Conditional Sentences

Look at the story below and study the rules of conditional sentences. Fill in the blanks with the correct forms
of verbs when you are confident.

Conditional Sentences
Definition llllllllllll Conditional Sentences
Exercise
Conditional sentences are sentences that express possibilities rather than facts or truths. These sentences often use
the word if .
Useful Information
A. Complete each of the following sentences using the correct forms of the verbs given in brackets.
The if-clausecan come either in the first or second part of the sentence.
 If it rains tomorrow, we will cancel the picnic and stay at home OR
TypeWe 0 will cancel the picnic and stay at home if it rains tomorrow.
1. If water and oil mixes, the oil ______________ (float) on the water.
2. If you __________ (put) an ice cube under the sun, it ___________ (melt).
3. If water ___________ (reach) 0℃, it ______________(turn) to ice.
4. If I study hard and finish all the assignments, I always ___________ (pass) the test.
5. The butter melts if I ___________ (burn) it.
Type 0 Type 1
Structure Structure
Type 1
1. If I go to Beijing next year, I ______________ (visit) Tokyo Tower.
If-clause
2. Peter plans to go to CanadaMain clause
for her If-clause
holiday. If he ______ (get) Main clause (leave) Hong
his visa, he ________________
Kong and stay there until the end of next month. Use
3. Use
IfIf you
+ simple
get present To Ifshow
Simple present (buy) you a computer.
high marks, I _____________ whatpresent
+ simple will happen or what
Simpleisfuture
likely to be true
To describe facts or a situation that is always true under a given condition Will + infinitive
4. If I (have) the time, I will learn to play the piano and perform in the graduation ceremony.
Examples
5. Examples
If my father _____________ (buy) me a computer, I willIf be very happy.
it doesn’t rain tomorrow,
6. IfWe (watch) athemovie
you put an ice cubeunder sun, ittogether
melts. after work if we finish
we will the
go toproject
the zoo.on time.
If I am sad, I always cry. If you eat too much food,
you will become overweight.
Type 2 pour some oil into a glass of water, it floats.
If you
If you don’t go to school,
1. If Tom ___________________ (be) here, he ___________________
your teacher will(give) money
phone you. to poor people.
2. If I saw a ghost, I _______________ (run). If you feel hot,
3. you
If I had a billion, I ________________ (buy) a lot of flats can
for open
the the window.
elderly.
If you feel sick,
4. I might buy a more expensive car if I ________________ (win) the lottery.
you may leave earlier.
5. If I were you, I ________________ (apologize) to your mother formay
Remarks: Use stealing
and canher money.
to express possibility or ability
6. I _______________ (buy) all the jewels if I ______________ (be) the queen.

Type 3
1. Tommy failed the exam. If he had worked hard, he ____________________ (pass) it.
2. If I _______________ (seek) advice from a fortune-teller, I would have become a richer man.
3. Type
If I had
2 arrived earlier yesterday, I _____________________
Type(see)
3 the accident.
4. Structure Structure
If you had not taught me English, I _____________________ (not/ pass) the final exam.
5. We __________________ (not/ build) the school if Mr. Johnson had not donated so much money.
6. IIf-clause
like the handbag. I would
Mainhave
clausebought it if I (have) enough moneyMain
If-clause withclause
me yesterday.
Use Use
ToIfshowan imagined
+ simple past andunlikely event
Modal verband its outcome
+ infinitive ToIfshow anperfect
+ past imagined past eventhave
Would and its outcome
+ past participle
Examples Examples
If I saw I ghost, I would run and scream. Examples
If I had one million, I could buy an island. If I had worked hard, I would not have failed.
Conditional Sentences
If I were you, I might buy a more expensive car. If I had sought advice from a fortune-teller, I would have
become a richer man.
Exercise
If I had arrived earlier yesterday, I would have seen the
accident.
B. Complete each of the following sentences using the correct forms of the verbs given in brackets.
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1. I ______________ (go) to the beach if the weather is good tomorrow.
2. If you cut your finger with a knife, it ________________ (bleed).
3. If John ________________ (drive) more carefully, he would not have killed the little kid.
4. The girl would have left the small village if she ________________ (have) enough money.
5. Everyone ______________ (stand) up if the national anthem is performed.
6. If you ______________ (break) the mirror, you would suffer seven years of bad luck.
7. Don’t play football here! If you ______________ (break) the window, you mother ______________ (be) very
angry.
8. If I _______________ (be) David Beckham, I would not play football in the U.S.
9. I gave some white flowers to my Japanese friend and she became angry. If I ________________ (know) that
white flowers mean bad luck in Japan, I ___________________ (give) them to her.
10. Will you tell the truth, Peter? If I were you, I _________________ (tell) the truth.
11. You ____________ (get) higher marks next time if you study hard from now on.
12. If we do not do something to help the pandas, they _________________ (become) extinct very soon.
13. If I am sad, I always ____________ (cry).
14. Courtney, if you keep bullying me, I ________________ (tell) the teacher.
15. Some scientists says Dinosaurs became extinct because they did not have enough food. If Dinosaurs
_______________ (eat) less food, they would not have died.
16. Insects ____________ (hide) if it _____________ (rain).

