systems" by Malgorzata Zywno:
Note that if a summer were to be moved behind the block, the additional gain would be equal the ...
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Reported speech within conditionals - to backshift or not?
I might be very wrong in what I'm about to ask, so sorry in advance.
Imagine someone says to you:
I like cats.
Now you want to report what they said to some other guy/gal but with an added twist - ...
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If you would not date yourself
A current trend on TikTok is captioned: "If you would not date yourself, you should lower your standards."
The sentence makes sense to me and seems grammatical. However, I keep telling ...
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usage of be versus being -
I have find this sentence:
I wouldn't have thought there's much chance of the package _______ here before Friday?
where "_______" has to be filled. My first try was "to be" but ...
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WOULD BE +ing _ in mixed conditionals
Could you explain to me the difference between (1) and (2)?
(1) He WOULD BE COMING if you hadn't insulted him.
(2) He WOULD COME if you hadn't insulted him.
I think grammatically both are correct. But ...
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If + going to + will (future simple)
What does the following sentence mean?
If we are going to discuss our deal further, you will need to change the name of the company
Does it mean that the company name should be changed before ...
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Is this a legitimate use of a mixed conditional (present perfect in if clause, future simple in main clause)?
Let's say I am describing the UI of a particular program. The name of the option displayed in one window (the window where the user is currently situated) depends on what the user selected in a prior ...
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Is it a grammatically correct conditional sentence "If I won that award my life would change"?
I'm interested in whether the bold phrase in these examples is correct in terms of grammar from the native's point of view?
In tonight's competition I'm an underdog and have no chance for any of the ...
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2-nd conditional with 'to be to be'
Recently I have stumbled upon a 2-nd conditional structure differing from the commonly used one.
A sample sentence using such unusual (at least to me) grammar:
The results would be incorrect, if the ...
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Confused about tenses in conditionals
I've been told that the following examples of conditional sentences are wrong because the tenses don't match the structure of any of the four types: zero, first, second, or third. I'm very confused ...
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Using tenses in conditionals
I've been told that the following examples of conditional sentences are wrong because the tenses don't match the structure of any of the four types: zero, first, second, or third. I'm very confused ...
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If people do not apply sunscreen, they "will" get sunburnt - use the first conditional to talk about things that are generally true?
Example 1
(1) If you turn the heat to high and fry the onions without stirring, you burn the onions.
(2) If people do not apply sunscreen, they get sunburnt.
Example 2
(1) If you turn the heat to ...
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I will head out to the campus when/if she is writing the essay - continuous tense in the future?
Example 1
I will head out to the campus when she is writing the essay.
Example 2
I will head out to the campus if she is writing the essay.
Can we use progressive tense in an if or when clause?
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"If/When" my father hit me with a stick, I "used/would" jump and run away - what are the differences? [duplicate]
Below are past real conditional examples:
Example 1
If my father hit me with a stick, I used to jump and run away.
Example 2
If my father hit me with a stick, I would jump and run away.
What is ...
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Implied Conditionals Questions - Only pro gamers "would" go for an expensive PC like that
Example 1
Dialogue
A: I am thinking about getting a new gaming PC.
B: Only pro gamers would go for an expensive PC like that.
Question 1 Is the "would" here a hypothetical usage that implies ...
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Only pro players would buy that kind of expensive tennis paddle - a hypothetical usage to soften the tone?
Example 1
Dialogue
A: I want to buy that tennis racket.
B: Only pro players would buy that kind of expensive tennis racket.
Question 1
Is the "would" here a hypothetical usage to soften ...
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So if my cat tore up the curtains, I would have to pay for the damage. vs 1st conditional [duplicate]
A – Are there any pet restrictions?
B – No pet restrictions, but you pay for any damage they do
A – 1. So if my cat tore up the curtains, I would have to pay for the damage.
(2nd conditional)
A – 2. ...
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'Little would he have imagined'
When his predecessor Donald Trump's home in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, was raided last August and a trove of thousands of government documents was discovered there, including several hundreds of classified ...
