LIST OF TA BLES AND FIGURES ……………………. . 4 ARGUMENT ……………………………………… ………. 5 PRESENTATION ………………………………….. ……. . 6 SUMMARY ………………………………………… ……. . 8 PAR… [621689]

1
UNIVERSITATEA „DUNĂ REA DE JOS ” DIN GALAȚI
DEPARTAMENTUL PENTRU PREGĂTIREA ȘI PERFECȚIONAREA
PERSONALULUI DIDACTIC
FACULTATEA DE LITERE
SPECIALIZAREA LIMBA ENGLEZĂ

LUCRARE METODICO -ȘTIINȚIFICĂ
ÎNTOCMITĂ ÎN VEDEREA OBȚINERII
GRADULUI DIDACTIC I

COORDONATOR ȘTIINȚIFIC:
Prof. dr. FLORIANA POPESCU

CANDIDAT: [anonimizat]. CIOCARLAN CORINA

GALATI
2017

2
UNIVERSITATEA „DUNĂ REA DE JOS ” DIN GALAȚI
DEPARTAMENTUL PENTRU PREGĂTIREA ȘI PERFECȚIONAREA
PERSONALULUI DIDACTIC
FACULTATEA DE LITERE
SPECIALIZAREA LIMBA ENGLEZĂ

TEACHING CONDITIONALS TO
SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

COORDONATOR ȘTIINȚIFIC:
Prof. dr. FLORIANA POPESCU

CANDIDAT: [anonimizat]. CIOCARLAN CORINA

GALATI
2017

3
CONTENTS

LIST OF TA BLES AND FIGURES ……………………. . 4
ARGUMENT ……………………………………… ………. 5
PRESENTATION ………………………………….. ……. . 6
SUMMARY ………………………………………… ……. . 8
PAR T I. PRELIMINARIES TO TEACHING CONDITION AND
CONDITIONALS ………………………………………… .. 9
CHAPTER 1. Theoretical aspects of teaching Conditionals
1.1. How to teach grammar, a short overview……………………… ….. 10
1.2. Conditionals. Uses and fo rms……………………………………… 28
CHAPTER 2. Types of Conditionals
2.1. Conditionals type 0 ………………………………………………… 34
2.2. Conditionals ty pe 1 …………………………………………………. 35
2.3. Conditionals type 2 ………………………………………………… 36
2.4. Conditionals type 3 ………………………………………………… 37
2.5. Mixed Co nditionals ………………………………………………… 37
2.6. Another classif ication ………………………………………………. 38
2.7. Replacers of `if`. Omiss ion of `if` ………………………………….. 47
PART II. SCIENTIFIC AND METHODOLOGICAL PROJECT
PRESENTATION …………… ……………………………. .. 53
CHAPTER 3. Data analysis, interpretation and final evaluation
……………………………………………………………… … 54
FINAL CONCLUSIONS …………………………………. . 66
BIBLIOGRAPHY ……………………………………… …… 68
ANNEXES ………………………………………… ………… 71

4

LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES

1.Table 1 – Diagnosis initial test results
2.Table 2 – Diagnosis the second assessment tests results
3. Table 3 – Diagnosis the final assessment tests results
4. Figure 1 . Diagnosis initial test results of the control group
5. Figure 2. Diagnosis initial test results of the experimental group
6. Figure 3. Diagnosis the second test results of the experimental group
7. Figure 4. Diagnosis the second test results of the control group
8. Figure 5. Diagnosis the secoond tests results of both groups
9. Figure 6. Diagnosis the final tests results of the experimental group
10. Figure 7. Diagnosis the final tests results of the control group
11. Figure 8. Diagnosis all tests results of the experimental group
12. Figure 9. Diagnosis all tests results of the control group

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ARGUMENT

In a broader Europe, on the background of developing and strengthening the
concept of European identity, the issue of preserving cultural and linguistic diversity is
becoming increasingly important by all possible means. Language learning has become a
necessity, especially since the workforce benefits from freedom of movement within the
European space. That is why there have been advanced a number of common standards
that are easy to recognize anywhere in Europe and that give those who learn a foreign
langu age the opportunity to use their language skills in academic or pragmatic contexts. In
this respect, the knowledge of foreign languages and the skills acquired in the process of
learning a foreign language are very important.
Teaching English involves spec ific strategies that are converging lately towards an
eclectic approach. Modern methods combined with classical ones offer enthusiastic
teachers and preoccupied with their continuing professional development, a desirable
approach to raising interest and ma intaining enthusiasm for learning, two major challenges
for contemporary educators.
The present paper, TEACHING CONDITIONALS TO SECONDARY SCHOOL
STUDENTS , has as i ts starting point the active -participatory learning of an abstract
linguistic structure such as the conditional phrase and attempts to overcome certain
difficultie s that students may encounter, a ssuming the gap between the Romanian and
English language curricul a. Considering the fact that conditional sentences are often found
in daily vocabulary, exams (bilingual, Cambridge), at English Olympics, they are an
important part of the curriculum. The conditional sentences have a close connection w ith
the verbs' tenses, they canno t be taught unless the tenses are known.
Students encounter difficulties in acquiring conditionals when th ey do not know
very well the tens es, they also often tend to reverse t he verbs or to use the same tense in
both sentences (in the main sentence and the cond itional sentence). Over the time, I
noticed that when students are involved in various games or group activities, they learn
these notions wi thout realizing it, everything being natural. Thus, students can learn not
only grammar notions but also vocabulary in a pleasant way.
This paper will highlight the methods which will allow teachers to support the students to
grasp and use the conditional sentences as well as possible.

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PRESENTATION

The present work is a survey of the efficiency of using modern assessment
methods combined with the tra ditional ones in teaching Conditionals. It is split into three
well-constructed and argued parts, as follows:
(a) the theoretically introductory framework to consider the grammatical aspects of
the whole approach;
(b) the description of the practical asp ects related to the researched topic;
(c) the presentation of the experimental phase underlying the whole research.
The first part, Preliminaries to Teaching Condition and Conditionals is
essentially theoretical and consists of two chapters.
Chapter 1, Theoretical aspects of teaching conditionals presents briefly t he
concepts related to condition and conditionals. It additionally produces a short overview of
ideas regarding the manner in which i t is advisable to teach grammar and points out the
differen ces between English conditionals and their equivalents in the Romanian language.
Chapter 2, Types of conditionals refers to the aspects regarding the rules of
tense usage in the particular case of If` -clauses (type 0, type1, type 2, type 3, mixed
tenses) with examples and explanations of what they express.
Zero conditionals refer to general truths, to scientific proces ses and their
methodical descriptions, as well as to particular situations which involve reference to a
personal truth. We can make a z ero conditional sentence with two present simple verbs .
The first conditional describes a particular situation, whereas the zero
conditional describes what happens in general . 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. In the conditional
clause we use P resent Tense Simple and in the main clause Future Tense Simple.
The second conditional refers to a present or to a future situation of low
probability and also of zero probability, a hypothesis. The probability is about the
probability of the action in the `if` clause not in the main clause. We use Past Tense
Simple in `if` clause and Conditional I in the main clause. These conditionals are also
called Past Real Conditionals. The third conditional refers to a past situation of zero
possibility, it`s too late to happen. An action could have happened in the past if a certain

7
condition had been fulfilled. These conditionals are also called Past Unreal Conditionals.
We use Past Per fect Tense Simple in the conditional clause and Conditional II in the main
clause.
Mixed conditionals refer to an unreal past situation and their probable result in
the present. These sentences express a situation that is contrary to reality both in the past
and in the present. In the se conditional s we use Past Perfect Tense Simple in `if` clause
and Conditio nal I in the main clause, or Past Tense Simple in conditional clause and
Conditional II in the main clause or Past Tense Simple in `if` clause an d Future Tense
Simple in the main sentence.
This chapter is so conceived as to include other classifications, exceptions,
replacers and omissions of if or its substitutes and the most common mistakes that students
make.
The second part of the paper, Scientific and Methodological Project
Presentation, unfolds the project performed with purpose of identifying the learners’
needs regarding the successful acquisition of the knowledge related to the ways of using
conditionals. Chapter 3, Data analysis, in terpretation and final evaluation , is both
descriptive, analytic and prospective in its essence, for it not only presents and comments
on the research results but proposes solutions for further improvement . During the
investigation, the students formed a p ositive attitude towards the evaluation act, attitude
that stimulates the result int o success . The fear, the stress, the lack of self -confidence, the
feeling of failure that usually appear during testing period were greatly diminished, being
replaced by th e desire to express ideas, to share knowledge.
The obvious conclusion is that the use of modern assessment methods combined
with the traditional assessment methods lead to increasing efficiency of teaching.

8
SUMMARY

The present work is an investigation concerning the efficiency of using modern
assessment methods in teaching conditionals . They are used in a variety of situations and
that’s why they are very important. These structures are often use to express threats,
warnings, promises, pre dictions (Conditionals type I), imaginary situations, hypotheses
(Conditionals type II) or past regrets, past imaginary situations (Conditionals type III). Not
all English sentences follow grammar “rules.” However, t here are sentence structures
students can learn that make it easier for them to express their thoughts and feel m ore
confident speaking English. Conditional sentences are one of these structures.
Teaching Conditionals is easy if the students have already learnt the Tenses very
well. Conditional sentences are taught in English classes and in English textbooks because
they are easy teach. “Rules” are always easy to teach, and they are easy to mark right or
wrong on a test.
Students can practice c onditionals through various activities, usually o ral drills
(question – answer drills, chain drills, `what would you have done if`) , different games
(the ` Consequences Chains `, Role play, `Moral dilemmas`, `Guess my answer`,
`Problem solving`, `Personality questionnaires`, `Tic -tac-toe`, board game), songs
(`California Dreaming` by The Mamas and Papas, `If I had a million dollars` by
Barenaked Ladies, ` If I were a boy` by Beyonce, `Time After Time` by Cyndi
Lauper, `Hero` by Enrique Iglesias, `Count on me` by Bruno Mars) or more
traditional written exercises (Fill in; Making sentences; Correcting errors ; Rephrase ;
Translating exercises) .
These teaching methods must be completed with modern methods and techniques of
assessing Conditionals – testing s tudents’ knowledge of grammar. Usually, teaching in the
class room is based on oral work. However, since the present forms of examination imply
both oral and written examination, it is necessary to use both ora l and written drills in
classes. The most frequent types of drills are: Multiple choices, Fill – ins, Senten ce
completion, Conditionals through rephrasing , Matching exercises etc.
The main purpose of this pap er is to analyze the benefits of using modern
assessment methods in teaching English . These modern assessment methods have a major
impact on students emphas izing the formative character of assessment, underlining
attitudes or personality traits that cannot be assessed only by traditional methods.

9

PART I.

PRELIMINARIES TO TEACHING CONDITION AND
CONDITIONALS

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CHAPTER 1.
Theoretical aspects of teaching c onditionals

Introduction
The chapter consists of two major componenets, the former referring to a few
considerations related to the methods of teaching grammar in general. The second
component deals with aspect s of condition, conditionals and with the differences between
conditionals in English and in Romanian.
Its main aim is to show the importance o f grammar in teaching languages . Students
can not be taught a foreign language without knowing some basic grammar rul es.

1.1. How to teach grammar, a short overview .
Grammar is central to the teaching and learning of languages. It is also one of the
more difficult aspects of language to teach well. Many people, including language
teachers, hear the word "grammar" an d think of a fixed set of word forms and rules of
usage. They associate "good" grammar with the prestige forms of the language, such as
those used in writing and in formal oral presentations, and "bad" or "no" grammar with the
language used in everyday con versation or used by speakers of non prestige forms.
Language teachers who adopt this definition focus on grammar as a set of forms
and rules. They teach grammar by explaining the forms and rules and then drilling
students on them. This results in bored, d isaffected students who can produce correct
forms on exercises and tests, but consistently make errors when they try to use the
language in context.
Other language teachers, influenced by recent theoretical work on the difference
between language learning and language acquisition, tend not to teach grammar at all.
Believing that children acquire their first language without overt grammar instruction, they
expect students to learn their second language the same way. They assume that students
will absorb gram mar rules as they hear, read, and use the language in communication
activities. This approach does not allow students to use one of the major tools they have as
learners: their active understanding of what grammar is and how it works in the language
they a lready know. The communicative competence model balances these extremes. The
model recognizes that overt grammar instruction helps students acquire the language more
efficiently, but it incorporates grammar teaching and learning into the larger context of

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teaching students to use the language. Instructors using this model teach students the
grammar they need to know to accomplish defined communication tasks.`1
`Language teachers and language learners are often frustrated by the disconnect
between knowing the rules of grammar and being able to apply those rules automatically
in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. This disconnect reflects a separation between
declarative knowledge and procedural knowledge.
Declarative knowledge is knowledge about something. Declarative knowledge
enables a student to describe a rule of grammar and apply it in pattern practice drills.
Procedural knowledge is knowledge of how to do something. Procedural knowledge
enables a student to apply a rule of grammar in communication. For example, declarative
knowledge is what you have when you read and understand the instructions for
programming the DVD player. Procedural knowledge is what you demonstrate when you
program the DVD player. Procedural knowledge does not tra nslate automatically into
declarative knowledge; many native speakers can use their language clearly and correctly
without being able to state the rules of its grammar. Likewise, declarative knowledge does
not translate automatically into procedural knowle dge; students may be able to state a
grammar rule, but consistently fail to apply the rule when speaking or writing. To address
the declarative knowledge/procedural knowledge dichotomy, teachers and students can
apply several strategies.
1. Relate knowledge needs to learning goals. Identify the relationship of
declarative knowledge and procedural knowledge to student goals for learning the
language. Students who plan to use the language exclusively for reading journal articles
need to focus more on the declarative knowledge of grammar and discourse structures that
will help them understand those texts. Students who plan to live in -country need to focus
more on the procedural knowledge that will help them manage day to day oral and written
interaction s.
2. Apply higher order thinking skills. Recognize that development of declarative
knowledge can accelerate development of procedural knowledge. Teaching students how
the language works and giving them opportunities to compare it with other lang uages they
know allows them to draw on critical thinking and analytical skills. These processes can
support the development of the innate understanding that characterizes p rocedural
knowledge.