C Rewrite the following sentences using Type 1, 2 or 3 conditional sentences. The first one has been done
for you as an example.

1 Tom felt sick because he ate too much.

If Tom had not eaten so much, he would not have felt sick.
2 You want to go swimming and you hope that it will be sunny tomorrow. (use Type 1)
________________________________________________________________.
3 The accident happened because the car in front turned suddenly. (use Type 3)
________________________________________________________________.
4 Alvin wants to apply for the post of Manager, but he doesn’t have the same qualifications as Peter. (use Type
2)
________________________________________________________________.
5 You are planning to invite Tina to your birthday party but don’t know if she is free tomorrow. (use Type 1)
________________________________________________________________.
8 Joe didn’t go to school because he was ill yesterday. (use Type 3)
________________________________________________________________.

Conditional Sentences
The comic strips I drawn were based on a story extracted from
http://www.telenex.hku.hk/telec/notes/wti4/2382.htm
The answers have been underlined below.

Adventure of a little octopus

by Octopus

One day, a little octopus was swimming under the sea. He was very upset. A fish was
coming towards him and said, "Why are you so unhappy?" "My mother has
disappeared!" the little octopus replied sadly.
2
 "Why?" the fish asked.

"If I hadn't made mother angry, she would not have gone away. If I were a good boy, I
would obey my mother," the octopus cried. "Please help me! If my mother doesn't come
back, I'll have no one to take care of."

"Don't cry! Let's go and find your mother. Maybe she has just gone shopping," the fish
suggested. Then they went out searching.

"Oh, Mr Fish, there're two ways in front of us. Which way shall we go?" the octopus
asked.

"The East way is going to the beach. If we go that way, we'll die. The West way is going
to the Pacific Ocean. Let's go to the West way."

They had been searching for a few months. Finally, they met little octopus' mother.

"Mother! Mother!" shouted the octopus.

"Dear Son, I miss you so much. I was taken here by a whirlpool," octopus' mother said
excitedly. "Mr. Fish, thanks for your help. If you hadn't helped him, we wouldn't have
met again."

Conditional Sentences
Answer Key
Part A
Type 0 Type 1
1. floats 1. will visit
2. put, melts 2. gets, will leave
3. reaches, turns 3. will buy
4. pass 4. have
5. burn 5. buy
6. will watch

Type 2 Type 3
1. was, would give 1. he would have passed
2. would run 2. had sought
3. would buy 3. would have seen
4. won 4. would not have passed
5. would apologize 5. would not have built
6. would buy, were 6. had had

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Part B
1. will go 9. had known, would not have given
2. bleeds 10. would tell
3. had driven 11. will get
4. had had 12. will become
5. stands 13. cry
6. broke 14. will tell
7. break, will be 15. had eaten
8. were 16. hide, rains

Part C

2. If it is sunny tomorrow, I will go swimming/ I will go swimming if it is sunny tomorrow.

3. If the car in front had not turned suddenly, the accident would not have happened/ The accident would not have
happened if the car in front had not turned suddenly.
4. If Alvin had the same qualifications as Peter, he would apply for the post of Manager/ Alvin would apply for the
post of Manager if he had the same qualifications as Peter.
5. If Tina is free tomorrow, I will invite her to my birthday party. / I will invite Tina to my birthday party if she is free
tomorrow.
6. If Joe had not been ill yesterday, he would have gone to school. / Joe would have gone to school if he had not been
ill yesterday.