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- since
1980
Clauses
with if
or unless
Definition
of a conditional clause
A conditional
clause is a type of subordinate clause, most commonly introduced by the
conjunction
if
or
unless.
Like most subordinate clauses introduced by a conjunction,
the conditional clause can either
go
before
the main clause, or
after
it.
There
are three
types of conditional statement in English:
- Open
conditional as
in If you want, you can go home.
- Hypothetical
conditional
as
in
If you wanted, you could go home.
- Unfulfilled
hypothetical as
in
If you had wanted, you could have gone
home.
Type 1.
Open if clause - the open
conditional
statement :
This usually refers to
a future event which is conditional on another future
event.
The verb of the
main
clause is in the
future tense
with
"will"
(or
sometimes another modal) and the verb of the
conditional
clause is in
the
simple present tense. -
examples 1 & 2.
But when
the open conditional statement describes one perrmanent
state
of reality or
circumstance which is dependent on another, in this case,
both
verbs
are in the
present
tense -
examples 3 - 5.
(In such cases,
if can
be replaced by
when.)
If the
open conditional refers to past
time (example
6) , then both verbs are in the simple
past tense ; alternatively the past with would can be used in the main
clause, but not
in the if clause (and , if can
be replaced by when.)
- If you have
a coffee this evening after dinner, you won't
sleep well.
- If the
temperature falls below
zero tonight, it
will freeze.
- If (when)
I sleep well at
night, I
feel much happier next
morning.
- If (when) the
temperature falls below
zero, it
freezes.
- If (when) it
rains, everyone gets wet.
- If (when) he shouted too much, nobody listened
(would listen).
In an open conditional statement,
if
is sometimes replaced by
when:
but there is
a difference. Using "
if"
implies that the condition really is open and may not be fulfilled,
using "
when"
implies that
the condition will be fulfilled, that the event will really take place.
Type 2 if clauses - the open hypothetical
conditional
statement:
This
refers to a possible future situation
which depends on on another possible future situation. The verb of the
main
clause uses the present conditional tense (
would + infinitive,
or
could
+infinitive);
The verb of the
conditional
clause normally uses the present
subjunctive or preterite (these two tenses are identical except with
to be).
Occasionally, the conditional aspect of the statement can be emphasised
by using the form
were
+ to + infinitive.
- 1A If
you ate too much, you'd
(you would) get fatter.
- 1B You'd get fatter if you ate
too much.
- 2A If everyone
worked faster, we would /
could finish in time.
- 2B We wouldn't finish in time
unless
everyone worked faster.
- 2C If everyone were to work
faster, we would/could finish in time.
- 3 If I went to
London, I would / could
visit the British Museum.
- 4. If you visited Scotland,
you could see Edinburgh Castle.
- 5 Unless the
directors increased
sales, we'd have to close this shop.
Note
also this common expression (which
uses the open hypothetical form,
though it is clearly quite impossible!)
- 6.
If I were you, I'd ..........
As in: If
I were you, I'd go a bit slower
or If I were you,
I'd put that gun down !!
This form is also used in cases of
reported
speech.
- My professor told me I'd do much better if
I
worked harder.
- The magistrate informed him
that he'd go to
prison
unless he stopped stealing.
- The newspaper reported that
unless
the
directors could increase sales, they'd have to close the
shop.
Type 3 if clauses - the unfulfilled
hypothesis
This refers to
a situation which an event
might
have taken place, but did
not, because
a condition was
not
fulfilled.
The verb of the
main
clause
goes in the past conditional (
would
have + past participle).
The
verb of the
conditional
clause goes in the past perfect (
had
+ past
participle).
Examples:
- If you
had eaten too much,
you'd (you would) have
got fatter.
- You'd
have got fatter if you'd eaten too
much.
- If
everyone had worked fast, we'd have
finished in time (but
we didn't).
- We
wouldn't have finished in time
unless everyone had worked fast (but we did).
- If I
had gone to London, I could have
visited the British Museum (but
I didn't).
- If you
had visited Scotland, you could
have visited Edinburgh Castle
(but you didn't).
- Unless
we'd been very confident of
success, we wouldn't have even tried.
(But
we were confident, we did try, and we succeeded).
Note:
using "
unless"
"Unless" means the same as "if ...
not", and has a negative value. It is frequently (but not only) used in
conditional statements where the verb of the main clause is
also
in the negative.
- You wouldn't have
fallen over unless there'd been
a banana
skin on the ground.
- =
You wouldn't
have fallen over if there hadn't been a banana skin on the
ground.
4a
Omission of "if",
with inversion.
Sometimes,
hypothetical
conditional statements or
unfulfilled hypothetical
statements can be expressed
omitting
the word
if.
When this happens the
subject
follows
the
auxiliary
verb in the
conditional
clause
Examples:
- Were the virus
to reappear, hospitals would now be ready for it. (open
hypothesis)
-
=
If the virus reappeared,
hospitals would now be ready for
it.
-
or
If the virus were to
reappear, hospitals would now be
ready for it.
- Had
I
known, I'd never have gone there (unfulfilled hypothesis;
implying "I did go there because I did not know".)
-
= If
I had known, I'd never
have gone there.
4b Whether
Whether can sometimes
replace
if, when there is
a
choice of conditions. It
implies
- a stated choice between two options (example 1, using whether... or) ,
- or a choice between an affirmative option and a stated negative option
(examples 2) ,
- or a choice between an affirmative option and an implied or
stated negative
option in an indirect question (example 3).
See
correlating
coordinators
1. I'll be there on time whether I come by train or I drive
2a. He wants to go to the ceremony whether
he's invited or not.
2b. He wants to go to the ceremony whether or not he's invited.
3. I wonder whether it
will rain tomorow (or not).
In examples 1 and 2a, it would not be usual to use
if in place of
whether.
In example 2b,
whether
must be used. It is very unusual to say or write "
if
or not"
In example 3, there is a free choice between
whether and
if. Both can be used, though
whether is preferred when followed
by
if not.
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