1 http://www.nclrc.org/essentials/grammar/grindex.htm

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3. Provide plentiful, appropriate language inpu t. Understand that students develop
both procedural and declarative knowledge on the basis of the input they receive. This
input includes both finely tuned input that requires students to pay attention to the
relationships among form, meaning, and use for a specific grammar rule, and roughly
tuned input that allows students to encounter the grammar rule in a variety of contexts.
4. Use predicting skills. Discourse analyst Douglas Biber (in his article `Strategies
for Learning Grammar` -NCLRC from the inter net) has demonstrated that different
communication types can be characterized by the clusters of linguistic features that are
common to those types. Verb tense and aspect, sentence length and structure, and larger
discourse patterns all may contribute to t he distinctive profile of a given communication
type. For example, a history textbook and a newspaper article in English both use past
tense verbs almost exclusively. However, the newspaper article will use short sentences
and a discourse pattern that alte rnates between subjects or perspectives. The history
textbook will use complex sentences and will follow a timeline in its discourse structure.
Awareness of these features allows students to anticipate the forms and structures they will
encounter in a give n communication task.
5. Limit expectations for drills. Mechanical drills in which students substitute
pronouns for nouns or alternate the person, number, or tense of verbs can help students
memorize irregular forms and challenging structures. Howev er, students do not develop
the ability to use grammar correctly in oral and written interactions by doing mechanical
drills, because these drills separate form from meaning and use. The content of the prompt
and the response is set in advance; the student only has to supply the correct grammatical
form, and can do that without really needing to understand or communicate anything. The
main lesson that students learn from doing these drills is: Grammar is boring.
Communicative drills encourage students to co nnect form, meaning, and use because
multiple correct responses are possible. In communicative drills, students respond to a
prompt using the grammar point under consideration, but providing their own content. For
example, to practice questions and answers in the past tense in English, teacher and
students can ask and answer questions about activities the previous evening.`2
`Many courses and textbooks, especially those designed for lower proficiency
levels, use a specified sequence of grammatical topics as their organizing principle. When
this is the case, classroom activities need to reflect the grammar point that is being

2 http://www.nclrc.org/essentials/grammar/stratgram.htm

13
introduced or reviewed. By contrast, when a course curriculum follows a topic sequence,
grammar points can be addressed as they come up. In both cases, instructors can use the
Larsen -Freeman pie chart as a guide for developing activities.
For curricula that introduce grammatical forms in a specified sequence, instructors
need to develop activities that relat e form to meaning and use:
– describe the grammar point, including form, meaning, and use, and give
example s (structured input);
– ask students to practice the grammar point in communicative drills (structured
output);
– have students do a communicative t ask that provides opportunities to use the
grammar point (communicative output) .
For curricula that follow a sequence of topics, instructors need to develop activities
that relate the topical discourse (use) to meaning and form.
– provide oral or written input (audiotape, reading selection) that addresses the
topic (structured input) ;
– review the point of grammar, using examples from the material (structured
input); – ask students to practice the grammar point in communicative drill s that focus on
the topi c (structured output);
– have students do a communicative task on the topic (communicative output).`3
Teaching grammar is an essential part of school education or adult learning.
Without good grammar, spoken or written words lose much of their meaning and most
of their value. Grammar is a very important thing to get right, and teachers should take
extra care to impart proper grammar to all their students. Sadly, grammar is often seen
as a dif ficult and boring subject and one popular method of teaching is to just repeat the
correct grammar for a certain situation o ver and over until it is memoriz ed and able to be
repeated, like a parrot. This is dull for both teachers and students, and often o nly results
in the students being able to repeat what they have learned, rather than resulting in a
complete understanding that can be applied to all situations.
English grammar is very complex, and all its intricacies cannot truly be learned by
rote, they must be really understood – and understanding is most easily achieved when
students are engaged, interested and having fun durin g a lesson.
Word puzzles are a useful and interactive method whereby students can learn all

3 http://www.nclrc.org/essentials/grammar/developgram.htm

14
sorts of important parts o f English grammar. They can be used to encourage students to
identify and understand various parts of a sentence; grammatical concepts like synonyms,
tenses and conjugations; or incorrectly used grammar. Word puzzles such as crosswords
are easily modifie d to suit all age and skill levels and introduce an element of fun
competition into the learning process, so they can be invaluable in forging a full and
lasting understanding of English grammar. Another game -based met hod of teaching
grammar that we could use in teaching our students is `Bingo `. The game of Bingo is
based on people marking off spaces on their card until they fill in a row or column fully.
In normal Bingo these are numbers, drawn at random from a pool. In grammar lesson
Bingo, they could be pronouns, verbs, nouns, sentence structure, like Conditionals,
antonyms, and so on – students could use the daily newspaper and attempt to find correct
examples of these grammatical concepts faster than each other, thereby “winning” the
game – and learn ing in the process! Short and fun grammar exercises like this can be
included on a regular basis during our lessons to ke ep correct grammar usage fresh our
students’ minds and improve their recall of the topics at hand.
In lessons where we are not inc orporating some sort of game, it is beneficial to
consider inductive teac hing. This is a method where we lead the students to the correct
conclusion, rather than feeding them the information straight away. Getting the students
to think about what the corre ct answer might be and figure it out for themselves will
leave a longer lasting impression in their brain and result in better r etention. It is worth
getting our students to speak using the grammar that we are attempting to teach, in
sentences that relate to themselves. They will h ave to process the knowledge we have
given them in a way that is relevant to them, and in doing so they will forge a clearer
understanding of the context and a memory of how to use th e grammar we have taught
in the future. We s hould also encourage our students to write down the important
sentences a nd grammatical concepts that we teach them, so that they have something to
refer back to if they need to, but also because writing something out improves contextual
memory .
One particularly useful lesson could be spent on highlighting common mistakes
that people make, and incidences of grammar not fitting the expected pattern. By
teaching our students wh at is incorrect in this way, we can help them to avoid making
these comm on mistakes. Turning it into a funny or amusing session of picking out
subtle mistakes or ways that poor grammar has led a normal sentence to become
ambiguous, funny or wrong can really help make our lesson very memorable, and one

15
lesson of showing studen ts what is wrong can often be more valuable than several
lessons of trying to teach what is right.
Teaching English as a second language to adults or children is a more involved
process than teaching native English speakers, as ESL/EFL students have i n-depth
knowledge of their own language’s grammar rules, most of which are complet ely
different than English. We may need to focus more deeply on sentence structure,
pronouns, descriptors and tenses to help them become fluent in English grammar
because of this innate difference between English and their native language.
In conclusion , all education depends on a foundation of good grammar. If
students cannot understand grammar, they will struggle to read, write or speak clearly in
any other area of education, from Maths and Science to History or G eography. Good
language is the base on which all other education has to stand. Teachers can use a
variety of ways to make their grammar lessons memorable and enjoyable for students.
Students w ho enjoy their lessons will pay closer attention, and you will then have an
easier time while teaching. This is why great lessons are important for everyone
involved, and why you should take the time to ensure you are teaching grammar in the
best and most engaging way for the skill level and requirements of your individual
students.4
Teaching grammar in an ESL / EFL setting is quite different from teaching
grammar to native speakers. These are the most important questions that we should ask
ourselves to prepare to teach grammar in our classes.
The most important question that needs to be answered is: how do I teach grammar?
In other words, how do I help students learn the grammar they need. This question is
deceptively easy.
At first look, we might think that teaching grammar is just a matter of explaining
grammar rules to students. However, teaching grammar effectively is a much more
complicated matter. There are a number of questions that first need to be addressed for
each class:
What are the objectives of this class?
Is the class preparing for an examination ? Is the class improving their English for business
purposes? Is the class preparing for summe r holidays? etc.

4 https://blog.udemy.com/how -to-teach -grammar/

16
The answer to this question is important as it will help us to decide on how much grammar
really needs to be taught. If students are preparing for a Cambridge Exam then grammar
will play a large role in our lesson plans . On the other hand, if we are teaching a business
class , linguistic formulas may play a larger role as you provide the learners with st andard
phrases for written documents, participating in meetings, etc.
What type of learning background do the learners have?
Are the students at school? Have they not studied for a number of years? Are they familiar
with grammar terminology ?
Adults who have not been attending school for a number of years are likely to find
grammar explanations confusing while as students who are currently studying will
probably be much more adept at unde rstanding grammar charts , expressions, etc.
What learning materials and resources are available?
Do you have th e latest student workbooks? Do you have no workbooks at all? Is there a
computer in the classroom?
The more learning resources we have the easier it will be for us to employ different
strategies when teaching our students grammar. For example, a group of s tudents who
like using computers could use the computer to study a certain grammar task while
another group who prefers spoken explanations might prefer to have you explain th e point
with a number of examples. Obviously, the more varieties of learning opportunities the
better our chances are that each student will be able to learn the grammar point well.
What kind of learning style does each student have?
Is the learner comfor table with standard right brain learning techniques (logical charts,
study sheets, etc.)? Does the learner work better with listening and repeating exercises?
This is one o f the most difficult aspects of teaching – especially teaching grammar. If we
have a class of learners with similar learning styles, we can afford to use a similar
approach. However, if we have a class of mixed learning styles then we need to try to
provid e instruction using as many different methods as possible .
Once we have answered these questions we can more expertly approach the question of
how we are going to provide the class with the grammar they need. In other words, each
class is going to have different grammar needs and goals and it is up to the teacher to
determine these goals and provide the means with which to meet them.
Inductive and deductive
First, a quick definition: Inductive is known as a 'bottom up' approach. In other words,
students discovering grammar rules while working through exercises.

17
Deductive is known as a 'top down' approach. This is the standard teaching approach that
has a teac her explaining rules to the students.
I personally feel that a teacher needs in the first place to facilitate learning. That is
why I prefer to provide students with inductive learning exercises. However, there are
certainly moments when the teacher needs to explain grammar concepts to the class.
Generally, I recommend the following class structure when teaching grammar skills:
1.Begin with an exercise, game, listening, etc. that introduces the grammar concept.
2.Ask students questions that will help them identify the grammar concept to be
discussed.
3.Follow with another exercise that more specifically focuses on the grammar concept,
but takes an inductive approach. This could be a reading exercise with questions and
responses in the structu res that are being taught.
4.Check responses, ask students to explain the grammar concept that has been
introduced.
5.At this point introduce teaching explanations as a way of clearing up
misunderstandings.
6.Provide an exercise which focuses on the correc t construction of the grammar point.
7.This could be an exercise such as a fill the gap, cloze or tense conjugation activity.
8.Ask students to once again explain the concept.
As we can see, the teacher is facilitating students to do their own learning rat her than using
the 'top down' approach of dictating rules to the class.
Conditional forms should be introduced to students once they are familiar with the
basic past, present and future tenses. While there are four conditional forms, it is best to
start o ff with the first conditional focusing on real situations. To help students understand,
it is helpful to point out parallels in future time clauses :
`He'll discuss the plan i f she comes to the meeting.`
`They'll discuss the issue when he arrives tomorrow.`
This will help students with the structure of using the 'if' clause to begin the
sentence, in parallel with the same structure for future time clauses.
`If they finish work early, they'll go out for a beer.`
`When I visit my parents, I like to go to Bob's Burgers.`
Once students have unders tood this basic structural similarity, it's easy to continue
on with the zero conditional, as well as the other conditional forms. It is also helpful to use
other conditional names such as "real conditional" for the first conditional, "unreal

18
conditional" for the second conditional form , and "past unreal conditional" for the third
conditional. It is recommended introducing all three forms if students are comfortable with
tenses as the simil arities in structure will help th em digest the information.
It is recommended teaching zero conditionals after we have taught the first
conditional. Remind the students that the first conditional is similar in meaning to future
time clauses. The main di fference between the zero conditional and a future time clause
with 'when' is that the zero conditional is for situations which don't happen on a regular
basis. In other words, use future time clauses for routines, but use the zero conditional for
exceptio nal situations. We can notice how the zero conditional is used to underline that a
situation does not regularly occur in the examples below.
Routines
`You discuss sales when you meet on Fridays.`
`When she visits her aunt, she al ways brings a cake.`
Exceptional Situations
`If a problem occurs, they immediately send their repairman.`
`He informs his director if he can't deal with the situation himself.`
The focus in the first conditional is that it is used for realistic situations that will
take place in the future. Make sure to point out that the first conditional is also called the
"real" conditional. Here are the steps to teaching the first conditional form :
Introduce the construction of the first conditional: If + present simple, (then clause)
future with "will"; point out that the two clauses can be switched: (then clause) future with
"will" + if + present simple; note that a comma should be used when beginning the first
conditional with the "If" clause. To help students with the form, we can use a first
conditio nal grammar chant to repeat the construction. We also can use a first conditional
worksheet to ask students to practice the form. Create a first conditional chain by asking
each student to repeat the result of what the previous student has said in the "if" clause.
For example:
`If he comes, they will have lunch.` / `If they have lunch, we'll go to Mike's pizzeria.`
`If we go to Mike's pizzeria, we'll see Mary. `
Stress that the second conditional form is used to imagine a different reality. In
other words, the second conditional is an "unreal" conditional. We can introduce the
construction of the second conditional: If + past simple, (then clause) wou ld + base form
of verb. We have to point out that the two clauses can be switched: (then clause) would +
base form of verb + if + past simple. Note that a comma should be used when beginning

19
the second conditional with the "If" clause. One problem with the second conditional is the
use of "were" for all subjects. Cambridge University now also accepts "was". However,
many academic institutions still expect "were". For example:
`If I were the teacher, I'd do more grammar. If I was the teacher, I'd do mor e grammar.`
It is recommended using our best judgment based on your students' objectives. In
any case, point out the difference in common usage and academic expectations. To help
students with the form, use a second conditional grammar chant to repe at the construction,
use a second conditional worksheet to ask students to practice the form. Create a second
conditional chain by asking each student to repeat t he result of what the previous student
has said in the "if" clause. For example:
`If she had $1,000,000, she'd buy a new house.`
`If she bought a new house, she'd get a swimming pool, too.`
`If she had a swimming pool, they'd have lots of parties.`
We should discuss the differences in usage between the first and second
conditional . We can also use this ready to go conditionals lesson plan to further help
students with the two forms. Practice the differences between the first and second
conditional forms with a comparative forms quiz .
The third conditional can be challenging for students because of the long verb
string in the result clause. Practicing the form repeatedly with the grammar chant and
conditional chain exercise are especially useful for students when learning this
complicated form. It is suggested also teaching the similar form of expressing wishes with
"I wish I had done …" when teaching the third conditional. First, we can introduce the
construction of the first conditional: If + past perfect, (then clause) would have + past
participle . Then, we point out that the two clauses can be switched: (then clause) would
have + past participle+ if + past perfect. Note that a comma should be use d when
beginning the third conditional with the "If" clause. To help students with the form, use a
third conditional grammar chant to repeat the construction, use a third conditional
worksheet to ask students to practice the form, create a third conditional chain by asking
each student to repeat the result of what the previous student has said in the "if" clause.
For example:
`If you had bought that car, you would have had an accident.`
`If you had had an accident, you would have gone to the hospital.`
`If you had gone to the hospital, you would have had an operation.`

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These introduct ory exercises are centered on "hope" and "wish" sentences with
corresponding "if" sentences explaining the reasons for the "hope" and "wish" sentences.
Hopes and Type 1 If Sentences
We p ut the following patterns and sample sentences on the board.
I hope + subject + present tense + (future word)
If + subject + present tense + (future word), subject + will/might/can + verb + (future
word).
`I hope they win the game tomorrow. `
`If they win the game tomorrow, I will be happy tomorrow. `
Explain that hopes and the "type 1 if" sentence pattern almost always refer to future
possibilities. Explain the "one step back" rule concerning using a present tense verb in the
"hope" sentence and "if" clause in the "if" sentence. Point out that the pattern is the same
in the "hope" sentence and in the "if" clause in the "if" sentence. Explain that the choice of
auxiliary in the result clause refers to either the strength of the possibility or the ability to
do or be something. Emphasize the importance of including a futur e time word or
expression at the end of each sentence or clause. The purpose is to raise the students'
consciousness about the backshifting of tenses in these sentences. As they become used to
recognizing and producing conditional sentences, this requireme nt can eventually be
eliminated if the time element is known to both speakers and listeners (or writers and
readers).
Have each of the students make a list of 5 -10 future hopes, as well as possible results if the
hopes come true. Explain the "if" sentences describe the reasons for the hopes. While the
students are writing their sentences, walk around giving help where needed and making
sure the students are following the patterns.
Present Wishes and Type 2 If Sentences
We p ut the following patterns and sample sentences on the board.
I wish + subject + past tense + (now)
If + subject + past tense + (now), subject + would/could + verb + (now).
`You wish you were tall now. `
`If you were tall now, you could play basketball now. `
Explain that present wish es and the "type 2 if" sentence pattern almost always refer
to present unrealities. Explain the "one step back" rule concerning using a past tense verb
in the "wish" sentence and the "if" clause in the "if" sentence. Point out that the pattern is
the same in the "wish" sentence and in the "if" clause in the "if" sentence. Explain that the

