Babie Lisa
Aug 9, 2006, 09:37 PM
This is a review of what instructor 4isonly is teaching:
There are a number of structures in English that are called the conditionals which are used to talk about possible or imaginary situations. A "Condition" is a "situation or circumstance".
For example: If a certain condition is true, then a particular result happens.
There are four basic conditionals that we use in English. Zero Conditional - Used for things that are always true as long as the condition is met.
Ex: (If) you heat water to 100 degrees, (Result) it boils.
First Conditional - connects two future actions, where one must take place before the second is possible.
Ex: (If) she gets good grades, (Result) she will go to a university.
~>if the condition is met, she will definitely go to a university.
Second Conditional - can be used to talk about imaginary present situations, where we are imagining something different from what is really the case. Also can be used to talk about things in that future that are unlikely to happen, because the condition is unlikely to be met.
Ex: (If) I had the time, (Result) I would learn Italian.
~> I don't have the time, so I'm not going to learn Italian.
Third Conditional - used when we are talking about the past and imagining something different from what really happened.
Ex: (If) I had known, (Result) I would have helped.
There can be conditionals formed by mixing some of these four.
There are a number of structures in English that are called the conditionals which are used to talk about possible or imaginary situations. A "Condition" is a "situation or circumstance".
For example: If a certain condition is true, then a particular result happens.
There are four basic conditionals that we use in English. Zero Conditional - Used for things that are always true as long as the condition is met.
Ex: (If) you heat water to 100 degrees, (Result) it boils.
First Conditional - connects two future actions, where one must take place before the second is possible.
Ex: (If) she gets good grades, (Result) she will go to a university.
~>if the condition is met, she will definitely go to a university.
Second Conditional - can be used to talk about imaginary present situations, where we are imagining something different from what is really the case. Also can be used to talk about things in that future that are unlikely to happen, because the condition is unlikely to be met.
Ex: (If) I had the time, (Result) I would learn Italian.
~> I don't have the time, so I'm not going to learn Italian.
Third Conditional - used when we are talking about the past and imagining something different from what really happened.
Ex: (If) I had known, (Result) I would have helped.
There can be conditionals formed by mixing some of these four.