Conditionals
What advice would you give someone who feels they would be happier today if they had made different choices in the past?
her on winning: congratulated her on winning – The verb congratulate is followed by an object (her) and then the preposition on; after prepositions gerund is used.
I congratulated (she / win) ______________________________________ the award.
If you hadn’t supported me, I would have collapsed with stage fright before the show. But ___________________, I would have collapsed with stage fright before the show
for your support: but for your support introduces a condition (third conditional).
I wouldn’t say the weather was bad, rather, it was unpredictable. The weather wasn’t __________ as unpredictable.
so much bad: wasn’t so much bad as unpredictable – the structurenot so much + adjective + as + adjective is used to contrast two connected qualities.
Students must not use mobile phones during lessons. ARE
Students _______ mobile phones during lessons
are to
She won the dance competition after she (prepare) for many months.
2 had been preparing: We use the Past Perfect Continuous to talk about a past activity which was in progress for some time (used with expressions including for such as for many months) when another activity took place.
If you knew tomorrow was a holiday just for you, how would you have planned it differently?
him of posting: The verb accuse is followed by an object (him) and then the preposition of; after prepositions a gerundisused.
Someone accused (he / post) anonymous offensive comments on social media.
There’s no point in trying to become a writer if you don’t really want to do it. There’s no point in trying to become a writer unless ______________________
you really want to do it: unless you really want to do it introduces a condition (zero conditional).
Culturally, Brussels is so interesting that it’s difficult to choose what to do. Culturally, Brussels is ____________ city that it’s difficult to choose what to do.
such an interesting: Such is used for emphasising a given quality of a thing; the article an is used because an adjective with a countable noun follow; the whole expression is contrasted with the clause introduced by that.
This computer just needs (clean). The fan is blocked with dust
cleaning
I’m going through a hard time and right now I ___________________________ (find) it difficult to communicate with people.
am finding: We use the Present Continuous to talk about a temporary activity in progress around the time of speaking/now
How do you think your friendships would be different now if you had never used social media?
(that) I (should) share: The verb suggest could be followed by a clause including the modal verb should and the main verb or by a bare infinitive (subjunctive).
My parents suggested (I/ share) my location with them through my smartphone, so that they’d always know where I am.
I wouldn’t have had the courage if I’d known in advance how difficult it was going to be. Had _____________________ how difficult it was going to be, I wouldn’t have had the courage
I known: Had I known – inversion is used to introduce a condition (third conditional).
The place was less extraordinary than we’d hoped. It was not as ___________________________________________ we’d hoped.
extraordinary a place as: Normally the structure as … as is used with adjectives only to show that a given quality is the same or different (was (not) as extraordinary as); if a noun is added, the adjective needs to precede it.
I was told to phone the office immediately (on / arrive / London)
1 on arriving in London: It means as soon as I arrived in London.
This time tomorrow I ___________________________ (get) ready to go out to a party that I’m really looking forward to.
will be getting: We use the Future Continuous to talk about an activity in progress at a specific point in the future.
If aliens had actually visited Earth years ago, what do you think they’d be most surprised by today?
seeingtheactress/havingseentheactress:Theverb report is followed by a gerund; here, to clarify the sequence of events, the perfect -ing form could be used.
The tabloids reported (see / the actress) with an unidentified youngman.
If any journalist wants to talk to the conductor, tell them she’s not here! Should _____________________ to the conductor, tell them she’s not here!
any journalist want to talk: Should any journalist want to – the formal expression should with inversion is used to introduce an unlikely condition (first conditional).
As we climbed higher and higher, the way down appeared increasingly terrifying. ___________________________________________we climbed, the more terrifying the way down appeared to me.
The higher: the higher we climbed, the more terrifying … –Showing two things co-depend and change together
(work / at / restaurant) before, I knew how to carry three plates full of food at the same time.
Having worked at a restaurant: Gerund together with the past participle of the main verb is used as the equivalent of the Past Perfect when the subject of both clauses is the same to clarify the sequence of events
I hope by the time I’m thirty I (discover) what I want to do in life.
will have discovered: We use the Future Perfect (Simple) to talk about a future activity completed before a certain point in the future (used with expressions including by such as by the time I’m thirty).
If you were given the power to invent one thing, what do you think you would have created by now?
her not to share: The verb persuade is followed by an object (her) and an infinitive.
A good friend persuaded (she / not / share) the photos from the party on the Internet.
They agreed to sponsor our show but only if we put their logo on the curtain. They agreed to sponsor ourshow on ______________ their logo on the curtain.
condition that we put: on condition that we put expresses a condition followed by a clause (first conditional).
As the village becomes more popular, it seems increasingly less authentic to me. The more popular the village becomes, ________________________________________ it seems to me.
the less authentic – the more popular the village …, the less authentic it … – Two comparative forms are used to showtwothingsco-dependandchangetogether.
(download) this content, you have to be a registered user.
to
I don’t know what’s happened to Claire; she used to be very easy-going, but now she (become) so stubborn and difficult that it’s not easy working with her.
has become: We use the Present Perfect (Simple) to talk about the results of a complete past activity which are visible in the present.