21
auxiliary chosen for the result clause refers to either the strength of the unreal possibility
or the unreal ability to do or be something, and that "would" and "could" ar e the past
forms of "will" and "can." Emphasize the importance of including the time word "now" at
the end of each sentence or clause. The purpose is to raise the students' consciousness
about the backshifting of tenses in these sentences and that although these patterns refer to
the present moment, they take the past form.
Have each of the students make a list of 5 -10 present wishes, as well as results if
the wishes really came true. Explain the "if" sentences describe the reasons for the wishes.
While th e students are writing their sentences, walk around giving help where needed and
making sure the students are following the patterns.
This pattern often causes initial confusion due to both the aspect of unreality and
the backshifting of tenses. It can be very helpful to first have the students make a list of 5 –
10 present facts about which they are dissatisfied and the reasons for the dissatisfaction.
For example: `He is too sho rt, so he can't play basketball.` ` I don't have any money, so I
can't bu y a car .` and `You live far from sch ool, so you have to get up early.` The process
of taking present facts and dissatisfaction and turning them into sentences expressing
unreality can be demonstrated on the board as follows.
The students can then produce thei r `wish` and `if` sentences by following the patterns
written on the board. For example:
`You wish you were tall (now). If I was tall (now), I could play basketball (now).`
`I wish I had a lot of money (now). If I had a lot of money (now), I could buy a ho use
(now).`
`I wish she didn't live far from school (now). If she didn't live far from school (now), she
would n't have to get up early (now).`
Past Wishes and Type 3 If Sentences
Put the following patterns and sample sentences on the board.
1a. I wish + subject + past perfect tense (had + p.p.) + (past word).
If + subject + past perfect tense (had + p.p.) + (past word), subject + would/could + verb +
now).
1a. I wish I hadn't drunk (last night).
If I hadn't drunk (last night), I wouldn't have a headach e (now).
1b. I wish + subject + past perfect tense (had + p.p.) + (past word)
If + subject + past perfect tense (had + p.p.) + (past word), subject + would/ ﾞcould + have

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+ p.p. (p ast word).
1b. I wish he had studied be fore the test (last week).
If he had studied before the test (last week), he would have passed the test (last week).
Explain that past wishes and the "type 3 if" sentence patterns usually refer to past
unrealities. Explain the "one step back" rule concerning using a past perfect tense verb i n
the "wish" sentence and the "if" clause in the "if" sentence. Point out that the pattern is the
same in the "wish" sentence and the "if" clause in the "if" sentence. Explain the
importance of differentiating between present and past results. If there is a present re sult of
the past action (e.g., `I have a headache [now]` ), the pattern for the result clau se is the
same as that for the `type 2 if` result clause. If there is a past re sult of the past action (e.g.,
`He didn't pass the test [last week]` ), the new pattern must be followed (i.e., subject +
would/could + have + p.p. [past word]). This differentiation between present and past
results of a past action inevitably causes confusion in the beginning. Again, it is helpful to
demonstrate on the board the process by which past actions with present or past results are
turned into sentences expressing past and present unreality.
Have each of the students make a list of 5 -10 past wishes, as well as possible
results if the wishes would or had come true. E xplain the `if` sentences describe the
reasons for the wishes. While the students are writing their sentences, walk around giving
help where needed and making sure the students are following the patterns, as in the
following: `I wish I hadn't drunk (last night).
If I hadn't drunk last night, I wouldn't have a headache (now).`
`I wish he had studied (last week).
If he had studied (last week), he would ha ve passed the test (last week).`
Type 4 If Sentences
Put the following patterns and sample sentences on the board.
1.If + subject + verb/modal, subject + same verb tense/modal
1a. If my mo ther told me to do something, I did it [when I was a little boy].
1b.If s he told a joke, we laughed.
1c. If we visited her grandma, we always took off our sh oes before entering.
1d. If she can do it, I can do it, too.
1f. If you won `t go, she won`t go.
1g. When you heat water to 100 degrees C, it boils. Explain that while "hope" and "type 1
if" sentences deal with future possibilities, and "wish" and "types 2 and 3 if" sentences
deal with present and past unreality, "type 4 if" sentences deal with fact s, habits, customs,

23
and routines. Explain that "when" or "whenever" can replace "if" in these sentences. The
nuance of "always," "usually," "never," etc. is very strong. Have the students list up their
own present and past routines and habits, then follow the pattern in making their own
"type 4 if" sentences.
Type 5 If Sentences
Students can be told to use this category to include all "if" patterns they come across that
don't fall into the other four categories. They are not asked to produce any sample
sentences at this stage. They need only be aware that there are other types of patterns that
exist.
These production activities that help us, teachers to guide students to produce the
target patterns, as well as raising t heir consciousness of the patterns.
Interview Dictation Race . The teacher must first organize the classroom so there
is a lot of space in the middle. For example, in a class of 24 students the desks and chairs
can be arranged in eight groups of three in a U-shape against three walls. Eight chairs are
placed in a straight line at the front so that all teams are approximately equidistant from
their assigned chairs at the front. Each group has one reporter, one interviewee, and one
writer. The interviewee fr om each group sits in the group's chair at the front. The writer
sits at the group's home base. The teacher gives the signal to start. The reporters go to the
interviewee and ask "What is your hope and why?" The interviewee answers. The reporter
remembers the answer and races back to the home base to dictate the answer to the writer.
After five hopes and reasons have been completed, members change roles. The process
continues until five more answers are completed. Members change roles again. The first
group to complete all 15 sets of hopes and "if" reasons is declared the winner. Members
can double -check their sentences to see if they have followed the patterns correctly. This
activity can be used for present and past wishes and their corresponding "if" sent ences, as
well as for reviewing almost any pattern.
I Would Like to be a ____ . You need a set of 25 -30 cards or pictures of different
animals for each group of three to five student s. The teacher first reviews conditionals type
2 pattern (If + subj ect + past tense, subject + would/could + verb). Next, the teacher puts
this cued dialogue on the board: A: "I'd like to be a ___."
C/D/E: "Why?"
A: Reason + "How about you?" (said to student B)
B: "I wouldn't like to be a ___."
C/D/E: "Why?"

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B: Reas on + "Wouldn't you agree?" (said to students C, D, & E)
C: "I agree with (A or B)."
D: "I agree with (A or B)."
E: "I agree with (A or B). (A or B) wins. Let's go to the next one."
The class is divided into groups of five. The animal cards are aga in placed face down in
the middle of each group. Student 1 picks a card and shows it to the others. Student 1
becomes A and the student to her right becomes B. The other three students are C, D, and
E. Following the cued dialogue on the board, A and B must explain why they would or
would not like to be the animal on the card. The other members of the group decide which
of the two gave the best reason. The winner keeps the card. The follow ing conversation is
an example. A: "I'd like to be a lion."
C/D/E: "W hy?"
A: "If I were a lion, I would be the strongest animal. How about you?"
B: "I wouldn't like to be a lion."
C/D/E: "Why?"
B: "If I were a lion, I would always have to fight. Wouldn't you agree?"
C: "I agree with A."
D: "I agree with A."
E: "I agr ee with A. A wins. Let's go to the next one."
After the winner is decided, the students rotate roles. Student B becomes A, C becomes B,
and so on. Another card is turned up and the game proceeds as before. When all the cards
have been turned up, the student with the most cards is declared the overall winner. The
students should be encouraged to use the second conditional when explaining their
reasons. A time limit can also be used to speed up the game. For example, if the students
cannot thin k of a reason within one minute, they automatically lose.
My Name Is . Put the students in groups of 6 -8 people. Have them
play janken (paper, scissors, stone) to decide the order they have to speak in. Review the
target "hope" sentence pattern and the c orresponding "if" pattern. Put the following on the
board:
My name is _____. I hope _______. If ___________, __________.
His name is _____. He hopes _______. If ________, __________.
Her name is _____. She hopes _______. If ________, __________.
Explain that after the first person completes the first sentence, the next student
starts by reporting what the first person said, then tells his own name and hopes. Each

25
student continues reporting on what the other students said until the final student reports
what all the students said. The team to finish the fastest is declared the winner. Other
patterns can be added. At the end, one student from each group comes to the front of the
class and intr oduces the other members of the group and reports their names, hopes, and
"if" sentences. This activity can also be used for present and past wishes and their
corresponding "if" sentences, as well as for reviewing almost any pattern.
Future Accidents . The teacher puts the following pattern on the board: If +
subject (relative clause) + present tense verb, subject + will/won't/can/can't/might/might
not + verb . The teacher hands out copies of a picture that contains several accidents about
to happen. Expla in that the students must pick 3 -4 situations and write a sentence using the
above pattern about each of the situations. For example:
1. If the girl who is walking on the sidewalk steps on the banana, she will fall down.
2. If th e boy who is crossing the road doesn't look both ways, he will be hit by a car.
3. If the car that is in the left side of the picture turns at the corner, it will hit the boy.
The students can work individually or in small groups. Have them use their
imaginations and make a story (following the pattern) about each situation. A minimum of
three or four sentences for each situation should be used. After the first sentence, it is not
necessary to use relative clause subjects. They must take the result claus e from the
previous sentence and convert it to the "if" clause of the next sentence. An example for
number 1 above would be:
1a. If the woman who is walking on the sidewalk steps on the b anana, she will fall down.
1b. If she falls down, she might break her leg.
1c. If she breaks her leg, an ambulance will take her to the hospital.
1d. If she goes to the hospital, she might meet a handsome doctor.
1e. If she meets a handsome doctor, she will fall in love a nd get married.
Encourage the students to be imaginative and playful in their stories. This activity
can be done as a written exercise, but a more interesting variation is to create a game show
format in which teams work together to create their stories and the captains report their
stories to the teacher. The captains can use the pictures while telling the stories to the
teacher, but they can't use the groups' written sentences to read from. Teams that tell their
stories quickest get points.
Snak es and Ladders. For this game you need some dice, markers (coins, pins,
erasers, etc.), and copies of a "Snakes and Ladders" game board. I use a B -4 size piece of
paper with anywhere from 35 to 70 squares. Half the squares are empty and half have

26
sentence s with "hope," "wish," and "if" sentences in them. About half of the sentences
should have mistakes in them. These mistaken sentences can either be made up or taken
from the students' homework. The board should have some snakes and ladders drawn on it
wher e the snake heads and ladder tops are in a square with a higher number and snake tails
and ladder bottoms in a square with a lower number. Divide the class into groups of 4 -5
students and give each group a copy of the game board and a die. Write on the bla ckboard
some sentences the students can use while playing the game and interacting. For
example: `I think this sentence is correct.`
`I think this sentence is incorrect. It should be (the student's own correction).`
`I agree.`
`I disagree.`
`It's your turn.`
`The snake ate you.`
`You get to go up the ladder.`
`Sorry, time's up.`
Everyone places their markers in the first square. Have the students decide the order in
which they play. Explain that the first player to reach the end is the w inner. Demonstrate
how to play the ga me. a. The first player throws the die and advances to the square
indicated. If there is a sentence on that square, the player says whether it is correct or
incorrect and, in the lat ter case, tries to correct it. ( I hav e found that a one -minute time
limit speeds up the p rocess and adds some excitement) The other players act as jury and
have to decide if the player is right or wrong in his or her judgment. If the majority agree
with the player, then he or she goes forward three squares. If they disagree, the player
moves back three squares. If the player lands on an empty square, none of the above
happens and he or she stays there. It is then the next player's turn. A player who lands on a
square at the foot of a ladder mu st go up it. A player who lands on the mouth of a snake
must go down it. b. The winner is the first person whose score takes him or her to or
beyond the finish line. c. If a player lands on a sentence that has already been discussed,
he or she automaticall y goes on to the next unworked -on sentence. d. If one of the players
feels that the others are wrong about a grammar point, he or she should note down the
number of its square and ask the teacher at the end of the game. Once everyone has
started, the teach er can walk around giving help with how to play the game, but should not
give any answers concerning the correctness or incorrectness of the sentences. Encourage
the students to use their own criteria. For lower level groups, it's a good idea to allow them

27
to use their notes from the patterns listed in the "introductory patterns" part of this paper.
When most of the groups have finished, have everyone stop playing and ask if there are
disagreements over any of the sentences. If so, ask the other groups what they think. Only
at the end should the teacher give his or her own corrections.
What Would You Have Done? Prepare some dilemma stories such as the
following two about someone who had to make an important decision. `John got into a
taxi. On the seat the re was wallet. He picked the wallet up, looked inside, and found
$1,000 in cash. There was no identification in the wallet, so he decided to keep the cash
for himself. If you had been John, what would you have done? Why? ` or ` Alice 's best
friend started wo rking at the same electronics shop she worked at. One day the best friend
stole a camera from the shop. No one saw Jane `s friend taking the camera. One day Alice
visited her friend's house and noticed the stolen camera was on a table. If you had been
Alice , what would you have done? Why? `
Ask the students to gather together in gro ups of four to five people. Ask them to
take turns in explaining what they would have done if they had been the person in the
dilemma. Make sure they give reasons for their decisions. The students can first be
referred to the "type 3 if" patterns described earlier. Have the other students in the group
agree or disagree with each student's opinion and reason. The same "type 3 if" pattern can
be used to point out weaknesses or alternative possible results from the same action. For
example:
A: If I had been John, I would have kept the money too.
B: Why?
A: If I had kept the money, I could have bought something I needed.
B: But if you had kept the money, you would have been j ust as dishonest as a real robber.
Game Show . This game is best used as a review activity after completing more
than one of the units in the introductory exercises section of this paper. Teams of 3 -4
students are created with each team choosing one captain . Team members can discuss
possible answers, but only the captains can answer for their teams. The team that answers
fastest with a correct answer gets a point More points can be awarded depending on the
difficulty of the pattern being elicited. The teache r starts by saying "Give me a future hope
sentence." The captains' answers must follow the pattern referred to. Other patterns can
include:
1.Future "if"
2. Present wish

28
3. Present "if"
4. Past wish
5. Past "if with present result
6. Past "if" with past result
7. Present fact/routine "if"
8. Past fact/routine "if"
These patterns can be made more difficult (and worth more points) by requiring
that the subject of the various sentences or clauses be singular, plural, or relative clauses.
In conclusion the teacher should take into consideration student levels when
deciding whether to introduce the entire model at once or portions of it separately. Given
the limited number of times students and teachers meet in a university school year, there
should be no expectation that students will be able to become fluent in the production of
the many types of English "if" conditionals. The aim should be directed at exposing the
students to more than the traditional three types (see Celce -Murcia and Larsen -Freeman,
1999, p.545), and equipping them with some basic communicative control over the
patterns, as well as the confidence to become more proficient in the future. To this end,
Celce -Murcia and Larsen -Freeman (1999 , p.547 ) say that acquisition of the English tense –
aspect system, the modal auxiliaries, and negation is a prerequisite for ESL/EFL students
to acquire the full range of English conditionals. When introducing the activities outlined
in this paper, it is vital for the teacher to create a classroom atmosphere in which students
feel comfortable and uninhibited. In addition to the importance of classroom atmosp here,
there are three more conditions for optimum learning: (1) learning must be relevant to the
students' interests and needs ( talking about "hopes" and "wishes" seems to fulfill this
requirem ent in most cases) , (2) processes as well as production are important, and (3)
students must perform active roles.5

1.2. Conditionals. Uses and forms .
Conditional Sentences are also known as Conditional Clauses or `If` Clauses. They are
used to express that the action in the main clause can only take place if a certain condition
is fulfilled.

