Exploring Possibilities: The ‘What if’ world of Conditional Sentences
https://youtu.be/7fq-N0qvX-g The second conditional In this video I will give you four key sentences so that you will always remember the four conditional types correctly. Conditional sentences are very useful for expressing possibilities, ideas, and even imaginary situations. They allow us to use shades of meaning and we can also do this by changing the intonation of our voice. Let's embark on this linguistic journey by categorizing these sentences into four types: Type 0, Type 1, Type 2, and Type 3. Each type serves a distinct purpose, but sometimes they can be mixed, depending on what we want to say. Type 0: The Real and Possible. Where we can discuss real and possible situations in the present tense, or universal truths. Think of this conditional as a direct reflection of reality. In this type, we often use the present simple tense, providing a straightforward way to express cause-and-effect relationships. Example: If water reaches 100 degrees Celsius, it boils. This is the same in England, Germany and Japan. Type 1: The Likely Future. Moving on to Type 1, we can use this structure to think about likely future outcomes. Here, we talk about possibilities that are very likely to happen based on a given condition. We use the present simple in the if-clause and the future simple or imperative in the result clause. Example: If it rains tomorrow, we will stay indoors. But if it doesn’t, we could go out. Type 2: The Unreal Present or Future. Type 2 is used for unreal or hypothetical situations in the present or future. We use the past simple in the if-clause and the present tense (with modal verbs like could, would, might) in the result clause to express these unreal scenarios. Example: If I had a million dollars, I would travel the world. But I haven’t got a million dollars (at the moment) Type 3: The Unreal Past. Lastly, we explore Type 3, where we can look at unreal situations in the past. Here, the if-clause uses the past perfect, while the result clause involves a modal verb, plus a blind infinitive present perfect. We can talk about what could have happened in the past, but we can’t now change. Example: If she had studied harder, she might have passed the exam. But she didn’t study hard enough, so she didn’t pass the exam. As we navigate through these four types, keep in mind that we can often alter the tenses and modal verbs to add nuance to our expressions. There is a written exercise for you to practise.
https://youtu.be/7fq-N0qvX-g The second conditional In this video I will give you four key sentences so that you will always remember the four conditional types correctly. Conditional sentences are very useful for expressing possibilities, ideas, and even imaginary situations. They allow us to use shades of meaning and we can also do this by changing the intonation of our voice. Let's embark on this linguistic journey by categorizing these sentences into four types: Type 0, Type 1, Type 2, and Type 3. Each type serves a distinct purpose, but sometimes they can be mixed, depending on what we want to say. Type 0: The Real and Possible. Where we can discuss real and possible situations in the present tense, or universal truths. Think of this conditional as a direct reflection of reality. In this type, we often use the present simple tense, providing a straightforward way to express cause-and-effect relationships. Example: If water reaches 100 degrees Celsius, it boils. This is the same in England, Germany and Japan. Type 1: The Likely Future. Moving on to Type 1, we can use this structure to think about likely future outcomes. Here, we talk about possibilities that are very likely to happen based on a given condition. We use the present simple in the if-clause and the future simple or imperative in the result clause. Example: If it rains tomorrow, we will stay indoors. But if it doesn’t, we could go out. Type 2: The Unreal Present or Future. Type 2 is used for unreal or hypothetical situations in the present or future. We use the past simple in the if-clause and the present tense (with modal verbs like could, would, might) in the result clause to express these unreal scenarios. Example: If I had a million dollars, I would travel the world. But I haven’t got a million dollars (at the moment) Type 3: The Unreal Past. Lastly, we explore Type 3, where we can look at unreal situations in the past. Here, the if-clause uses the past perfect, while the result clause involves a modal verb, plus a blind infinitive present perfect. We can talk about what could have happened in the past, but we can’t now change. Example: If she had studied harder, she might have passed the exam. But she didn’t study hard enough, so she didn’t pass the exam. As we navigate through these four types, keep in mind that we can often alter the tenses and modal verbs to add nuance to our expressions. There is a written exercise for you to practise.