Conditional Sentence Grammar and Exercises

IF Clause Type 1

Form

if + Simple Present, will-Future

Example: If I find her address, I will send her an invitation.

The main clause can also be at the beginning of the sentence. In this case, don't use a comma.

Example: I will send her an invitation if I find her address.

Note: Main clause and / or if clause might be negative.

Example: If I don’t see him this afternoon, I will phone him in the evening.

Use

Conditional Sentences Type I refer to the future. An action in the future will only happen if a certain condition is fulfilled by that time. We don't know for sure whether the condition actually will be fulfilled or not, but the conditions seems rather realistic – so we think it is likely to happen.

Example: If I find her address, I’ll send her an invitation.

I want to send an invitation to a friend. I just have to find her address. I am quite sure, however, that I will find it.

Example: If John has the money, he will buy a Ferrari.

I know John very well and I know that he earns a lot of money and that he loves Ferraris. So I think it is very likely that sooner or later he will have the money to buy a Ferrari.

Exercises on Conditional Sentences Type 1

Complete the Conditional Sentences (Type I) by putting the verbs into the correct form.

1. If you (send) this letter now, she (receive) it tomorrow.
2. If I (do) this test, I (improve) my English.
3. If I (find) your ring, I (give) it back to you.
4. Peggy (go) shopping if she (have) time in the afternoon.
5. Simon (go) to London next week if he (get) a cheap flight.
6. If her boyfriend (phone / not) today, she (leave) him.
7. If they (study / not) harder, they (pass / not) the exam.
8. If it (rain) tomorrow, I (have to / not) water the plants.
9. You (be able/ not) to sleep if you (watch) this scary film.
10. Susan (can / move / not) into the new house if it (be / not) ready on time.

IF Clause Type 2

Form

if + Simple Past, main clause with Conditional I (= would + Infinitive)

Example: If I found her address, I would send her an invitation.

The main clause can also be at the beginning of the sentence. In this case, don't use a comma.

Example: I would send her an invitation if I found her address.

Note: Main clause and / or if clause might be negative.

Example: If I had a lot of money, I wouldn’t stay here.

Were instead of Was

In IF Clauses Type II, we usually use ‚were‘ – even if the pronoun is I, he, she or it –.

Example: If I were you, I would not do this.

Use

Conditional Sentences Type II refer to situations in the present. An action could happen if the present situation were different. I don't really expect the situation to change, however. I just imagine „what would happen if …“

Example: If I found her address, I would send her an invitation.

I would like to send an invitation to a friend. I have looked everywhere for her address, but I cannot find it. So now I think it is rather unlikely that I will eventually find her address.

Example: If John had the money, he would buy a Ferrari.

I know John very well and I know that he doesn't have much money, but he loves Ferraris. He would like to own a Ferrari (in his dreams). But I think it is very unlikely that he will have the money to buy one in the near future.

Exercise on Conditional Sentences Type 2

Complete the Conditional Sentences (Type II) by putting the verbs into the correct form. Use conditional I with would in the main clause.

1. If we (have) a yacht, we (sail) the seven seas.
2. If he (have) more time, he (learn) karate.
3. If they (tell) their father, he (be) very angry.
4. She (spend) a year in the USA if it (be) easier to get a green card.
5. If I (live) on a lonely island, I (run) around naked all day.
6. We (help) you if we (know) how.
7. My brother (buy) a sports car if he (have) the money.
8. If I (feel) better, I (go) to the cinema with you.
9. If you (go) by bike more often, you (be / not) so flabby.
10. She (not / talk) to you if she (be) mad at you.

IF Clause Type 3

Form

if + Past Perfect, main clause with Conditional II

Example: If I had found her address, I would have sent her an invitation.

The main clause can also be at the beginning of the sentence. In this case, don't use a comma.

Example: I would have sent her an invitation if I had found her address.

Note: Main clause and / or if clause might be negative.

Example: If I hadn’t studied, I wouldn’t have passed my exams.