5 http://www2.gol.com/users/norris/articles/condprac.html

29
Conditionals is a word with two meanings, one of them related to morphology,
with specific reference to the grammatical categ ory of mood and the other concerning
syntactic aspects, i.e. the subordinate clause of condition and the conditional sentence.
Trask (1993,p.55 ) sees the conditional clause as a kind of adverbial clause which
expresses a condition upon whose fulfillment t he proposition expressed in the main clause
depends, as in ` If you don`t water flowers , they won`t grow .`
Celce Murcia and Larsen –Freeman (1999,p.545 -569) define a conditional
construction as a complex sentence that consists of a main clause and a subordinate clause.
The subordinate clause initiates with the adverbial subordinators if, unless , etc. , as in ` If
students study hard, they will pass the exams .`
Aarts (2001,p.297 ) cites that `a conditional clause is a subordinate clause which is
dependent on the matrix (main) clause `. If, which introduces a conditional clause , is called
a subordinating conjunction (a subordinator ).
Miller (2002,p.65 -66) views `the adverbial clause of condition as a clause which
modifies the main clause `. For instance, in ` If Alice had left London, Mary would have
been sad`, the adverbial clause of condition ` If Alice had left London` conveys the
conditions under which a particular situation would have arisen. The situation is Mary
being sad, and this situation did not really com e about but would have done; Alice ’s
leaving London would have brought it about. The fact is the relationship between the two
situations; Mary ’s being sad is conditional upon Alice’s leaving London. The clause of
condition modifies the main clause ` Mary would have been sad`.
Valin (2004,p.78 ) mentions that `two elements co -occur in a conditional
construction: the dominant element is the matrix (main) clause (i.e. the result clause) and
the dependent (subordinate) clause (i.e. the condition clause) `, as in ` If wishes were
horses , beggars would ride` .
Radford (2004a, p.330; 2004b, p.443 ) points out that `the conditional clause is a
kind of clause, which is typically introduced by if and unless, and which lays down
conditions `, as in ` Unless you work harder, you will fail` .
Huddleston and Pullum (2005,p.297 ) define `a conditional construction as one
containing an adjunct introduced by if, unless , etc`., as in ` Tom will come if he has time` .
Leech (2006,p.88 ) et al. state that `a conditional clause is a subordina te clause in a
complex sentence, i t is an element in a `higher -up` clause `, such as ` If he has time, he will
go to that party` . Semantically classified, it is a major type of adverbial c lauses. `

30
Teschner and Evans (2007, p.106,220 ) pinpoint that `conditionality is a bi -clausal
construction in which the if- clause expresses the condition that must exist before
something else can happen, while the result clause expresses the something else `. For
instance: ` They can come at seven if it is necessary` .
According to Dennis Oliver (in his article `Conditional Sentences, by Dennis
Oliver – Free English Grammar` from the internet ) conditional or "if" sentences normally
have two parts. One part sho ws a (possible, probable or impossible) result and the other
shows a condition on which the result depends. The condition is normally preceded by if.
In "He gets angry if he doesn't get what he wants," the result is "he gets angry" and the
condition (intro duced by "if") is "he doesn't get what he wants.6
Celce Murcia and Larsen Freeman (1999, p.548, 552) point out that there are three
main categories of Conditionals : factual, future and imaginative. Factual conditionals can
be timeless (outside time, expr essing habits or scientific facts) or time – bound (referring
to present, past or different times. Future conditionals can express a strong or weak
condition or result (something will happen or may happen) or be used to give advice or
commands. Imaginative conditionals can be hypothetical (unlikely but possible in the
present or future or counterfactual (impossible, referring to present or past time ).
The conclusion that can be drawn is that conditional constructions are complex
structures consisting of two clauses: the main clause involving the result and the
subordinate clause, introduced by if, unless involving the condition. For example: ` If you
ask him, he may help you .`7
The conditional mood is a grammatical mood used to express a proposition whose
validity is dependent on some condition, possibly counterfactual. It thus refers to a
distinct verb form that expresses a hypothetical state of affairs, or an uncertain event, that
is contingent on another set of circumstances.
Conditional mood often refers to an inflected verb form, like the example just
given. However the term is also sometimes used in relation to an analytic construction th at
performs the same function. Thus a construction like the English would love will
sometimes be described as representing the conditional mood. In some informal contexts,
such as language teaching, it may be called the `conditional tense `.

6 http://www.eslcafe.com/grammar/conditional_sentences05.html
7 http://www.iasj.net/iasj?func =fulltext&aId=86251

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The conditional mood is generally found in the independent clause (apodosis ) of
a conditional sentence , namely the clause that expresses the result of the condition, rather
than the dependent clause (protasis ) expressing the condition. The protasis will often use a
different verb form, depending on the grammatical rules of the language in question, such
as a past tense form or the subjunctive mood . This is exemplified by the English sentence
"If you loved m e you would support me" – here the conditional `would support` appears in
the apodosis, while the protasis (the condition clause) uses instead the simple past
form loved .
Not every conditional sentence involves the conditional mood (and some
languages do not have a conditional mood at all). For example, in the sentence "If I win,
he will be disappointed", the conditional circumstance is expressed using
the future marke r will. Also a conditional verb form may have other uses besides
expressing conditionality; for example the English would construction may also be used
for past habitual action ("When I was young I would happily walk three miles to school
every day"), or w ith future -in-the-past meaning.
English does not have an inflective (morphological) conditional mood, except in as much
as the modal verbs could , might , should and would may in some contexts be regarded as
conditional forms of can, may, shall and will respectively.
What is called the English conditional mood (or just the conditional) is
formed periphrastically using the modal verb would in combination with the
bare infinitive of the following verb. (Occasionally should is used i n place of would with a
first person subject – see shall and will. Also the aforementioned modal
verbs could , might and should may replace would in order to express
appropriate modality in addition to conditionality.)
English has three types of conditional sentences , which may be described
as factual ("conditional 0": "When you feel well, you sing"), predictive ("conditional I":
"If you feel well, you will sing"), and counterfactual ("conditional II" or "conditional III":
"If you felt well, you would sing" or "If you had felt well, you would have sung"). As in
many other languages, it is only the counterfactual type that causes the cond itional mood
to be used.
Conditionality may be expressed in several tense –aspect forms. These are the
simple conditional ( would sing ), the conditional progressive ( would be singing ),
the conditional perfect (would have sung ), and conditional perfect progressive ( would have
been singing ). The conditional simple and progressive may als o be called the present

32
conditional , while the perfect forms can be called past conditional .
While Latin used the indicative and subjunctive in conditional sentences, most of
the Romance languages developed a conditional paradigm. The evolution of these forms
(and of the innovative Romance future tense forms) is a well -known example whereby a
syntactically and semantically independent word becomes a bound morpheme with a
highly reduced semantic function. The Romance conditional (and future) forms are
derived from the Latin infinitive followed by a finite form of the verb habēre . This verb
originally meant "to have" in Classical Latin, but in Late Latin picked up a grammatical
use as a temporal or modal auxiliary. The fixing of word order (infinitive + auxiliary) and
the phonological reduction of the inflected forms of habēre eventually led to the fusion of
the two elements in to a single synthetic form.
Romanian uses a periphrastic construction for the conditional, e.g. 1sg aș, 2sg ai,
3sg/pl ar, 1pl am, 2pl ați + cânta ‘sing’.
-ai, am, and ați (if not auxiliary clitics) are presum ably from the Latin imperfect
(eas, eamus , eatis < habēbās , habēbāmus , and habēbātis );
-ar (< older ară, are) allegedly comes from the imperfect subjunctive
(3sg habēret and 3pl habērent );
-aș (< older ași) continues Latin pluperfect subjunctive habessim which formed
the basis of the Romance imperfect subjunctive.
Old Romanian, on the other hand, used a periphrastic construction with the
imperfect of vrea ‘to want’ + verb, e.g. vrea cânta ‘I would sing’, vreai cânta ‘you would
sing’ . Until the 17th century, Old Romanian also preserved a synthetic conditional,
e.g. cântare ‘I would sing’, cântarem ‘we would sing’, and darear ‘he would give’ .8
`Pedagogical foreign grammars of English o ften extrapolate the richer systems of
other languages to the English verb system. This will practically orient the learners of
English as a foreign language towards making useful connections between their mother
tongues and English. The aspect which accou nts for the blunders of Romanian users of
English with respect to the structures of conditional sentences is the absence in Romanian
of formally rigid ways of expressing conditional values. These are central values of the
mood called conditional -optativ, but are also present among the modal values of
conjunctiv, as well as the indicative form called imperfect . That is why in the following
examples several Romanian structures correspond to a si ngle English equivalent.

8 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conditional_mood

33
Example 1 – Sa o vad venind, as fi foarte fericita./ Daca as vedea -o venind, as fi
foarte fericita./ If I saw her coming, I would be very happy.
Example 2 – Daca plecai la timp, ajungeai la timp./ Daca ai fi plecat la timp, ai fi
ajuns la timp./ Sa fi plecat la timp, ai fi ajuns la timp./ I f you had left on time, you would
have arrived in time.
It can be noticed the synonymy of the present conjunctiv and present conditional in
the first example and the synonymy of imperfect , the perfect form of the conditional and
the perfect form of the conjunctiv in the second. These correspond to the English Past
Tense Simple and Past Perfect Tense . The Romanian imperfect and the perfect form of the
conditional can equally replace the past conditional .`9
This c hapter was so devised so to present the concepts of conditionals and
condition , to produce a short overview of ideas regarding the manner in which i t is
advisable to teach grammar and also points out the differences between English
conditionals and their equivalents in the Romanian language.

9 http://www.diacronia.ro/ro/indexing/details/A761/pdf

34
CHAPTER 2.
Types of Conditionals

Introduction
If the first chapter presents briefly t he concepts of Conditionals, condition and a
short overview of how to teach grammar, this chapter mentions the types of `If` clauses.
This chapter also contains other classifications, the exceptions, the replacers of `if` and the
situations when `if` is omitted.
It consists of seven parts and its aim is to illustrate the aspects regarding the rules of
tense usage in the particu lar case of If` -clauses (type 0, type1, type 2, type 3, mixed
tenses) with examples and explanations of what they express.

2.1. Conditionals type 0
Zero conditionals refer to general truths, to scientific proces ses and their
methodical descriptions, as well as to particular situations which involve reference to a
personal truth.
We can make a zero conditional sentence with two present simple verbs (one in
the 'if clause' and one in the 'main clause'):
If + Present Tense Simple, Present Tense Simple.
This conditional is used when the result which is expressed in the main clause, will
always happen. So, `if water reaches 100 degrees, it always boils`. It's a fact. I'm talking in
general, not about one p articular situation. The result of the 'if clause' is always the main
clause. The 'if' in this conditional can usually be replaced by 'when' without changing the
meaning. For example: `
1. `If water reaches 100 degrees, it boils` . (It is always true, there ca n't be a
different result sometimes).
2. `If I eat peanuts, I am sick`. (This is true only for me, maybe, not for everyone,
but it's still true that I'm sick every time I eat peanuts).
More frequently, z ero conditionals refer to general truths, scientific proces ses.
Here are some more examples:
3. If they eat too much, they get fat.
4. If I touch a fire, I get burned.

35
5. They die if they don't eat .
6. He gets water if he mixes hydrogen and oxygen.
7. Some animals bite if they are scared.
8. If small children are hungry, the y cry.

The first conditional describes a particular situation, whereas the zero conditional
describes what happens in general . For example (zero conditional):
9. ` If you sit in the sun, you get burned ` (here I'm talking about every time a
person sits in the sun – the burning is a natur al consequence of the sitting).
But (first conditional):
10. `If you sit in the sun, you'll get burned ` (here reference is made about what will
happen today, another day migh t be different) `10
In conclusion, it is important to remember that these Conditionals are not related to the
past, present or future, they only apply to things which are always true.

2.2. Conditionals type 1
Conditional Sentences Type I refer to the futu re. 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:
11. `If he finds her address, he ’ll send her an invitation `. He want s to send an
invitation to a friend. He just have to find her address. He is quite sure,
however, that he will find it.
Example: `
12. If Mark has the money, he will buy a Ferrari `. I know Mark 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.
If + Present Tense Simple, Future Tense Simple.
Example: `
13. If I find your address, I will send you an invitation `.

10 http://www.perfect -english -grammar.com/zero -conditional.html

36
The main clause can also be at the beginning of the sentence. In this case, don't use a
comma. For e xample:
14. `I will send you an invitation if I find your address `.
At the same time, the m ain clause and / or if clause might be negative. For example:
15.`If I don’t see him this afternoon, I will phone him in the evening` .11 Instead of
`will` we can use `may`,`can`.
Finally, these Conditionals refer to a possible condition and it s 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 fut ure and the situation is real.

2.3. Conditionals type 2
The second conditional refers to a present or to a future situation of low
probability and also of zero probability, a hypothesis. The probability is about the
probability of the action in the `if` clause not in the main clause.
If + Past Tense Simple, Conditional I (would + Infinitive)
Example:
16.`He doesn`t often see her. If he saw her tomorrow, he would speak to her.` Or
17.`He would speak to her if he saw her tom orrow.`
18.`They don`t think anything will change. If anything changed , they would let you
know.` Also these conditionals are called Past Real Conditionals.
Example:
19.`She doesn`t have any time this week. If she had some time, she would clean her
office.`;
20.`You aren`t a lawyer. If you were a lawyer, you would take on this case.`
In these conditionals the correct form of the past tense of the verb `to be` is `were`
for all the pronouns. In some cases `was` is acceptable but it`s better to use `were` to be
sure we are right. Instead of `would` we can use `could`, `should`, `might`.
In conclusion, these C onditional s are 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 s. The type 2
condition als are used to refer to hypothetical condition s and their probable result s.

11 https://www.ego4u.com/en/cram -up/grammar/conditional -sentences/type -1

37
2.4. Conditionals type 3
These conditionals are also called Past Unreal Conditionals. The third conditional
refers to a past situation of zero possibility, it`s too late to happen. An action could have
happened in the past if a certain condition had been fulfilled. Instead of `would` we can
use `could`, `should`, `might`.
Examples:
21.`They didn`t see her yesterday. If they had seen her, they would have spoken to her.`;
22.`You weren`t late last night. If you had been late last night, I wouldn`t have let you
in.` ;`Nothing changed after she left. We would have let she know if anything had
changed .`If + Past Perfect Tense Simple, Conditional II ( would + have + Past
Participle)
Finally, these C onditional s are used to refer to a time that is in the past, and
situation s that are contrary to reality . The facts they are based on are the opposite of what
is expressed. The type 3 conditional s are used to refer to unreal past condition s and their
probable past result s.