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Is it incorrect to mix conditionals type 0 and 2
to clarify the title what i refer to is:
if clause type 0: If I drink too much coffee, I can't sleep at night.
and type 2: If we had a garden, we could have a cat.
sentences are taken from BC Web site
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Tense of embedded clause in conditional sentences
"If it were that he is/were going out the manager would certainly ask some questions."
I am confused in which tense is used in subordinate clauses of these unreal type sentences. As past ...
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when / if - in conditionals [closed]
If I say:
1 I will play chess with you when you call me.
it will mean:
2 I will play chess with you if you call me.
But would there be any difference between:
3 I will play chess with you when I ...
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Is "if not by" equivalent to "if...not" in conditional sentences?
I was looking at an example of a conditional that can't use "unless" in a grammar book:
"How will children learn about wild animals if they don't see them in zoos?"
And thought ...
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Conditionals (1st conditional)
I am wondering if we can use present continuous in the “main clause”? And if so, yes why?
Example:
If you do that again, I am killing you.
The right way to say it is:
If you do that again, I will ...
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"If it wasn’t/weren't for" vs. "If it hadn't been for"
The following is an extract from CNN. I'm wondering if it's okay to use "wasn't" (
or "weren't," if one wants to be formal). Why wasn't hadn't been used?
The family of five — ...
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"had + Subject + past participle" in conditionals
I always thought that the elliptical conditional clause "Had + Subject + past participle" is used only in counterfactual conditionals, e.g. :
Had Joe seen Mary, he would have fallen in love ...
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Are 2nd conditional and Mixed Conditional(Past condition/present result) interchangeable?
Here is 2nd conditional - present or future situations that are impossible or unlikely in reality:
If I won a lot of money, I'd buy a big house in the country.
And Mixed Conditional(Past condition/...
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2nd conditional for hypothetical future
We know that the 2nd conditional can refer to hypothetical present, however, I have some doubts on whether the 2nd conditional can refer to hypothetical future situations.
Is it possible to say
If I ...
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3rd Conditional use as Future Perfect possible?
If I found a wallet on the street I would bring it to the police
Here the speaker is talking about an imaginary situation in the future, both of the actions are in the future and thus the speaker ...
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I would appreciate it if you would do/did
Which of the following sentence sounds more correct/formal?
I would appreciate it if you would…
I would appreciate it if you did…
As for the first sentence, I know it is unusual to put would after ...
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Conditionals-- "If I was mean to you I'm sorry"
"If I was mean to you I'm sorry"
This is a perfectly understandable and natural sentence to my mind.
But can you tell me what kind of conditional we're dealing with here?
And also: would ...
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“If it is or is going to be/ will be in stock”
Now, I will first check if the CD I'd like to buy is
or is going to be in your stock before ordering in the USA.
Now, I will first check if the CD I'd like to buy is
or will be in your stock before ...
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When you do your homework (tomorrow morning), you can listen to some music
Which conditional is this?
When you do your homework, you can listen to some music.
It seems to be the zero conditional. Timeless. But can it be the first conditional?
When you do your homework (...
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Can you shed more light on this conditional? If the work wasn't done already I'd have to do it when I come in tomorrow
If the work wasn't done already I'd have to do it when I come in tomorrow.
This conditional starts with present phenomenon and then shows a future consequence.
It is not a second conditional because ...
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would burst if you continue/continued to fill
Traditional grammar teaches that "would V" is paired with a superficial past tense in conditional sentences of type (b). But nothing is said about sentences like (a), where modal "would&...
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What's the difference between these conditionals? "I will call you if I have done/do my homework"
What's the difference between using (1) a present perfect in the if part of a simple conditional, and (2) using just a regular present tense without a perfect there?
I will call you if I have done my ...
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...because any signs "would/will" be the potential indicators - second conditional structure should I use would or will?
Example one
"If you had close contact with Covid patients, you would have to pay more attention to your body because any signs would/will be the potential indicators."
This is a second ...
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Using “could” and “should” in conditionals
Can I use “could” and “should” in the sentences below?
If Aliens attacked us tonight, we could hide underground.
If my father were still alive, we could ask him for some advice.
If he were here, I ...
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