Use

Conditional Sentences Type III refer to situations in the past. An action could have happened in the past if a certain condition had been fulfilled. Things were different then, however. We just imagine, what would have happened if the situation had been fulfilled.

Example: If I had found her address, I would have sent her an invitation.

Sometime in the past, I wanted to send an invitation to a friend. I didn't find her address, however. So in the end I didn't send her an invitation.

Example: If John had had the money, he would have bought a Ferrari.

I knew John very well and I know that he never had much money, but he loved Ferraris. He would have loved to own a Ferrari, but he never had the money to buy one.

Exercise on Conditional Sentences Type 3

Complete the Conditional Sentences (Type III) by putting the verbs into the correct form. Use conditional II with would in the main clause.

1. If you (study) for the test, you (pass) it.
2. If you (ask) me, I (help) you.
3. If we (go) to the cinema, we (see) my friend Jacob.
4. If you (speak) English, she (understand) .
5. If they (listen) to me, we (be) home earlier.
6. I (write) you a postcard if I (have) your address.
7. If I (not / break) my leg, I (take part) in the contest.
8. If it (not/ start) to rain, we (walk) to the museum.
9. We (swim) in the sea if there (not / be) so many sharks there.
10. If she (take) the bus, she (not / arrive) on time.

Exceptions for Conditional Sentences

So far you have only learned the basic rules for Conditional Sentences. It depends on the context, however, which tense to use. So sometimes it's possible for example that in an IF Clause Type I another tense than Simple Present is used, e.g. Present Progressive or Present Perfect.

Conditional Sentences Type I (likely)

Condition refers to:	IF Clause		Main Clause
future action	Simple Present	If the book is interesting, …	Future I	…I will buy it.
			Imperative	…buy it.
			Modal Auxiliary	…you can buy it.
action going on now	Present Progressive	If he is snoring, …	Future I	…I will wake him up.
			Imperative	…wake him up.
			Modal Auxiliary	…you can wake him up.
finished action	Present Perfect	If he has moved into his new flat, …	Future I	…we will visit him.
			Imperative	…visit him.
			Modal Auxiliary	…we can visit him.
improbable action	should + Infinitive	If she should win this race, …	Future I	…I will congratulate her.
			Imperative	…congratulate her.
			Modal Auxiliary	…we can congratulate her.
present facts	Simple Present	If he gets what he wants, …	Simple Present	…he is very nice.

Conditional Sentences Type II (unlikely)

Condition refers to:	IF Clause		Main Clause
present / future event	Simple Past	If I had a lot of money, …	Conditional I	…I would travel around the world.
consequence in the past	Simple Past	If I knew him, …	Conditional II	…I would have said hello.

Conditional Sentences Type II (impossible)

Condition refers to:	IF Clause		Main Clause
present	Past Perfect	If I had known it, …	Conditional I	…I would not be here now.
past	Past Perfect	If he had learned for the test, …	Conditional II	…he would not have failed it.

Exercise on Exceptions (Conditional Sentences with different Tenses)

Exercise on Conditional Sentences with Auxiliaries

Complete the conditional sentences (type I). Remember to use the auxiliary verbs.

1. If it doesn't rain, we (can / go) swimming tomorrow.
2. If you train hard, you (might / win) first prize.
3. If we go to Canada next year, we (can / improve) our English.
4. I (may / go) to the disco in the evening if I do the washing-up now.
5. If we go on holiday next week, I (not / can / play) tennis with you.
6. If you see Gareth tomorrow, you (should / tell) him that you love him.
7. If my parents go shopping in the afternoon, I (must / look) after my little sister.
8. He (must / be) a good drummer if he plays in a band.
9. If you are listening to the radio after 10 pm, you (should / turn) the volume down.
10. If you like that shirt, you (can / have) it.

Exercise on Conditional Sentences Type I, II and III

Complete the Conditional Sentences (Type I, II or III) by putting the verbs into the correct form.