2.5. Mixed Conditionals
As in all the conditionals, the order of the clauses isn`t fixed. We can rearrange the
pronouns and adjust punctuation when we change the order of the clauses but the meaning
is the same. It is possible that two pa rts of a conditional sentence refer to different times,
and the resulting sentence is a "mixed conditional" sentence.
If + Past Perfect Tense Simple, Conditional I (Present Conditional)
Examples:
23.`He would have a better job now if he had worked harder.;
24.`If they had looked at the map, they wouldn`t be lost.`
This mixed conditional refers to an unreal past situation and its probable result in the
present. These sentences express a situation that is contrary to reality both in the past and
in the present.
Examples:
25.`I would be a millionaire if I had won the lottery.`(but I didn`t win the lottery and I am
not a millionaire);
26.`If he had spent all his money, he wouldn`t buy this car.`(but he didn`t spend his
money and now he can buy this car). In the main clause instead of would we can use

38
modals ( could, might ) to express the degree of certainty, permission, or a recommendation
about the outcome.
Example:
27.`If he had crashed the car, he might be in trouble.
If + Past Tense Simple, Conditional II (Perfect Conditional)
Example:
28.`If they didn`t trust him, they would have fired him months ago.`
29.`We would have invited her to lunch if she was a sociable person.`
These mixed conditionals refer to an unreal present situation and its probable but
unreal past result.
If + Past Tense Simple, Future Tense Simple
Example :
30.` If he came late last night, he won`t come to school today.`
In conclusion, these conditional s are used to refer to imaginary past situations and
their imaginary present results or to imaginary present situations and their imaginary past
results.

2.6. Another classifications
The Factual versus the Unreal or Hypothetical
In expressing a conditional situation, we must be able to distinguish between what
is a factual statement and what is a hypothetical statement. (Other terms for hypothetical
could be unrea l, imagined, wished for, only possible, etc.) For instance, if we say : `The
cat is always happy when d ad stays home, `that's a simple statement of present habitual
fact. A general truth is expressed in the same way: `If the sun shines all day, it gets hot.`
Statements of habitual fact can also be made in the past:
`If we ate out at all, it was always in a cheap restaurant.`
And conditional or hypothetical statements can be made about the future:
`He will give you a call, if he flies to Phoenix tomorrow. `
(In the future, we could combine the base form of the verb ("give," in this case) with other
modal verbs: may, might, could .)
Hypothetical statements
When we express the hypothetical in English in the present tense, we end up using
the past tense in an interesting way.
`If you liked tennis, we could go play on the new courts. `

39
(Instead of could, we could have used would or might in that sentence.) The speaker of
that sentence is not talking about something in the past tense, even though he uses the past
tense "liked." The speaker implies, in fact, that you don't like to play tennis (in the
present), so there's no point, now, in going to the new tennis courts.
When we use the hypothetical in this conditional mode, we accommodate our need
to speculate on ho w things could have been different, how we wish things were different,
how we imagine that things could be different in the future, etc. In order to express the
unreal, the hypothetical, the speculative, or imagined (all those being the same in this
case), English has adopted an interesting habit of moving time one step backward. Two
verbs are involved: one in the clause stating the condition (the "if" clause) and one in the
result clause. Watch how the verbs change.
If the hypothetical result is in the fut ure, we put the verb in the condition clause one
step back — into the present:
`If the Bulls win the game tomorrow, they will be champs again. `
For present unreal events, we put the verb in the condition clause one step back — into
the past:
`If the Bulls won another championship, Mark would drive into Chicago for the
celebration. `/`I wish I had tickets. `
`If they were available anywhere, I would pay any price for them. `
`If he were a good friend, he would buy them for me. `
Note that wishing is always an unreal condition. Note, too, that the verb to be uses
the form were in an unreal conditi on.
For past unreal events — things that didn't happen, but we can imagine — we put
the verb in the condition clause a further step back — into the past p erfect:
`If the Pacers had won , aunt Mary would have been rich.`
`If he had bet that much money on the Bulls, he and Uncle Chester could have retired. `
`I wish I had lived in Los Angeles when the Lakers had Magic Johnson. `
`If she had known you were coming, she would have baked a cake. `
In this last sentence, note the conditional clause in the past perfect (had known) and the
result clause that uses the conditional modal + have + the past participle of the main verb
(would have baked).
Some writers se em to think that the subjunctive mood is disappearing from
English, but that's probably not true. We use the subjunctive all the time to accommodate
this human urge to express possibility, the hypothetical, the imagined. Frequently,

40
conditional expressions require that we use were where we would otherwise have used
another form of to be. The switch to were is not the only manifestation of the subjunctive
in expressing the conditional, but it is the most common.
`If his brother were his boss, he wouldn't have a job today. `
`If I were to lose my job, I wouldn't be able to pay my bills. ` (Notice how this is more
uncertain, than ` If I lose my job, I won't be able to pay my bills.`) If I were eight feet tall,
I'd be one heck of a basketball player. ( The subjuncti ve is sometimes to expr ess purely
imaginary situation.) If I should grow to be eight feet tall, I'd be a great basketball player.
(This statement seems ev en more imaginary and unlikely.)
Using Would and Could
When expressing the unreal, the result clauses need would, could or will. The
condition clauses do not use those verbs; the condition clauses, instead, use verbs moved
one step b ack in time from the result .
Future Conditionals versus Hypothetical Conditionals
When we want to predict something condition al about the future (what we think
might happen), we can use the present tense in the if clause and will or be going + the base
form of the verb in the result clause.
`If Mark grows any taller, the basketball coach is going to recruit him for the team. `
`If he doesn't grow more, the coach will ignore him.`
On the other hand, the hypothetical conditional allows us to express quite unlikely
situations or situations that are downright impossible.
`If you boxed against Evander Holyfield, he would kill me.`
`If your dad had been seven feet tall instead of less than six feet tall, , he would have
been a great athlete. `12
Exceptions for Conditional Sentences
So far I have only presented 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 .

12 http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/conditional.htm

41
Conditional Sentences Type I (likely)
Condition
refers to: IF Clause Main Clause
future action Simple
Present If the book is
interesting, … Future I …he will buy it.
Imperative …buy it.
Modal
Auxiliary …you can buy it.
action going
on now Present
Progressive If she is snoring, … Future I …I will wake her
up.
Imperative …wake her up.
Modal
Auxiliary …you can wake
her up.
finished
action Present
Perfect If she has moved into
her new flat, … Future I …we will visit
her.
Imperative …visit her .
Modal
Auxiliary …we can visit her .
improbable
action should +
Infinitive If he should win this
race, … Future I …I will
congratulate him .
Imperative …congratulate
him.
Modal
Auxiliary …we can
congratulate him .
present facts Simple
Present If she gets what she
wants, … Simple
Present …she is very nice.

42
Conditional Sentences Type II (unlikely)
Condition refers
to: IF Clause Main Clause
present / future
event Simple
Past If you had a lot of
money, … Conditional
I …you would travel
around the world.
consequence in
the past Simple
Past If she knew him, … Conditional
II …she would have
said hello.
Conditional Sentences Type II (impossible)
Condition
refers to: IF Clause Main Clause
present Past
Perfect If you had known
it, … Conditional
I …you would not be
here now.
past Past
Perfect If she had learned for
the test, … Conditional
II …she would not
have failed it.
13

Aside from the typical type I, II, III struc ture, conditionals can be divided into two other
categories , i.e. those expressing real and those expressing unreal conditionals .

Real condition
Conditional sentence type
If you have money, you spend it. Present Real Conditional – type I

13 https://www.coursehero.com/file/p70oa86/In -counterfactual -conditional -sentences -with-
a-past-time-frame -the-condition -is/

43
Conditional sentence type
If you had money, you spent it. Past Real Conditional – type I
If you have money, you will/are going to
spend it. Future Real Conditional – type I

Unreal condition
Conditional sentence Explanation type
If you had had money,
you would have spent it. Past unreal Conditional –
type III
If you had money,
you would spend it. You think about spending
the money TODAY. Present unreal Conditional
– type II
If you had money,
you would spend it. You think about spending
the money NEXT WEEK. Future unreal Conditional –
type II
14

14 http://www.englisch -hilfen.de/en/grammar/conditional_special.htm

44
There are three `classical` types of conditional sentences.
type condition
I condition possible to fulfill
II condition in theory possible to
fulfill
III condition not possible to fulfill
Form
type if-clause main clause
I Simple Present will-future or (Modal + infinitive)
II Simple Past would + infinitive *
III Past Perfect would + have + past participle *
Examples (if -clause at the beginning)
type if clause main clause
I If he studies, he will pass the exam.

45
type if clause main clause
II If he studied , he would pass the exam.
III If he had studied , he would have passed the exam.
Examples (if -clause at the end)
type main clause if-clause
I He will pass the exam if he studies.
II He would pass the exam if he studied .
III He would have passed the exam if he had studied .
Examples (affirmative and negative sentences)
type Examples
long forms short/contracted forms
I + If he studies, he will pass the
exam. If he studies, he'll pass the exam.
– If he studies, he will not fail the If he studies, he won't fail the

46
type Examples
long forms short/contracted forms
exam.
If he does not study , he will
fail the exam. exam.
If he doesn't study , he'll fail the
exam.
II + If he studied , he would pass the
exam. If he studied , he'd pass the exam.
– If he studied , he would not fail the
exam.
If he did not study , he would
fail the exam. If he studied , he wouldn't fail the
exam.
If he didn't study , he'd fail the
exam.
III + If I had studied , I would have
passed the exam. If I'd studied , I'd have passed the
exam.
– If he had studied , he would not
have failed the exam.
If he had not studied , he would
have failed the exam. If he'd studied , he wouldn't have
failed the exam.
If he hadn't studied , he'd have
failed the exam.
We can substitute could or might for would (should , may or must are sometimes
possible, too).15

15 http://www.englisch -hilfen.de/en/grammar/if.htm

47
2.7. Replacers of `if`. Omission of `if`.
If can be replaced by words or expressions with a similar meaning.
The most common are: as long as , assuming (that) , on condition (that) , on the
assumption (that) , provided (that) , supposing (that) , unless (if not), with the condition
(that) . Omitting if
Had I known… (instead of If I had known…)
Were you my daughter,… (instead of: If you were my daughter,…)
Should you need my advice,… (instead of: If you should need my advice,…)
If instead of when
If and when are interchangeable when the statement of the conditional clause is a fact or a
general issue (also known as zero conditional) .
If you heat ice, it melts.
When you heat ice, it melts
If is used for something that, according to the speaker, might happen .
We can spend the afternoon on the beach if the weather is fine.
When is used for something that, according to the speaker, will happen .
I will clean up the kitchen right away when I'm back from work.
In case instead of if
In case of can be used to shorten an if -clause as shown below:
If it is a fire, leave the room.
In case of fire, leave the room.
While if expresses a condition , in case is used to express a possibility .
You need painkillers if you are in severe pain.
You need painkillers in case you are in severe pain.
The express ion just in case is used pretty much in the same way.
He got you a pizza just in case you were hungry. (He doesn`t know whether you are
hungry)
Unless – affirmative verb instead of if- negative verb
Unless replaces if not when we refer to exceptional circumstances which should change a
situation: If I don`t start at once I`ll be late.
Unless I start at once I`ll be late.
Provided (that)/ providing (that)/ as long as/ so long as/ if and only if/ on
condit ion that
These are used when one thing is necessary in order for another to happen:

48
She`ll let you borrow her book as long as/ provided (that) you take care of it.
He`ll give you the day off on condition that you work on Sunday morning.
She is welcome to stay with us as/ so long as she shares the expenses.
Suppose/ Supposing…?/ What if…?/ Imagine
Suppose you are stopped by the police what would you do?
Even if
We use even if to talk about a possibility which doesn`t affect or make any
difference to what is stated in the other part of the sentence or to talk about the
consequences of possible facts: Even if he apologi zes, I won`t forgive him.
Even if you`d tried hard, you woul d have failed.
Even if they`d done what you suggested, they`d be in the same situation now.
Even if he speaks the language, it isn`t easy to make friends here.
But for/ if it weren`t for/ if it hadn`t been for
If it hadn`t been for the storm they would have been in time.
But for the storm they would have been in time.
If only
If only is used to express the same idea as `I wish` and in the same patterns, is
used in emphatic sentences and expresses a very strong d esire for a situation or fact to be
different, is also used in exclamations and conditional sentences.
If only he could play the piano like that!
If only I hadn`t agreed to help her!
Which one is correct – if I were you or if I was you ?
The word were in the phrase if I were you is special form. It is known as the
subjunctive mood (from the grammatical point of view).
Today you also find the phrase if I was you , here it is used Simple Past form of be.
But there are people who say that this phrase is incorrect and would never use it (mainly
Americans). Others say that this phrase can be used.
If I were you I wouldn`t do that. → Subjunctive M ood
If I was you I wouldn`t do that. → Simple Past
We can omit `if` and use inversion in Conditionals:
Example: Should she fail to be elected mayor, it will be a great disappointment for her.
Were she more careful, she would make fewer mistakes.
Had he been asked, he would have said the truth.

49
Common mistakes
The zero conditional
In the zero conditional, both clauses are in the present tense. A common mistake is to use
‘will’ in the main clause:
`If people eat too much, they get fat.`
they will get
`Water boils when it reaches 100°C. `
it will reach
The first conditional
In the first conditional, we use the present simple in the if -clause and ‘will’ in the main
clause. A very common error is to put ‘will’ in the if -clause:
`If he studies more, his English will get better. `
he will study
`If I see Tom , I’ll ask him. `
I will see
The second conditional
This is used for hypothetical or improbable situations. We use the past simple in the if –
clause and ‘would’ in the main clause.
Learners often make the mistake of p utting ‘would’ in the if -clause . In fact, this is one of
the most common grammatical mistakes made by non -native speakers: I have heard
Scandinavian and Dutch people who speak excellent English make this error repeatedly.
`If he studied more, his English would get better. `
he would study
`If my brothe r had more time , he would take up golf. `
My brother would have
Note that native English speakers sometimes use ‘wou ld’ in the if -clause when criticiz ing
people: `If he would study more, his English would get better. ` This is not a grammar
point most learners other than advanced -level learners need to focus on, however.
The third conditional
This is the most difficult conditional to master, probably as there are more auxiliary verbs
to remember and the structure is therefore quite long. Again, ‘would’ should not be used in
the if -clause:
`If she had studied more, her English would have improved. `
she would have studied

50
Another thing worth mentioning about the third conditional is the number of times native
English speakers make mistakes with its constru ction. These examples show us how some
people incorrectly insert ‘have’ into the if -clause:
`If she had known earlier, she wouldn’t have done it. `
she’d have known
There are, of course, other errors which are common when learners use conditional
sentences . I have outlined only the most frequen t mistakes concerning this structure.
Problems for learners and how to solve them
The first problem is t he 2nd conditional: Is it enough? Focusing on just the basic
form of the 2nd conditional to present something untrue/unlikely in the present/future is
not enough. In fact, this can be expressed with other `if` structures too.
Solution and techniques
Exposing learners to more examples of if clauses and patterns that are used to express
these conditions can be the first step towards teaching students the different ways of
expressing real and unreal situations . Students could be asked to identify sentenc es that do
not fit into the traditional 2ndtype conditio nal in authentic texts and then through
discovery methods find the new patterns. We then discuss the variations to the rules they
have learnt so far and whether the sentences they found express the ‘target’ notion. They
then record these variations and add them to what is in their grammar course book and
make something like a grammar journal. Building their own grammar journal will help
them realize that there are many ways to express something unreal/ unlikely in the
present/future. Such a task solicits recognition of the form but does not guarantee correct
production. It must be closely monitored though as the learners may not be sure if what
they found expresses this notion while the teacher must also make clear that not
everything goes and it is necessary to look closely at the context and speaker/writer
intention. This activity is more appropriate for adult learners. Identifying variations would
require more time if the learners were children but this does not mean that it is impossible.
The second problem is ` I’d`. Mistaking the contracted form I’d for I had instea d of
I would . This may happen in my classes because I avoid using the contracted form on the
board or due to overgeneralization. That is why they may produce sentences like `If I were
rich, I had buy an expensive car.`
Solution and Techniques
Students use the contracted form I’d for I would through drilling the full and short form.
Learners rewrite sentences where would is used in the full form and then in the short form.

