Difference between revisions of "WS:conditionals"

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(The first conditional)
(The first conditional)
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<li>If I have my daughter, I <u>Ø  leave</u> work early to pick her up.  (general truth)</li>
 
<li>If I have my daughter, I <u>Ø  leave</u> work early to pick her up.  (general truth)</li>
 
<li>If I have my daughter Friday evening, I <u>will (have to) leave</u> work early to pick her up. (more specific)</li>
 
<li>If I have my daughter Friday evening, I <u>will (have to) leave</u> work early to pick her up. (more specific)</li>
<li>If I have my daughter Friday evening, I <u>may ask</u> for Friday afternoon off to go shopping and clean the house.   
+
<li>If I have my daughter Friday evening, I <u>may ask</u> for Friday afternoon off so I can go shopping and clean the house.   
 
</ol>
 
</ol>
  
 
=The second conditional=
 
=The second conditional=
 
=The third conditional=
 
=The third conditional=

Revision as of 15:05, 17 April 2013

In general, the standard EFL grammars have divided the conditional mode in English into 3 types on the basis of both syntax and semantics:

(It was not simply done to encourage students to learn the ordinals from 1st-3rd :)

Quickly, in the part of the sentence that does not include the condition (which is often introduced by if), the following modals are frequently found

  • The first conditional = Ø, can, will, may, shall V
  • The second conditional = d, could, would, should, might V
  • The third conditional = primarily , coulda', woulda', shoulda' (and mighta') Ved

The first conditional

  1. If we finish in time, we can go to the 7:30pm showing.
  2. If she's flying in late Monday, she may want us to start later on Tuesday morning, so she can recover from jet lag.
  3. If I have my daughter, I Ø leave work early to pick her up. (general truth)
  4. If I have my daughter Friday evening, I will (have to) leave work early to pick her up. (more specific)
  5. If I have my daughter Friday evening, I may ask for Friday afternoon off so I can go shopping and clean the house.

The second conditional

The third conditional