NOV 3rd
Disagreeing Here are a number of useful phrases used when disagreeing or expressing another opinion. Notice that a number of these expressions employ the first or second conditional.
I wouldn't do that. I would... But if we... I'm afraid I have to disagree with you. Don't get me wrong, ... Even so, if... Don't forget that... Very true, but... Examples: I wouldn't do that. I'd speak to the teacher first and see what she says. But if we don't make those investments, we'll risk loosing market share. Don't get me wrong, I just think we should look at some other options before making a decision. Even so, if we change classes this late, we might not get a passing grade. Don't forget that we you still need to finish all your homework BEFORE you can do that. Very true, but we still need to get the garden in shape before building a new deck.
First Conditional: real possibility We are talking about the future. We are thinking about a particular condition or situation in the future, and the result of this condition. There is a real possibility that this condition will happen. For example, it is morning. You are at home. You plan to play tennis this afternoon. But there are some clouds in the sky. Imagine that it rains. What will you do? IF condition
If
result
present simple
WILL + base verb
it rains
I will stay at home.
Notice that we are thinking about a future condition. It is not raining yet. But the sky is cloudy and you think that it could rain. We use the present simple tense to talk about the possible future condition. We use WILL + base verb to talk about the possible future result. The important thing about the first conditional is that there is a real possibility that the condition will happen. Here are some more examples (do you remember the two basic structures: [IF condition result] and [result IF condition]?): IF condition
result
present simple
WILL + base verb
If
I see Mary
I will tell her.
If
Tara is free tomorrow
he will invite her.
If
they do not pass their exam
their teacher will be sad.
If
it rains tomorrow
will you stay at home?
If
it rains tomorrow
what will you do?
result
IF condition
WILL + base verb I will tell Mary
present simple if
I see her.
He will invite Tara
if
she is free tomorrow.
Their teacher will be sad
if
they do not pass their exam.
Will you stay at home
if
it rains tomorrow?
What will you do
if
it rains tomorrow?
Sometimes, we use shall, can, or may instead of will, for example: If you are good today, you can watch TV tonight.
Second Conditional: unreal possibility or dream The second conditional is like the first conditional. We are still thinking about the future. We are thinking about a particular condition in the future, and the result of this condition. But there is not a real possibility that this condition will happen. For example, you do not have a lottery ticket. Is it possible to win? No! No lottery ticket, no win! But maybe you will buy a lottery ticket in the future. So you can think about winning in the future, like a dream. It's not very real, but it's still possible. IF condition past simple If
result WOULD + base verb
I won the lottery I would buy a car.
Notice that we are thinking about a future condition. We use the past simple tense to talk about the future condition. We use WOULD + base verb to talk about the future result. The important thing about the second conditional is that there is an unreal possibility that the condition will happen. Here are some more examples: IF condition
result
past simple
WOULD + base verb
If
I married Mary
I would be happy.
If
Ram became rich
she would marry him.
If
it snowed next July would you be surprised?
If
it snowed next July what would you do?
result
IF condition
WOULD + base verb
past simple
I would be happy
if
I married Mary.
She would marry Ram
if
he became rich.
Would you be surprised
if
it snowed next July?
What would you do
if
it snowed next July?
Sometimes, we use should, could or might instead of would, for example: If I won a million dollars, I could stop working.
Third Conditional: no possibility The first conditional and second conditionals talk about the future. With the third conditional we talk about the past. We talk about a condition in the past that did not happen. That is why there is no possibility for this condition. The third conditional is also like a dream, but with no possibility of the dream coming true. Last week you bought a lottery ticket. But you did not win. :-(
If
condition
result
Past Perfect
WOULD HAVE + Past Participle
I had won the lottery I would have bought a car.
Notice that we are thinking about an impossible past condition. You did not win the lottery. So the condition was not true, and that particular condition can never be true because it is finished. We use the past perfect tense to talk about the impossible past condition. We use WOULD HAVE + past participle to talk about the impossible past result. The important thing about the third conditional is that both the condition and result are impossible now. Sometimes, we use should have, could have, might have instead of would have, for example: If you had bought a lottery ticket, you might have won.