51
Drilling can be quite a dry, restricted method but it still makes the learners’ recognize the
different I’d forms. The limitation of drilling exercises is that they reduce cognitive
engagement, activities are designed to reduce students’ errors . Adults do not particularly
appreciate drilling tasks due to this. Drills can also be used for younger learner groups in
the form of choral repetition or songs e.g. `If I were a rich man/ if you had my love etc.
were I’d is used as part of the apodosis. Clarification checks about the lyrics of the songs
could ensure the learners noticed the contracted form.
The third p roblem is past tense referring to the present/ future . Students who have
learned to associate the past tense with something that happened in the past find it hard to
believe that if+ simple past/past continuous may refer to the present. They may have
difficulty understanding how something which is translated in their L1 in the past refers to
the present or future or they may be overgeneraliz ing the translation of the past.
Solution and Techniques
Engaging in what ‘consciousness raising activities’ is a good first step. By looking at
examples of simple past future referencing in context and figuring it out for thems elves,
they will better understand the unreal past reference. A good task for intermediate students
is to get them into groups and give them slips of paper with phrases like win six million
dollars in the lottery, get a pilot’s license and be able to fly a plane and so on. The learners
work in pairs and produce sentences describing what they would do e.g. `If I got a pilot’s
license and could fly a plane, I would…. I would monitor my students during this task and
offer feedback regarding any difficulties they have with this form . This is quite a restricted
task and can be used before freer production tasks where students could for example
interview each other on things that would do if they could.
The fourth problem is p honology (would) -stress patterns .
Stressing
Role playing would be a good way to familiarize learners with stress patterns as they can
provide a context and students will be able to emphasise the word which should be
stressed in the protasis and apodosis. Learners actually realize that stres sing the wrong
word could affect the meaning of what they want to say. Stress patterns can be part of a
listening task too where learners underline which words are stressed. It is necessary for
students to have examples of the conditional as it is spoken i n real life, so video viewing is
the best approach.
The fifth problem is Inversion .

52
Ellipsis of if and subject auxiliary inversion occur more frequently in written form and
more frequently in Bri tish English . Based on my experience, at an intermediate le vel
student do not really invert their conditionals and they sometimes have difficulty
recognizing the structure Were I as a conditional.
Solution and techniques
Structural drills will allow the learners to practice the structure over and over again. Then
they can move on to more meaningful drills which will enable them to familiarize
themselves with the inverted structure and feel more comfortable to use it in the everyday
speech. These drills c ould be done as part of a process writing task and in order to make it
more autonomous I would use some peer checking tasks of this form in my class.
Although drills are very restricted they help recognition of the form and lead to usage of it
in freer wri tten tasks like a narrative or a consequence chain where the learners would
have to include the inverted form as part of the task fulfillment requirements. Such a task
would be appropriate for both adults/children.16
In conclusion, this chapter was so conc eived as to include the main aspects
regarding the rules of tense usage in Conditionals with their examples and explanations,
different types of classifications, exceptions, omissions, replacers of `if` and the most
common mistakes that students make.

16 https://myeltrambles.com/2015/04/07/grammar -lsa/

53

Part II.

SCIENTIFIC AND METHODOLOGICAL PROJECT
PRESENTATION

54
CHAPTER 3 .
DATA ANALYSIS, INTERPRETATION AND FINAL EVALUATION

This chapter is descriptive and summative at the same time for it tackles both the
introductory elements of the whole project and its results.
The present paper intends to show that besides the traditional assessment methods
used in the teaching process, the modern assessment methods have an important impact on
students , emphasizing the formative character of assessment practice . To an equal extant,
assessment is a prospective and motivating activity for teachers. It is assessing practice
which is ind icative for the difficulties, weaknesses and fossilized mistakes can be easily
identified. Once identified, teachers will be in a position to think about these aspects, they
will be able to devise a remedial work program, with topics and drills to be consi dered,
with aims to be fulfilled and with deadlines for its implementation. All these were major
points in our project which will be developed in this chapter.

The objectives and the hypothesis of the research
Starting from the idea that learning is the key to educational success, I performed
an investigation regarding the students’ efficiency in their language acquisition while
using modern assessment methods. From this experience and from the literature
concerning this topic, I thought that the introduc tory part of the presentation will have to
consist of the following elements:
1. Working hypothesis
The whole project was so conceived as to validate or to invalidate this
statement:
The use of modern assessment methods intertwined with traditional methods i n
teaching, the results will be better and the teaching -learning process will be more
efficient.
Once the statement has been produced, the envisaged activity had to be thoroughly
planned so as to produce effects and lead to concrete results. The steps to be considered
were: (a) the determination of the research objectives, (b) the methodology enabling the
materialization of the objectives, (c) the development of the assessment activities, (d) the
overview of the project results.

55
2. The objectives of this research are:
1. The students’ testing of knowledge based on traditional assessment methods
2. The analys is of students’ results after using traditional assessment methods
3. The students’ testing of knowledge based on both traditional and modern
assessment methods
4. The analysis of students’ results after using traditional assessment methods at the
same time with modern assessment methods
5. Analysis and interpretation of the final results
6. Prospective problems to be considered for remedial work .

3. The methodology of research
a) The subjects of investigation
In order to obtain realistic data about students’ efficiency in learning in general and the
acquisition of knowledge related to conditional mood representations and the conditional
sentences, I investigated two group s of examinees formed by:
– 28 students from the 8th C form , `Ion Creanga` Secondary School Braila
– 19 st udents from the 8th A form , `Ion Creanga` Secondary School Braila
The investigation concerning the testing of the acquisition of elements of conditionality
was developed during the school year 2016 -2017 .

a) Research technique
The research technique which I used while dev eloping the educational process was
the educational experiment .
4. Research development and data recording
The educational experiment
I developed my resear ch on a group of students selected from the form of grade 8th
C, `Ion Creanga` Secondar y School Braila which was designated the experimental group .
At the same time, I used a control group represented by the students of the form of grade
8th A, `Ion Creanga` Secondary School Braila.
In order to test my work hypothesis , I elaborated a system of testing actions,
intended to check students’ acquisition of in formation concerning `the typology, the forms
and the rules related to the generic topic of the If` Clauses . This system included
traditional and modern assessment methods, the last ones being used not only for current
assessment but also for summative assessment. The system of actions has been realized

56
according to the national curriculum. I observed the degre e of accomplishment of the
objectives, what problems appeared. After analyzing the results I changed my activities,
making them individual and differentiated in order to correct the students` issues.
Before my research, students had the chance to practice conditionals through
various activities, usually o ral drills (question – answer drills, chain drills, `what would
you have done if`), different games (the `Consequences Chains`, Role play, `Moral
dilemmas`, `Guess my answer`, `Problem solving`, `Personali ty questionnaires`, `Tic –
tac-toe`, board game), songs (` California Dreaming` by The Mamas and Papas, `If I had
a million dollars` by Barenaked Ladies, ` If I were a boy` by Beyonce, `Time After Time`
by Cyndi Lauper, `Hero` by Enrique Iglesias, `Count on me` by Bruno Mars) or more
traditional written exercises ( Fill in; Making sentences; Correcting errors; Rephrase;
Translating exercises ) from Annexes . These teaching methods had to be completed with
modern methods and techniques of assessing Conditionals – testing students’ knowledge of
grammar. Usually, teaching in the classroom is based on oral work. However, since the
present forms of examination imply both oral and written examination, it is necessary to
use both oral and written drills in classes. The m ost frequent types of drills were : Multiple
choices, Fill – ins, Sentence completion, Conditionals through rephrasing, Matching
exercises etc., also from Annexes. During my research I used exercises, worksheets and
tests from the Annexes.
At the beginning o f the research I applied an initia l assessment test to both forms,
tests 1 and 2 from the Annexes. The results were the following:
Groups Marks
1 – 4 4.1 – 5 5.1 – 6 6.1 – 7 7.1 – 8 8.1 – 9 9.1- 10
8th C 0 % 0 % 4 % 20 % 20 % 38 % 18 %
8th A 0 % 5 % 5 % 10 % 60 % 20 % 0 %

Table 1 – Diagnosis initial test results

To create a more accurate image of the obtained results, I created a pie chart,
presented in figures 1 and 2, below. It seems to overlap with the tabular presentation, but
my conviction is that differences are more obvious in drawings than in tables.

57

Figure 1 . Diagnosis initial test results of the control group

Figure 2. Diagnosis initial test results of the experimental group
After applying the predictive tests for both forms the in vestigation started. During
2016 -2017 the experimental group – 8th C form – was assessed using mostly modern
methods, while the control gr oup – 8th A form – used traditional methods.
The evaluation was as objective as possible, the objectives and the contents were

58
established ba sing on the specific skills from the national educational curriculum and the
performance descriptors were built basing on the objectives and the informat ion derived
from the curriculum standards present in the educational programme.
At the beginning of the second semester the two groups were tested again.
The assessment tests which I used are tests 3 and 4 from the Annexes.
Groups Marks

1 – 4 4.1 – 5 5.1 – 6 6.1 – 7 7.1 – 8 8.1 – 9 9.1- 10
8th C 0 % 0 % 0 % 16 % 19 % 25 % 40 %
8th A 0 % 3 % 7 % 10 % 45 % 20 % 15 %

Table 2 – Diagnosis the second assessment tests results

Figure 3. Diagnosis the second test results of the experimental group

59

Figure 4. Diagnosis the second test results of the control group

Figure 5. Diagnosis the secoond tests results of both groups

Compar ing the results from the first tests and the second tests I noticed that the
students in the experimental group recorded a progress, while the students in the control
group had either a constant or a slightly progress .

60
So, for the students from 8th C, the percent of marks between 5 and 6 decreased
from 4% to 0%; for the marks from 6 to 7 the percent decreased from 20% to 16%; the
percent of marks from 7 to 8 decreased from 20 % to 19%; the percent of marks from 8 to
9 decreased from 38% to 25%, and finally, the percent of marks b etween 9 and 10
increased from 18 % to 4 0%. For the students from 8th A the percent of marks between 4
and 5 decreased from 5% to 3 %; for the marks from 5 to 6 the percent increased from 5%
to 7%; the percen t of marks from 6 to 7 remained the same 10% ; the percent of mar ks
from 7 to 8 de creased from 60% to 45 % ; the percent of marks between 8 and 9 remained
the same 20 %, and finally, the percent of marks between 9 and 10 increased from 0% to
15%.
The significant decrease of lower marks and the increase of higher marks is the
result of frequently using modern assessment methods. During the first semester I used
traditional methods (c ompleting and multiple choice exercises , matching exercises,
rephrasing from Annexes) and modern methods like oral drills , different type of games,
songs.
Although all these methods were appreciated by students, the most efficient was
the self -assessment; at the beginning I encouraged the students to correct one another, then
they started to correct their own tests , (tests 5 and 6 from Annexes) and in the end they
appreciate their classmates’ tests or their own tests. The students with lower marks in the
initial tests gained confidence in them through these modern methods, they became more
responsible, more active and more attracted by the learning tasks.
In th e second semester of the school year 2016 -2017, I continued and intensified
the use of modern assessment methods (oral drills, songs and games from the Annexes) for
the students from the experimental group 8th C who were already accustomed to this type
of assessment, and the results were very satisfying.
The final tests, (tests 7 and 8 from Annexes), for 8th C had the following results:
56% marks were between 9 and 10, 40% marks were from 8 to 9 and 4 % marks were
between 7 and 8. The 8th A had the following results: 30 % marks were between 9 and 10,
53% between 8 and 9, 10 % between 7 and 8, 4% marks were from 6 to 7, 3% from 5 to 6 .

61

Groups Marks

1 – 4 4.1 – 5 5.1 – 6 6.1 – 7 7.1 – 8 8.1 – 9 9.1- 10
8th C 0 % 0 % 0 % 0 % 4 % 40 % 56 %
8th A 0 % 0 % 3 % 4 % 10 % 53 % 30 %

Table 3 – Diagnosis the final assessment tests results

Figure 6. Diagnosis the final tests results of the experimental group
Marks 1 – 4Marks 4.1 – 5Marks 5.1 – 6Marks 6.1 – 7Marks 7.1 – 8Marks 8.1 – 9Marks 9.1 – 10
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%
100%0%0%0%0%4%40%56%8th C
Marks 1 – 4
Marks 4.1 – 5
Marks 5.1 – 6
Marks 6.1 – 7
Marks 7.1 – 8
Marks 8.1 – 9
Marks 9.1 – 10

62

Figure 7. Diagnosis the final tests results of the control group

Analyzing by comparing the results from the initial test s to the final test s I noticed
that both groups, the students belongin g to the experimental group from 8th C and the
students belonging to the control group from 8th A were on an ascen ding trend .
For the experimental group 8th C the number of mark s between 9 and 10 rose with
16 points in comparison with the second test and with 38 points in comparison with the
first test. The percentage of ma rks between 8 and 9 rose with 15 points compared wit h the
second test and with 2 points compared with the initial test. The percentage of marks
between 7 and 8 decreased with 15 points compared with the second test and with 16
points in comparison with the first test. The percentage of marks between 6 and 7 is 0
while in the second semest er was 16% and in the initial test was 20 %. The percentage of
marks between 5 and 6 decreased from 4% in the initial test, 0 % in the second test and 0%
in the final test, and finally, the perc entage of marks between 4 and 5 remained 0% in all
the tests.

Marks 4.1 – 5Marks 5.1 – 6Marks 6.1 – 7Marks 7.1 – 8Marks 8.1 – 9Marks 9.1 – 10
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%
0%0%3%4%10%53%
30%8th A
Marks 4.1 – 5
Marks 5.1 – 6
Marks 6.1 – 7
Marks 7.1 – 8
Marks 8.1 – 9
Marks 9.1 – 10

63

Figure 8. Diagnosis all tests results of the experimental group

For the control group the percentage changed like this: t he num ber of marks
between 9 and 10 in creased with 1 5 point s in comparison with the second test and with 30
point s in comparison with the first test. The percentage of m arks between 8 and 9 rose
with 33 points compared with the second test and with the same points compared with the
initial test. The percentage of marks between 7 and 8 decreased with 35 points compared
with the seco nd test and with 5 0 points in comparison with the first test. The percentage of
marks between 6 and 7 is 4 wh ile in the second semester was 10% and in the initial test
was 10 % too. The percentage of marks between 5 and 6 decrease d from 5% in the initial
test, 7% in the second test to 3 % in the final test, and finally, the percentage o f marks
between 4 and 5 decreased from 5% in the initial test to 3% in the second test and 0% in
the final test.
The results indicate clearly an increasing number of good and very good marks and
a decreasing number of lower marks for the studen ts belonging to the both group s. This
fact is determined by the use of modern assessment methods.

