Rabu, 25 Maret 2015

Conditional Sentences (Type I, II, III)




Conditional tenses are used to speculate about what could happen, what might have happened, and what we wish would happen. In English, most sentences using the conditional contain the word if. Many conditional forms in English are used in sentences that include verbs in one of the past tenses. This usage is referred to as "the unreal past" because we use a past tense but we are not actually referring to something that happened in the past.


First-type Conditionals

The type 1 conditional is used to refer to the present or future where the situation is real. The type 1 conditional refers to a possible condition and its probable result. In these sentences the if clause is in the simple present, and the main clause is in the simple future.

Formula :       If + Simple Present, + Simple Future

Example :  
-         Nobody will notice if you make a mistake.
-         If I have time, I'll finish that letter.
-         If he's sleeping, he won't wake up until morning

Function :  The type 1 conditional refers to a possible condition and its probable result. These sentences are based on facts, and they are used to make statements about the real world, and about particular situations. We often use such sentences to give warnings. In type 1 conditional sentences, the time is the present or future and the situation is real.


Second-type Conditionals
The type 2 conditional is used to refer to a time that is now or any time, and a situation that is unreal. These sentences are not based on fact. The type 2 conditional is used to refer to a hypothetical condition and its probable result. In type 2 conditional sentences, the if clause uses the simple past, and the main clause uses the present conditional.

Formula :  if + Simple Past, + would + base verb

Example :
-         If you really loved me, you would buy me a diamond ring
-         If I were you, I would give up smoking.
-         If I knew better, I wouldn’t make these mistakes.

Function : The type 2 conditional refers to an unlikely or hypothetical condition and its probable result. These sentences are not based on the actual situation. In type 2 conditional sentences, the time is now or any time and the situation is hypothetical.

Third-type Conditional
The type 3 conditional is used to refer to a time that is in the past, and a situation that is contrary to reality. The facts they are based on are the opposite of what is expressed. The type 3 conditional is used to refer to an unreal past condition and its probable past result. In type 3 conditional sentences, the if clause uses the past perfect, and the main clause uses the perfect conditional.

Formula : if + Past Perfect, + would + have + Past Participle

Example :
-         I would have believed you if you hadn't lied to me before.
-         If I had known you were coming I would have baked a cake.
-         If I had worked harder I might have passed the exam.

Function : The type 3 conditional refers to an impossible condition in the past and its probable result in the past. These sentences are truly hypothetical and unreal, because it is now too late for the condition or its result to exist. There is always some implication of regret with type 3 conditional sentences. The reality is the opposite of, or contrary to, what the sentence expresses. In type 3 conditional sentences, the time is the past and the situation is hypothetical.

Source :