Look at some more examples in the tables below: IF condition
result
past perfect
WOULD HAVE + past participle
If
I had seen Mary
I would have told her.
If
Tara had been free yesterday
I would have invited her.
If
they had not passed their exam
their teacher would have been sad.
If
it had rained yesterday
would you have stayed at home?
If
it had rained yesterday
what would you have done?
result
IF condition
WOULD HAVE + past participle
past perfect
I would have told Mary
if
I had seen her.
I would have invited Tara
if
she had been free yesterday.
Their teacher would have been sad
if
they had not passed their exam.
Would you have stayed at home
if
it had rained yesterday?
What would you have done
if
it had rained yesterday?
Zero Conditional »
Zero Conditional: certainty We use the so-called zero conditional when the result of the condition is always true, like a scientific fact. Take some ice. Put it in a saucepan. Heat the saucepan. What happens? The ice melts (it becomes water). You would be surprised if it did not. IF condition
result
If
present simple
present simple
you heat ice
it melts.
Notice that we are thinking about a result that is always true for this condition. The result of the condition is an absolute certainty. We are not thinking about the future or the past, or even the present. We are thinking about a simple fact. We use the present simple tense to talk about the condition. We also use the present simple tense to talk about the result. The important thing about the zero conditional is that the condition always has the same result. We can also use when instead of if, for example: When I get up late I miss my bus. Look at some more examples in the tables below: IF condition
result
present simple
present simple
If
I miss the 8 o'clock bus
I am late for work.
If
I am late for work
my boss gets angry.
If
people don't eat
they get hungry.
If
you heat ice
does it melt?
result
IF
present simple I am late for work
condition present simple
if
I miss the 8 o'clock bus.
My boss gets angry if
I am late for work.
People get hungry
if
they don't eat.
Does ice melt
if
you heat it?
Summary »
Structure | First Conditional | Second Conditional | Third Conditional Zero Conditional | Summary | Quiz
Conditionals: Summary Here is a chart to help you to visualize the basic English conditionals. Do not take the 50% and 10% figures too literally. They are just to help you. probability
conditional
example
time
100%
zero conditional
If you heat ice, it melts.
any time
50%
first conditional
If it rains, I will stay at home.
future
10%
second conditional
If I won the lottery, I would buy a car.
future
third conditional
If I had won the lottery, I would have bought a car.
0%
Contrasting Ideas There are a number of formulas used when contrasting ideas in English. Here are some of the most common:
We'd love to stay for dinner, but we have got to get going. They decided to stay in the area, in spite of their problems with the local residents. Despite the difficulties of a long journey, Peter decided to visit India. Getting a good job is hard work, however, most people eventually find one with patience. There were a number of people who came, although the hotels were not equipped to handle them all.
Despite, in spite of How to use despite and in spite of correctly. Prepositions - despite, in spite of Despite the heavy traffic, we got there on time. Despite being much older than the others, he won the race.
We use despite in one half of a sentence to express a contrast with the other half of the sentence.
despite something (noun) despite + verb + -ing despite the fact that
In spite of has the same meaning as despite.
In spite of / despite the heavy traffic, we got there on time. In spite of / despite the traffic being heavy, we got in spite of something (noun) there on time. in spite of + verb + -ing In spite of / despite the fact in spite of the fact that that he is much older than the others, he won the race. In spite of / despite being much older than the others, he won the race.
We prefer despite to in spite of in written English.
Although, even though Although, even though We use although or even though to express a contrast between two things.
Although he is much older than the others, he won the race. Even though he's a millionaire, he lives in a very small flat.
Even though and although can be used in
I enjoyed the holiday, even though it rained
the the same way as despite the fact that and in spite of the fact that.
a lot. I enjoyed the holiday, despite the fact that it rained a lot.