Marks 4.1 – 5Marks 5.1 – 6Marks 6.1 – 7Marks 7.1 – 8Marks 8.1 – 9Marks 9.1 – 10
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%
0%0%0%0%0%0%4%
0%0%20%
16%
0%20%19%
4%38%
25%40%
18%40%56%8th C
Marks 4.1 – 5
Marks 5.1 – 6
Marks 6.1 – 7
Marks 7.1 – 8
Marks 8.1 – 9
Marks 9.1 – 10

64

Figure 9. Diagnosis all tests results of the control group

Conclusions
After analyzing the data gathered during my research , I am now in a position to make
the following remarks :
– the efficiency of teaching can be increased by using a system of traditional
assessment tools combined with modern assessment methods;
– the use of mode rn assessment methods can underline attitudes or personality
traits that cannot be assessed by traditional methods;
– the active attitude of students is stimulated by modern assessment methods that
lead to forming learning habits;
– the modern methods supp ort the traditional ones, stimulating the student’s unique
identity, his creating abilities: flexibility, originality and sensitivity .
Some different reactions to using modern techniques can be seen depending on the
methods used. Most students react posit ively to combining assessment methods,
when they are evaluated using modern techniques, th ey use more information
sources.
During the invest igation, the students formed a positive attitude towards the
evaluation act, attitude that stimulates the result int o success or failure. Fear, stress, lack of
Marks 1 – 4Marks 4.1 – 5Marks 5.1 – 6Marks 6.1 – 7Marks 7.1 – 8Marks 8.1 – 9Marks 9.1 – 10
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%
100%200%300%0%0%0%5%3%0%5% 7%
3%10% 10%
4%60%
45%
10%20% 20%53%
0%15%30%8th A
Marks 1 – 4
Marks 4.1 – 5
Marks 5.1 – 6
Marks 6.1 – 7
Marks 7.1 – 8
Marks 8.1 – 9
Marks 9.1 – 10

65
self-confidence, feeling of failure that usually appear during testing period were greatly
diminished, being replaced by the desire to ex press ideas, to share knowledge.
Interactive learning, followed immediatel y by evaluation, inter -evaluation and
self-evaluation started to influence the learning style of every student.

66
FINAL CONCLUSIONS

People who are new to the language te aching profession often forget one of its
essential characteristics. Language itself is dynamic , infinite and ever -changing. The best
language teachers are generally dynamic themselves, in terms of the way they develop
add-to and experiment with their teaching meth odology. Methodolo gy shouldn`t be seen
as an indoctri nated set of "standardized" or "acceptable" techniques . We should see
teaching methodology as our own personal domain, certainly open to outsid e influences
and examples, but ours to experiment with and develop. We should decide what our
language learning principles are and select techniques from various "methods" that appear
to match them. We should t ry adapting , experimenting and finally using various
techniques in a variety of combinations.
In order to be successful in teaching English conditional structures, teachers of
English should try their utmost: to know students` needs, their English levels in order to
find out the best way to teach them, and also to make them to enjoy the grammar learning;
to select the best an d easy -to-understand materials for students to learn in the classroom
and at home; to diversify ways to present or practice Conditionals during the class to
motivate students to learn.
Speaking about the role of motivation in teaching and learning a foreig n language,
students who are well motivated will learn that language faster and better. Also when
students find difficulties in understanding and using English conditional structures, they
have to ask the teacher to explain what they find it difficult to u nderstand or use.
Conditional Sentences are also known as Conditional Clauses or `If` Clauses. They
are used to express that the action in the main clause can only take place if a certain
condition is fulfilled.
Conditional sentences play an important rol e in grammar. They describe a
condition and the result that follows.
There has been an extensive interest in conditional structures that indicates the
importance of this construction. Many philosophers, linguists and grammarians proposed
numerous typologie s.
Despite much debate, the standard analyses of conditional meaning still remains
one which parallels unidirectional logical implication, sufficient but not necessary
conditionality in the logical world.

67
According to many grammarians there are different classification of conditionals.
One distinction is between those that are considered basic in English, Conditionals type 0 ,
type 1, type 2, type 3 , and those that denote an unusual mix of tenses, mixed Conditionals .
There is also the distinction between co nditionals that are considered factual or predictive
and those that are considered counterfactual or speculative , referring to a situation that
didn`t or doesn`t really exist, there are conditional sentences which require a specific
paradigm of formation a nd other ones that involve a variety of modals.
I tried here to use a system made up of traditional assessment tools combined with
modern assessment methods in order to underline the active attitude of student, to
stimulat e the student’s unique identity, h is creating abilities: flexibility, originality and
sensitivity. Most students react positively to combining assessment methods; when they
are evaluated using modern techniques, they use more infor mation sources. The fear, the
stress, the lack of self -confidence, the feeling of failure that usually appear during testing
period were greatly diminished, being replaced by the desire to ex press ideas, to share
knowledge.
The final conclusion is that the use of modern assessment methods combined with
the tradit ional assessment methods lead to increasing efficiency of teaching.

68
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https://www.ego4u.com/en/cram -up/grammar/conditional -sentences/type -2
https://www.teach -this.com/resources/grammar/conditionals
https://www.thoughtco.com/teaching -grammar -in-esl-efl-setting -1209075

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ANNEXES
Worksheets, tests and a lesson plan used in the research
WORKSHEET 1 “IF” CLAUSES

Use the verbs in brackets in the correct form:
TYPE I
a) He will catch the train if he (to hurry).
b) They (to go) for a walk if the weather is fine.
c) If she (to read) this book, she will like it.
d) The children will eat all the cakes if they (to find) them.
e) If Tom (to work) hard, he will pass the exam.
f) If you take this medicine, you (to feel) much better.
g) Unless your brother is more careful, he (to have) an accident.
TYPE II

h) I would finish my work much earlier if you (to help) me.
i) If I (to be) you I would go there at once.
j) The kids would be disappointed if it (to rain) in the afternoon t oo.
k) If you knew the truth, you (not to be) so happy.
l) Your mother (to help) you if you asked her.
m) We would understand her much better if she (to speak) more slowly.
n) She wouldn’t accept that prize even if the manager (to offer) it to her.
TYPE III

o) The woman would have died if the doctor (not to arrive) in time.
p) If his father had been at home, he (to answer) the phone.
q) The tourists wouldn’t have got lost if they (to take) a map.
r) Your sister would have won the race if her horse (not to lose) one of its shoes.
s) If you had come to the party, you (to have) a very good time.
t) Mary wouldn’t have married that man if she (not to love) him so much.
u) They (not to be) angry with her if they had known the truth.

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WORKSHEET 2

I. Put the verbs in brackets into the Simple Future or the Present Tense:
1. If Tom (not leave) …………………now, he (miss) …………the bus.
2. If Mary (work) ………hard, she (pass) ………her exams.
3. If it (ra in) ………, they (go) ………into a shop.
4. If Alice (not practic e) ………her French, she (not improve) ……… .
5. If he (not send) …………any invitations, nobody (come) ………to the party.
6. If it (rain) ………tomorrow, their friends (not go) ………swimming.
7. If Mark (come) ………late, the teacher (be) ………angry.
8. If she (lend) ………me your dictionary, I (look up) ………the word.
9. If we (see) ………her tomorrow, we (tell) ………her you want to see her .
10. If her mother (go) ………to bed early, she (not feel) ………tired in the morning.

II. Choose the correct form of the verbs in each sentence:
1. If we press/ will press that button, the bell rings.
2. If I wear my coat tomorrow, I am not / won’t be cold.
3. If you feel/ will feel tired, you ’ll go to bed earlier.
4. If you will come/ come home late, Mary will be very angry .
5. If it rains/ will rain next week, they will not go fishing.
6. If she goes to work tomorrow, you ‘ll do/ do whatever you like.
7. If her mother is/ will be ill, she ’ll do all the work.
8. If he will leave/ leave s early he won’t miss the train.
9. If she goes fishing tomorrow, I go/ will go with her.
10. If they don’t like/ won’t like the show, they will be allowed to leave.

III. Complete the sentences with the Past Simple or the Present Conditional of the
verbs in brackets:
1. If you (meet) ………a famous person, you (ask) ………him some questions.
2. If he (see) ………an accident, he (call) ………an ambulance.
3. If she (have) ………a helicopter, she (fly) ………away from here.
4. If she (win) ………the lottery, she (not spend) ………it on rubbish.
5. If your father (own) ………a bank, you (be) ………an important person.

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If I found a lost dog… I would buy a new dress/suit…
If I were born in China… If people could fly…
If I didn’t have to attend class… There would be no war…
We would live in a peaceful world… If I were famous…
I would be rich… My country would be a better place…
If I were the president for one day… There would be less pollution…
If humans could fly… I would be happier…
If weekends lasted 3 days… I would be a better person…
If I had superpowers… My English would be better…
If I could change one mistake I have
made in my life… I would participate in the Olympics…

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TEST PAPER I
Put the verbs into the correct tense:
1.I (help)………………. You if you need help.
2.If you clean your roo m, I (give)…………………you money.
3.If I won the match, I (be)………………….. very happy.
4.I (feel)………………… better if I were at home.
5.He will watch the 8 o`clock show if he (have)………………. Time.
6.I would climb the Everest if I (be)……………. younger.
7.If she had watched TV, she (know) …………………………..the news.
8.If they had left in time, they (not be) …………………………late for school.
9.I would have cooke d something good if I (know)…………………you were coming.
10.He would have gone to the mountain if it (snow)…………………

Answer key: 1.will help; 2.will give; 3.would be; 4.would feel; 5.has; 6.were; 7.would
have known; 8.wouldn`t have been; 9. Had known; 10.had snowed.

TEST PAPER 2

Put the verbs into the correct tense:
1. It (be) … bet ter if he had waited.
2. If I (be) … you, I would go to school immediately.
3. She (answer) … your questions if she can.
4. He (tell) … her if she had asked him.
5. If you (drive) more carefully, you wouldn`t have an accident.
6. If her child is good, he ( get) a bar of chocolate.
7. He will be at the airport in time if he (leave) … now.
8. If you (see) … her, you would speak to her.
9. If I had written to him a letter, he (answer) … it.
10. Your brother (be) … ill if he eats so much.

Answer key:1.would have been; 2.were; 3.will answer; 4.would have told; 5.drove; 6.will
get; 7.leaves; 8.saw; 9.would have answered; 10.will be.

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WORKSHEET 3

I. Put the verbs into the right tenses:
1. If you see her, you (greet) … her.
2. If he doesn`t hurry, he (be) … l ate.
3. If he finds out what has happened, he (be) … very upset.
4.I (lend) … her the book if she promises to return it in time.
5. If he tells you something, you … (promise) … to keep it a secret?
6. Unless I study more, I (not pass) … the exam.
7. If it (go on) … raining, they will have floods.
8. If she (take) … a dog, she will have to look after it.
9. If I like the jumper, I (buy) … it.
10. Unless he comes at 7, he (not find) … me at home.

II. Put the verbs into the right tenses:
1.If I (know) … her phone number, I would ring him up.
2. If he (move) … to the countryside, would you visit her?
3. … her mother (buy) … that house if she had money?
4. If I were more careful, I (not make) … so many mistakes.
5.What would he do if he (be) … prime minister?
6. If you (give up) … smoking, you would be nervous.
7. If Mark won the lottery, he (buy) … a car.
8. She would take a pill if she (have) … a headache.
9. If I were in your place I (not do) … that.
10. Where … you (go) … if you had a holiday?

III. Put the verbs into the right tenses:
1. If he had known English, he (read) … Shakespeare in original.
2. If you (work) … harder, you would have succeeded.
3. If you had taken his advice, you (not get) … into trouble.
4. If she (know) … he had no driving l icence, she wouldn`t have come with him in his car.
5.I would have been arrested if I (try) … to leave the country.

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LESSON PLAN

School : Ion Creanga
Teacher : Ciocarlan Corina
Grade : 8th C
Lesson : Conditionals. Revisi on
Level : Intermediate
Time :50 minutes
Date : 21st May 2017
Objectives :- to create i nterest in the topic and to initiate discussion anticipating the
content of the lesson
– to make Ss talk about conditionals
– to raise expectations and create involvement in a liste ning task
– to make Ss give their own examples with conditionals
– to give Ss practice in speaking and writing skills
Skills : speaking, reading, writi ng, listening
Materials : laptop, blackboard, task sheets

Activity 1
Organiz ing moment: greeting the class, checking homework.
Warm up – Ss are asked to remember The Conditional Clauses (0,1,2,3)
– Ss are asked: `What would you do if you had one million dollars?`
Aim: to remember Conditionals
Interaction: pair work
Strategy: discussion
Time: 10 minutes

Activity 2
Ss are asked to watch a video about conditionals and then to write their own sentences.
Aim: to write if clauses
Interaction: pair work
Strategy: listening, writing
Time: 10 minutes

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Activity 3
Ss are asked to do some exercises with conditionals. They have to use the verbs in
brackets in the correct form, to match the first part of the conditional sentences with their
endings, to fill in the spaces with the correct verbs.
Aim: to do exercises with conditionals
Interaction: group work
Strategy: matching exercises
Time:15 minutes

Activity 4
Ss are asked to choose a card and to complete the conditionals then to read them. Ss are
asked to play `the if game`, for ex. the first student starts with a conditional `If I had had
enough money I would have gone to that tr ip` and the second student will continue `If I
had gone to that trip I would have met my favourite band` and so on.
Aim: to practice Conditionals through games
Interaction: individually / pair work
Strategy: co mpleting exercises
Time: 10 minutes

Activity 5
Home assessment: Ss are asked to do 3 exercises with conditionals.
Aim: to explain the exercises
Interaction: individually
Strategy: explaining
Time: 5 minutes

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WORKSHEET 4

I. Complete the Conditional Sentences Type I .

1. If Mary and Alice ________ ______ (prepare) the salad, Tom ______________
(decorate) the house.
2. If her sister ______________ (cut) th e onions for the salad, her mother
______________ (peel) the mushrooms.
3. You ______________ (hover) t he sitting room if your aunt ______________
(move) the furniture.
4. If Mark ___________ ___ (tidy up) the kitchen, his sister ______________ (clean)
the toilet.
5. I ______________ (buy) the drinks if so mebody ______________ (help) me carry
the bottles.
6. If we ______________ (or ganise) the food, they ______________ (make) the
sandwiches.
7. If my uncle ____________ __(look after) the barbecue, my aunt ______________
(let) the guests in.
8. Her brother ______________ (play) the DJ if the others ______________ (bring)
along their CDs.
9. I ______ ________(mix) the drinks if you ______________ (give) her some of
his cocktail recipes.
10. If we ______________ (do) our best, the party ______________ (be) great.
11. If we ________ (eat) an apple every day, we ___________(be) very healthy.
12. If they ___________(not/protect) the elephant s, it ________ (become) extinct.
13. His mother ________ (look) completely different i f she ___________(cut) her
hair.

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II . Complete the conditional sentences type II.

