TYPE

USE

FORM
If Clause

ZERO
Certain

Always true;
A fact

ONE
Real
Present

True;
Likely to happen in the
Present/Future

If /Unless +Present
Simple/ Perfect/
Continuous

TWO
Unreal
Present

Untrue;
Imaginary;
Unlikely to happen in
the Present/ Future;
Used to give advice

If + Past
Simple/Continuous

Imaginary situation
in the past;
Used to express regrets
& criticism

If + Past Perfect
Simple/Continuous

THREE
Unreal Past

Type 0
Type 1

If + Present Simple

Main Clause
Present Simple
Future Simple
Can/May/Must/Should +
bare infinitive (without to)
Imperative

Would/Could/Might +
bare infinitive (without to)

Would/Could/Might +
perfect infinitive
(have+ past participle)

If you burn your hand , it hurts.

We can pay the bill if you have finished your dessert.
If she won the lottery, she would travel all over the world.

Type 2
Type 3

If I were you, I would buy the black dress.

We wouldnt have missed the film if we had been at home.

Unless can be used instead of

if not (type 1)
In if clauses in type 2, were
is normally used instead of
was for both singular and
plural.

We wont find a table at this restaurant unless we

make a reservation.

If he were rich, he would travel all over the world.

The following phrases can

be used instead of if:
as long as
supposing
providing/ provided (that)
on condition (that)
otherwise/ or else
in case
but for (=without)
even if/ what if/ only if

Ill lend you the money as long as/ providing/

provided (that) you promise to spend it wisely.
Supposing/ What if the bus is late, will you
take a taxi?
You wont be late for the meeting on condition
(that) you leave now.
You should have an early night, or else/
otherwise you wont get up on time.
Ill take an umbrella with me in case it rains.
But for his help, the puppy would have died.

Will, would and should

can be used in an if clause
when expressing, insistence/
annoyance.
uncertainty or when making a
request.

If you will keep on shouting, I wont take you

for a walk. (insistence/ annoyance)
Let me know if you should need any help.
(uncertainty)
If you would set the table, Ill wash up.
(request)

If can be omitted. In such a

case, inversion is used with
should (type 1), were (type 2)
and had (type 3).

Should you see him, tell him to call me.

Were I you, I would forgive her.
Had we known they were coming, we would
have come, too.

Inversion is also used when

only if is at the beginning
of the sentence.

Only if you save money, will you be able to go

on holiday abroad.

Conditionals can be mixed, according to context.

If Clause

Main Clause

TYPE 2

If I had more money.

I would have bought the car.

TYPE 3

TYPE 3

If we had won first prize,

we would be in Italy now.

TYPE 2

A. Fill in with the correct verb form.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

I you if you had asked me. (tell)

If I so much work to do, I could come to the cinema with you. (not have)
She wouldnt be so popular if she so talented. (not be)
Should you see Bill, him about the dinner party ? (you/ remind)
I hate to think what would have happened if you there. (not be)
Unless the government immediate action, unemployment
will keep rising. (take)
If I on the beach now, I would be delighted. (lie)
She will be sick if she all that cake. (eat)
If he had proposed to Mary, do you think she ? (accept)
Why dont you go to bed if you your homework? (finish)
B. Rewrite the sentences using the words/ phrases in brackets.

1. Tell me what happened at the party or else I wont stop bothering you. (provided)

2. She should go on a diet and exercise regularly in order to lose weight. (condition)

3. Write his phone number down because you may want to contact him. (in case)

4. I am not out of work thanks to my colleagues support. (but for)

5. Keep quiet and you can stay. (as long as)

6. He needs to book well in advance so that he get a room at this hotel. (unless)

7. The employees get a bonus for working harder. ( should)

8. I was late for school anyway so I didnt run there. ( even if)

9. You cant go to the party unless you finish your homework. (only if)

10. Calm down, otherwise I wont be able to help you. (unless)

C. Rewrite the following sentences as conditionals. (MIXED)

1. We didnt bring a map and so we are lost.

2. Youre feeling sick because you ate too much.

3. She didnt cook lunch so were eating out.

4. The baby isnt crying because he has been fed.

5. Im late because I missed the bus.

6. He is impolite to customers and because of this he got in trouble with the manager.

7. Because you bought all those expensive clothes, you are broke.

8. I dont know what happened because no one told me.

9. I spent yesterday evening working out and Im tired now.

10. He wasnt driving carefully and as a result he is in hospital.

B. Rewrite the sentences using the words/ phrases in brackets.

1.

A. Fill in with the correct verb form.

1. I would have told you if you had asked me. (tell)
2. If I didnt have so much work to do, I could come to the cinema with you. (not have)
3. She wouldnt be so popular if she wasnt/ werent so talented. (not be)
4. Should you see Bill, will/ can you remind him about the dinner party ? (you/ remind)
5. I hate to think what would have happened if you hadnt been there. (not be)
6. Unless the government takes immediate action, unemployment will keep rising. (take)
7. If I was lying on the beach now, I would be delighted. (lie)
8. She will be sick if she eats all that cake. (eat)
9. If he had proposed to Mary, do you think she would have accepted ?(accept)
10. Why dont you go to bed if you have finished your homework? (finish)

Tell me what happened at the party or else I wont stop bothering you. (provided)
I will stop bothering you provided (that) you tell me what happened.
2. She should go on a diet and exercise regularly in order to lose weight. (condition)

She will lose weight on condition (that) she goes on a diet and exercises
regularly.
3. Write his phone number down because you may want to contact him. (in case)
Write his phone number down in case you want to contact him.
4. I am not out of work thanks to my colleagues support. (but for)
But for my colleagues support, I would be out of work
5. Keep quiet and you can stay. (as long as)
You can stay as long as you keep quiet.
6. He needs to book well in advance so that he can get a room at this hotel. (unless)
He wont be able to get a room at this hotel unless he books well in advance.
7. The employees get a bonus for working harder. ( should)
Should the employees work harder, they get a bonus.
8. I was late for school anyway so I didnt run there. ( even if)
I would have been late for school even if I had run there.
9. You cant go to the party unless you finish your homework. (only if)
You can go to the party only if you finish your homework. /
Only if you finish your homework can you go to the party.
10. Calm down, otherwise I wont be able to help you. (unless)
I wont be able to help you unless you calm down.

C. Rewrite the following sentences as conditionals. (MIXED)

1. We didnt bring a map and so we are lost.
If we had brought a map, we wouldnt be lost.
2. Youre feeling sick because you ate too much.
You wouldnt be feeling sick if you hadnt eaten so much / if you had eaten less.
3. She didnt cook lunch so were eating out.
If she had cooked lunch, we wouldnt be eating out.
4. The baby isnt crying because he has been fed.
The baby would be crying if he hadnt been fed.
5. Im late because I missed the bus.
I wouldnt be late if I hadnt missed the bus.
6. He is impolite to customers and because of this he got in trouble with the manager.
If he wasnt / werent impolite to customers, he wouldnt have got in trouble
with
the manager.
7. Because you bought all those expensive clothes, you are broke.
You wouldnt be broke if you hadnt bought all those expensive clothes.
8. I dont know what happened because no one told me.
If someone had told me, I would know what happened.
9. I spent yesterday evening working out and Im tired now.
I wouldnt be tired now if I hadnt spent yesterday evening working out.
10. He wasnt driving carefully and as a result he is in hospital.
If he had been driving carefully, he wouldnt be in hospital.