1. If they (have) time at the weekend, they will come to see us.
2. If we sneak out quietly, nobody (notice) .
3. If we (know) about your problem, we would have helped you.
4. If I (be) you, I would not buy that dress.
5. We (arrive) earlier if we had not missed the bus.
6. If I didn't have a mobile phone, my life (not / be) complete.
7. Okay, I (get) the popcorn if you buy the drinks.
8. If I (tell) you a secret, you would be sure to leak it.
9. She (go) out with you if you had only asked her.
10. I would not have read your diary if you (not hide) it in such an obvious place.

Exercises on Conditional Sentences Type 1 Answers

Complete the Conditional Sentences (Type I) by putting the verbs into the correct form.

1. If you send this letter now, she will receive it tomorrow.
2. If I do this test, I will improve my English.
3. If I find your ring, I will give it back to you.
4. Peggy will go shopping if she has time in the afternoon.
5. Simon will go to London next week if he gets a cheap flight.
6. If her boyfriend does not phone today, she will leave him.
7. If they do not study harder, they will not pass the exam.
8. If it rains tomorrow, I will not have to water the plants.
9. You will not be able to sleep if you watch this scary film.
10. Susan cannot move into the new house if it is not ready on time.

Exercise on Conditional Sentences Type 2-Answers

Complete the Conditional Sentences (Type II) by putting the verbs into the correct form. Use conditional I with would in the main clause.

1. If we had a yacht, we would sail the seven seas.
2. If he had more time, he would learn karate.
3. If they told their father, he would be very angry.
4. She would spend a year in the USA if it were easier to get a green card.
5. If I lived on a lonely island, I would run around naked all day.
6. We would help you if we knew how.
7. My brother would buy a sports car if he had the money.
8. If I felt better, I would go to the cinema with you.
9. If you went by bike more often, you would not be so flabby.
10. She would not talk to you if she were mad at you.

Exercise on Conditional Sentences Type 3--Answers

Complete the Conditional Sentences (Type III) by putting the verbs into the correct form. Use conditional II with would in the main clause.

1. If you had studied for the test, you would have passed it.
2. If you had asked me, I would have helped you.
3. If we had gone to the cinema, we would have seen my friend Jacob.
4. If you had spoken English, she would have understood.
5. If they had listened to me, we would have been home earlier.
6. I would have written you a postcard if I had had your address.
7. If I had not broken my leg, I would have taken part in the contest.
8. If it had not started to rain, we would have walked to the museum.
9. We would have swum in the sea if there had not been so many sharks there.
10. If she had taken the bus, she would not have arrived on time.

Exercise on Exceptions (Conditional Sentences with different Tenses)

Exercise on Conditional Sentences with Auxiliaries

Complete the conditional sentences (type I). Remember to use the auxiliary verbs.

1. If it doesn't rain, we can go swimming tomorrow.
2. If you train hard, you might win first prize.
3. If we go to Canada next year, we can improve our English.
4. I may go to the disco in the evening if I do the washing-up now.
5. If we go on holiday next week, I cannot playtennis with you.
6. If you see Gareth tomorrow, you should tell him that you love him.
7. If my parents go shopping in the afternoon, I must look after my little sister.
8. He must be a good drummer if he plays in a band.
9. If you are listening to the radio after 10 pm, you should turn the volume down.
10. If you like that shirt, you can have it.

Exercise on Conditional Sentences Type I, II and III--
Answers

Complete the Conditional Sentences (Type I, II or III) by putting the verbs into the correct form.

1. If they have time at the weekend, they will come to see us.
2. If we sneak out quietly, nobody will notice
3. If we had known about your problem, we would have helped you.
4. If I were you, I would not buy that dress.
5. We would have arrived earlier if we had not missed the bus.
6. If I didn't have a mobile phone, my life would not be complete.
7. Okay, I will get the popcorn if you buy the drinks.
8. If I told you a secret, you would be sure to leak it.
9. She would have gone out with you if you had only asked her.
10. I would not have read your diary if you had not hidden it in such an obvious place.