Making Complaints There are a number of formulas used when complaining in English. It's important to remember that a direct complaint or criticism in English can sound rude or aggressive. It's best to mention a problem in an indirect manner. Here are some of the most common:
I'm sorry to have to say this but... I'm sorry to bother you, but... Maybe you forgot to... I think you might have forgotten to... Excuse me if I'm out of line, but... There may have been a misunderstanding about... Don't get me wrong, but I think we should
Modals in the Past can't have
could
could have
couldn't
couldn't have
didn't need to
had to
may have
may not have
might have
might not have
must have
needn't have
ought not to have
should have
shouldn't have
would have
would not
ought to have
certainty
can't have
e.g. I can't have lost my keys! (I'm sure I didn't)
permission
could
e.g. When I was a teenager, I could go out as late as I wanted. general ability e.g. Tom could walk by the age of 8 months.
possibility, but did not happen
could have
e.g. I could have passed my driving test if I'd really tried. uncertainty e.g. I guess it could have been Sandra on the phone.
permission
couldn't
e.g. When I was a teenager, I couldn't stay out as late as I wanted. general ability e.g. I couldn't walk until I was 2. ability in a particular situation e.g. I tried hard but I couldn't persuade him to go to the party with us.
possibility/ability
couldn't have
e.g. I couldn't possibly have passed my driving test, even if I'd tried harder. uncertainty e.g. It couldn't have been Sandra on the phone, could it? with comparative adjectives e.g. I couldn't have asked for better weather on my wedding day. unwillingness e.g. I couldn't have left the dog in the car for long (so I didn't).
didn’t need to
unnecessary action not done
e.g. As I was alone this weekend, I didn't need to do any cooking (so I didn't).
obligation (past form of must)
had to
e.g. I couldn't go out last night because I had to do my homework.
uncertainty
may have
e.g. I guess I may have been a bit hard on her when she came home an hour late.
uncertainty
may not have
might have
e.g. He may not have found out yet that he has passed the test.
possibility (didn't happen) e.g. You might have been killed! uncertainty e.g. I guess I might have been a bit hard on her when she came home an hour late. annoyance at someone's failure to do something
e.g. You might have told me that you had invited all your colleagues round for dinner! might have known + would (idiom to ironically express that somebody's action was typical) e.g. I might have known that he would finish with me as soon as he found out I wasn't wealthy!
uncertainty
might not have
e.g. He may not have found out yet that he has passed the test.
certainty
must have
e.g. He must have known how much it was going to cost. (I'm sure he knew.) with surely in exclamations e.g. Surely he must have known how much it was going to cost!
unnecessary action that was actually done
needn't have
e.g. Oh, you needn't have done the washing up!
ought not to have
criticism (more common is shouldn't have) e.g. You ought not to have been so frank with him.
expectation (should have is more common)
ought to have
Why is she late? She ought to have arrived by now!
expectation
should have
Why is she late? She should have arrived by now! should have + verbs of thinking e.g. I should have thought you knew. with be and adjectives, describing chance e.g. It was weird that you should have been staying in the same hostel last month. criticism (you didn't do something, but it would have been the right thing to do) e.g. The party was such fun last night! You should have come!
criticism
shouldn't have
e.g. You shouldn't have been so frank with him. polite expression of thanks on receiving a gift or favour "Here's a bottle of wine for you" "Oh, you really shouldn't have!"
events in the past that did not happen
would have
e.g. I wouldn't have gone out with him, but he didn't ask me. assumptions e.g. Oh, that would have been Sarah on the phone just now.
unwillingness
would not
e.g. I asked Tom to close the window, but he wouldn't do it.
Asking for Information
There are a number of formulas used when asking for information in English. Here are some of the most common:
Could you tell me...? Do you know...? Do you happen to know...? I'd like to know... Could you find out...? I'm interested in... I'm looking for.. These two forms are used for asking for information on the telephone:
I'm calling to find out... I'm calling about ...
Study these examples: Information Questions:
Beginning of noun clause
Question Word
Subject
Verb (ending)
Where is the post office?
»
Could you tell me
where
the post office
is
?
When does the next bus come?
»
Do you know
when
the next bus
comes
?
Who is that man over there?
»
Can you tell me
who
that man over there
is
?
How much do those shoes cost on sale?
»
Could you tell me
how much
those shoes
cost
on sale?