Monday 15th of July

• Zero conditional

  When we talk about things that are generally or always true, we can use:

  If/When/Unless plus a present form PLUS present simple or imperative

  • If he gets there before me, ask him to wait.
  • When you fly budget airline, you have to pay for your drinks and snacks.
  • Unless you need more space, a small car is big enough for one person.

  Note that we are not talking about a specific event but something which is generally true.

  In the condition clause, we can use a variety of present forms. In the result clause, there can only be the present simple or imperative.

  • If you visit London, go on the London Eye.
  • If unemployment is rising, people tend to stay in their present jobs.
  • If you've done that, go and have a coffee.
  • When you go on holiday, take plenty of sun cream. It'll be very hot.
  • When I'm concentrating, please don't make so much noise.
  • When I've finished an article, I always ask Kate to read it through.

  Notice that 'unless' means the same as 'if not'.

  • Unless he asks you politely, refuse to do any more work on the project.
  • Unless prices are rising, it's not a good investment.
  • Unless you've been there yourself, you don't really understand how fantastic it is.

  exercise 1

• The First Conditional:
  (if + present simple, ... will + infinitive)
  If it rains tomorrow, we'll go to the cinema.
  Click here to learn more.
• The Second Conditional:
  (if + past simple, ... would + infinitive)
  If I had a lot of money, I would travel around the world.
  Click here to learn more.
• The Third Conditional
  (if + past perfect, ... would + have + past participle)
  If I had gone to bed early, I would have caught the train.
  Click here to learn more.

FIRST CONDITIONAL

1) If I  (go) out tonight, I  (go) to the cinema...
2) If you  (get) back late, I  (be) angry...
3) If we  (not/see) each other tomorrow, we  (see)each other next week...
4) If he  (come) , I  (be) surprised...
5) If we  (wait) here, we  (be) late...
6) If we  (go) on holiday this summer, we  (go) to Spain...
7) If the weather  (not/improve) , we  (not/have) a picnic...
8) They  (go) to the party if they  (be) invited...
9) If I  (not/go) to bed early, I  (be) tired tomorrow...
10) If we  (eat) all this cake, we  (feel) sick ... 2ND CONDITIONAL
1) If I  (be) you, I  (get) a new job... 2) If he  (be) younger, he  (travel) more... 3) If we  (not/be) friends, I  (be) angry with you... 4) If I  (have) enough money, I  (buy) a big house... 5) If she  (not/be) always so late, she  (be) promoted... 6) If we  (win) the lottery, we  (travel) the world... 7) If you  (have) a better job, we  (be) able to buy a new car... 8) If I  (speak) perfect English, I  (have) a good job... 9) If we  (live) in Mexico, I  (speak) Spanish... 10) If she  (pass) the exam, she  (be) able to enter university...
3RD CONDITIONAL 1) If you  (not/be) late, we  (not/miss) the bus... 2) If she  (study) she  (pass) the exam... 3) If we  (arrive) earlier, we  (see) John... 4) If they  (go) to bed early, they  (not/wake) up late... 5) If he  (become) a musician, he  (record) a CD... 6) If she  (go) to art school, she  (become) a painter... 7) If I  (be) born in a different country, I  (learn) to speak a different language... 8) If she  (go) to university, she  (study) French... 9) If we  (not/go) to the party, we  (not/meet) them... 10) If he  (not/take) the job, he  (go) travelling... If I _____ enough money, I'd buy a house. (have) If I _______the bus, I would have arrived on time for the interview, and I might have got the job. (miss) She _______ the cake if it has nuts in it. She's allergic! (eat) If he went to university, he _______ a better job. (get) They won't go to the beach if it ______ tomorrow! (rain) I ______ the dinner if you do the washing up. (cook) If you heat ice, it _______ (melt)

Second, third and mixed conditionals discussion questions

Student A

1. What would you have done if you had been the leader of the country during…?

2. What would your second choice for a university or degree subject have been? How would your life be different now if you had done that instead?

3. What would you have done in your last holiday if time, money etc had been no limit? How could that have changed your life?

4. How would your life have been different if you had been born a girl/ boy?

5. How would your country be different if someone different had won the last election?

6. If you could change one thing about your body or personality, what would it be?

7. What would you do if you knew that the world was going to be hit by a comet and destroyed in one week?

8. How would you have made … a success rather than a failure?

9. What things could make you emigrate?

10. What would you do if you saw a UFO?

11. If you could change three things about the world today, what would you change?

12. How would you have designed your city/ your office building/ this building differently?

13. What object would you choose to be buried with (if practical things like size weren’t important)?

14. If your house was on fire and you could only take one object, which would it be?

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Second, third and mixed conditionals discussion questions

Student B

1. Would you have done the same if you had been… during the time of…?

2. Would you have invested in the moon landings, or would you have saved the money for things down here on earth? What might you have spent it on, and what would the results have been?

3. What university or degree subject would you have chosen if you could have done absolutely anything? How would that have changed your life?

4. How would your life have been different if your parents had given you a different name?

5. How would the world be different if nuclear weapons had never been invented?

6. If you could know the exact time and date of your death, would you want to?

7. If you could have any super power – for example, the ability to fly, or to be very strong, or to become invisible – which super power would you choose? Why? What would you do with this power?

8. If you could go back in time and kill Hitler, would you?

9. If someone offered you $1,000,000 to take naked pictures of you and put them on the Internet, would you do it?

10. If you could save one hundred monkeys by killing one person, would you do it?

11. If you had a time machine and could travel to three times in history, which times would you want to visit, and why?

12. If you had $50000 and you had to spend it within 24 hours, what would you do?

13. If you could buy anything in the world (but just one thing), what would it be?

14. If you could choose which three objects to take with you to a desert island, what would you take?

If something is contained inside a box or a wide flat area, we use ‘in’:

in the newspaper	in a house
in a cup	in a drawer
in a bottle	in a bag
in bed	in a car
in London	in England
in a book	in a pub
in a field	in the sea
in my stomach	in a river

If something is on a line or a horizontal or vertical surface, we use ‘on’:

on the table	on the wall
on the floor	on the fridge
on my face	on a plate
on the page	on the sofa
on a chair	on a bag
on the river	on a t-shirt
on the ceiling	on a bottle
on a bike	on his foot

If something is at a point, (it could be a building) we use ‘at’:

at the airport	at the door
at the table	at the bus stop
at the cinema	at at the top
at the bottom	at the pub
at the traffic lights	at the front
at the back	at school
at university	at the window
at the hospital	at the piano

Here are some more common ones that don’t really fit: • on TV • on the bus • on a train • on a plane • on the radio • at home • at work

exercise prepositions