1. If you ______________ (hit) the jackpot, you ______________ (be) rich.
2. If his father ______________ (be) rich, his life ______________ (change)
completely.
3. She __________ ____ (buy) a lonely island, if she ______________ (find) a
nice one.
4. If she _______ _______ (own) a lonely island, she ______________ (build) a
huge house by the beach.
5. Alice ______________ (invite) all her friends if she ______________ (hav e)
a house by the beach.
6. She ______________ (pick) her friends up in her yacht if they
______________ (wan t) to spend their holidays on her island.
7. They _________ _____ (have) great parties if her friends ______________
(come) to her island.
8. If they ______________ (like) to go shopping in a big city, they
______________ (charter) a helicopter.
9. If our friends ______________ (have) a yacht, they ______________ (sail)
the seven seas.
10. If I ____ __________ (have) more time, I ______________ (learn) k arate.
11. If her cousins ______________ (tell) her father, he ______________ (be)
very angry.
12. I ______________ (spend) a year in the USA if it ______________ (be)
easier to get a green card.
13. If her aunt ____________ __ (live) on a lonely island, she ______________
(walk) around all day.

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TEST PAPER 3 – CONDITIONAL CLAUSES – TYPE I
1. Connect the phrases to make sentences. 30p.

1. If she hides behind the tree,
2. If they don’t hurry,
3. If I read more books,
4. If he doesn’t eat,
5. If we don’t do ou r homework, a) I’ll know more words.
b) her sister will see her .
c) they’ll be late.
d) our teacher will be angry.
e) he’ll be hungry.
2. Complete the conditional sentences. 30p.
a) If Alice ____________ (not/behave), she ____________ (get) a bad mark.
b) If you ____________(wear) a raincoat, you ____________ (not/get) wet.
c) Tom ____________(not /talk) to her if she ____________(not/ keep) his secret.
d) If she ____________(leave) now, they ____________ (never/ talk) to her again.
e) If her children ____________(work) hard, their results ____________ (be) a lot
better.
f) If he ____________(wait) a minute, she ____________ (be) here with them .

3. Use the words given and make sentences in the first conditional. 30p.
a. her sister / not go to England / not practice her English.
_________________________________________________________
b. he / not go to Italy / his family / not be happy
____________ _____________________________________________
c. she has time / help them
_________________________________________________________
d. you see Alice / give her the letter
_________________________________________________________
e. we / not happy / not lend him the money
_________________________________________________________
f. you / go to Paris / visit the Eiffel Tower
_________________________________________________________
10 points granted

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Answer key

1. 30p.

1. If she hides behind the tree, he r sister will see her .
2. If they don’t hurry, they ’ll be late.
3. If I read more books, I ’ll know more words.
4. If he doesn’t eat, he’ll be hungry.
5. If we don’t finish our homework, ou r teacher will be angry.
2. 30p.

a) doesn’t behave ; wil l get
b) wear / won’t get
c) won’t talk / do esn’t keep
d) leaves / they ’ll never talk
e) waits / will be
3. 30p.

a) If her sister doesn’t go to England, she won’t practice her English.
b) If he doesn’t go to Italy his family won’t be happy.
c) If she has time she ’ll help them .
d) If you see Alice you ’ll give her the letter.
e) We won’t be happy if we don’t lend him the money.
f) If you go to Paris you ’ll visit the Eiffel Tower.

10 points granted

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TEST PAPER 4

Write the correct form of the verbs in brackets.

a) If you have enough money, you _________(buy) a new pair of jeans.
b) We ________(win) if they support us .
c) She will leave early if she ________ (not /like) the party.
d) The police ________(arrest) them if th ey don’t obey.
e) You ________ (not/ go) out if the weather isn’t good.
f) You________(take) us to the cinema if we ________ (finish) our homework in
time.
g) If she ________ (not pass), she ________(be ) punished.
h) If they ________(make) the beds; we ________(wash) the floor.
i) Her bro ther ________ (feed) the dogs if she ________(want).
j) They ________ (not / come) to the our party if we ________ (not / send) them
invitation s.
k) You________(stay) at home if it ________(rain)
l) Her brother ________(not / emigrate) if he (find) a good job.
Answer key
‘ll buy
‘ll win
doesn’t like
‘ll arrest
won’t go
‘ll take / finish
doesn’t pass / ‘ll be punished
make / ‘ll wash
‘ll feed / want s
won’t come / don’t send
‘ll stay / rains
won’t emigrate / finds

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TEST PAPER 5
A- Choose the verbs to complete the sentences.

45p.

1. If you ___________ lonely, you ___________ your friends over.
2. She ___________ angry if she ___________ you had lied.
3. If I ___________ to the cinema, ___________you ___________ me?
4. If they ___________ the exam, they ___________.
5. If he ___________ English, he ___________ that job.
6. You ___________ her if you ___________ her phone number.

B- Complete the following sentences.

45p.
1. If I were r ich, ____________________________
2. If I were Prime minister, ____________________________
3. If Tom had a yacht, ____________________________
4. If Mark had two lives, ____________________________
5. If Alice met her idol, ____________________________
6. If I found a t reasure map, ____________________________

10 points granted.

get celebrate have be
know accompany pass go
speak invite feel call

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Answer key

A – 45p.
1. felt / would invite
2. went / would be / knew
3. went / would… accompany
4. passed / would celebrate
5. spoke / would get
6. would call / had

B (suggestion) – 45p.

1. …. Would make a trip around the world.
2. … I would implement employment policies.
3. … He would sail to America.
4. … He would do everything differently the second time.
5. She would ask for his autograph.
6. I would try to find the treasure.

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TEST PAPER 6
A- Complete the sentences to form past conditions.
1. If they ____________(not / enter) the Space Race, the exploration of space
____________(be) slower.
2. If Sputnik 1’s mission ____________(not / be) successful, the space
program ____________ (slow down).
3. If the Moon ____________ (not/be) the first celestial body to be explored,
Neil Armstrong ____________ (walk) there.
4. If China ____________ (not / launched) its own space station, only the
USA and Russia ____________(remain) in that race.
5. Those people say that if the U S government ____________(not / spend) so
much money on space, they ____________(solve) other problems on Earth.
6. Other point out that if they ____________(not / explore) space, they
____________ (not/ achieve) success in other areas. 60p.

B- Write sent ences according to the example.
1. The car broke down. You didn’t check it.
If you had checked the car, it wouldn’t have broken down.

2. He didn’t use the map. He got lost.
If _________________________
__________________________
3. We didn’t but any water. We were very thirsty.
If _________________________
__________________________
4. There weren’t any taxis going by. Tom and Mary waited for hours.
If _________________________ 40p.
__________________________

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Answer key

A 60p.
1. hadn’t enter / would have been
2. hadn’t been / would have slowed down
3. hadn’t been / wouldn’t have walked
4. hadn’t launched / would have remained
5. hadn’t spend / would have solved
6. hadn’t explored / wouldn’t have achieved

B 40p.

2. If he had used the map, he wouldn’t have got lost.
3. If you had bought some water, you wouldn’t have been thirsty.
4. If there had been taxis going by, they wouldn’t have waited for hours.

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TEST PAPER 7

A. Complete the sentences. 30p.
1. If he ___ ____________ (arrive) on time, he wouldn’t have missed the Romanian
lesson.
2. If your grandpa _____ __________(be) more careful, he might not have broken his
glasses.
3. If you hadn ´t watched TV until midnight, you _______________ (not be) late for
work.
4. I ________ _______ (not get) the job if I hadn´t applied for it.
5. If he had invited you to his wedding party, _______________ (you/go)?
6. My sister _______________ (have) better grades in her exams if she had worked
harder.
B. Rewrite the following sentences. Use the third conditional. 60p.

1. She didn´t get the job because she forgot to come to the interview.
If
__________________________________________________________________
___
2. You didn´t do any part -time jobs while you were at school , so you gained no work
experience.
If
_____________________ _____________________________________________
___
3. Tom broke into their house and went to prison.
If
__________________________________________________________________
____
4. It was more expensive becaus e they didn´t come on the bus.
___________________________if
___________________________________________
5. He didn´t get better because he refused to go to the doctor.

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If
__________________________________________________________________
____
6. You didn´t pass because you didn´t study.
_____ ______________________if
___________________________________________
7. Their brother didn´t go out with them because he broke his leg.
If
__________________________________________________________________
____
8. His cousin broke his leg because he fell.
_______ ____________________if
___________________________________________
10 points granted
Answer key:
A. 30p.
1. had arrived;
2. had been;
3. wouldn´t have been;
4. wouldn ´t have got;
5. would you have gone;
6. would have had.
B. 60p.
1. If she hadn´t forgotten to come to the interview, she would have got the job.
2. If you had done some part -time jobs while you were at school, you would have
gained some work experience.
3. If Tom hadn´t broken into their house, he wouldn´t have gone to prison.
4. It wouldn ´t have been so expensive if they had come on the bus.
5. If he hadn´ t refused to go to the doctor, he would have got better.
6. You would h ave passed if you had studied.
7. If their brother hadn’t broken hi s leg he would have gone with them .
8. His cousin wouldn´t have broken his leg if he hadn´t fallen.
10 points granted

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TEST PAPER 8
1) Read the text:
Question I : If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Tom: If I could go anywhere in the world I would go to England . I’ve always wanted to
go there because I’d love to see all the famous places and buildings in the UK, such as
Buckingham Palace, The Tower of London, London Ey e and especially the great
Stonehenge monument . Those are wonderful and unique places.
Mark: If I could go anywhere in the world , I would choose a country in Africa. I’ve
always wanted to see Africa because I think here there are spectacular places : a different
culture, different people and the amazing desert.
Question II : If you could meet a famous person , who would you choose?
Tom: If I could meet a famous p erson I would choose Mariah Carey . She is a great singer
and her songs are so special.
Mar k: If I could meet a famous person I would choose Tom Cruise , because he is a very
good actor, he is so funny and great in all his films.
Question III : If you had a lot of money, what would you buy?
Tom: If I had a lot of money, I would buy a lot of presents for all my friends and my
family. I love buying presents for them because I want to make them happy. I’d also buy a
lot of nice clothes for me.
Mark : If I had a lot of money, I’d buy a great car becau se I love cars. And I love
travelling in many places.
A: Answer the questions :
a) If Mark could meet a famous person, who would he choose?
b) Why would To m go to Great Britain ?
c) What would Tom buy if he had a lot of money?
(3×0,5=1,5p. )
B: Underline the If Clauses in the text. ( 5×0,3=1,5p )
C. Using the model in the text, answer the questions I, II, III. ( 3×0,5=1,5p )
2) Complete the sentences using the right form of the v erb – first conditional (type I ):
1. They will grow faster if their parents (cuddle) and (kiss) them.
2. You ( feel) good if you eat vegetables.
3. If we ( have ) time ,we will go to the sea side.

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4. Alice ( give) us the book if she (come) here. ( 5×0,5=2,5p. )
3)Complete the sentences using the 1ST conditional ( type I) or the 2ND conditional
(type II):
1.You will stay at home if ………….………….………… .
………………………………………….
2.They would have a part y if ……………….…….……
…………………………………………..
3. If he visits your country, …… …………………………….…
…………………………………..
4. If we saw a ghost,
…………………………………………………………………………. ( 4×0,5=2p. )
Timp de lucru: 50 min.
1 p. granted

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WORKSHEET 5

1.Complete the If -Clauses. Use the simple present and the will -future.
1. If she_____________________ (to dive) into that river,
she______________________ (to hurt) yourself.
2. If the sun______________________ (to shine) , the kids______________________ (to
play) outside.
3. Mark ______________________ (to walk) to school if he______________________ (to
miss) the bus.
4. Alice ___________________ (to buy) the cola if you____________________ (to pack)
the picnic basket.
5. If you______________________ (to be ) in Venice, you ______________________ (to
not rent) a boat.
6. Tom 's teacher______________________ (to phone) his parents if
he______________________ (to write) text messages during the History lesson.
7. If your uncle ______________________ (to not answer) this question correctly,
he______________________ (to not get) an extra point.
8. Her brother ____________________( to be) angry if she__________________ (to turn)
on the music too loud.
9. Their room ______________________ (to not look) much tidier if
they______________________ (to not keep) their hamster in the cage.
10. If she______________________ (to surf) the Internet, she______________________
(to find) a lot of information about it .

2. Complete the sentences (if -clauses). Use will, won’t and can.
Be careful about the sequence of the if-clause and the main clause !

Example: She – win the lottery – buy – lots of nice things.
If she wins the lottery, she can buy lots of nice things.
1) You – win the competition – buy – a new car .
_____________________________________________________________________
_______________________

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2) not save money – they – go out at the weekend .
___________________________________________ __________________________
_______________________
3) Mary – travel to Paris – see the Eiffel Tower .
_____________________________________________________________________
_______________________
4) buy something nice after a while – I – save money.
______________ _______________________________________________________
_______________________
5) the sun – shine – their friends – go to the beach tomorrow .
_____________________________________________________________________
_______________________

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Students can practice Conditionals through various activities, usually o ral drills.
However, since the present forms of examination imply both oral and written examination,
it is necessary to use both oral and written drills in classes. The most fre quent types of
drills are: Multiple choices, Fill – ins, Sentence completion, Conditionals through
rephrasing , Matching exercises etc.

1. Completing and multiple choice exercises

I. Put the verbs in brackets into the right form (type 1):
Suggested answer: If she comes sooner, they` ll take her with them.
1. If you meet her, you (tell) … her the truth.
2. If I am late, they (allow) … you to come in.
3. Unless you give her a quiet room, she (not be able) … to write anyt hing.
4. If you (go) … on telling lies nobody will ever believe you.
5. If he (need) … a camera, you can lend him one.
6. Tom (be) … furious if he hears about this.
7. They will have to write it again if I (lose) … the paper again.
8. You (ask) … him about it if you don`t understand it.
9. Tell her to ring me up when you (see) … her.
10.Unless he is more careful, he (have) … an accident.

II. Put the verbs in brackets into the right form (type 2) :
Suggested answer: He would like you if you treated him better.
1. If Mary (play) … for lower stakes she wouldn`t lose so much.
2. You (buy) … shares in her company if you had some money.
3. What would he do if Alice (break) … up with him?
4. He (ruin) … her if he bought everything he wanted.
5. She wouldn`t need so many people around her if she (not feel) … so insecure.
6.If you (do) … your hair differently, you might look nicer.
7. If he (win) … the first prize at the contest, everybody would know him.
8.If we (know) … it was dangerous, we (not come) … .
9. What would they do if they (see) … someone drowning?
10.He (try) … to be gentle with her, but she wouldn`t allow him.

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III. Put the verbs in brackets into the right form (type 3):
Suggested answer: If you had done it yourself, you should have been very tired.
1.If she had known you were ill, she (come) … to visit you.
2. We would have won the contest if we (train) … harder.
3. If I had known the whole story, I (not be) … so angry.
4.If Mark hadn`t touched the bee, it (not sting) … him.
5. Alice might have avoided the accident if she (be) … more careful.
6. If her mother ha d known she was coming over, she (bake) … her favourite cake.
7. If she had slipped, she (fall) … from that cliff.
8. If you (read) … the novel first, you would have known what questions to ask me.
9. He (take) … a taxi if he had realized that it was such a long way.
10. If she (put) … more sugar in the coffee, he would have drunk it.

IV. Put the verbs in brackets into the right form:
1. If she passes the exam, they (have) … a party to celebrate the event.
2. We (bring) … her some water if we had known she was so thirsty.
3. If your cat (not start) … eating, it might die of starvation.
4. As soon as we (be) … on holiday, we shall go to Paris.
5. If Tom (finish) … his homewo rk, they would have taken him with them.
6. Unless they tell him who did that, he (fire) … them.
7. He (get) … a free ticket if he had arrived earlier.
8.They (go) … to the beach if the weather had been nicer.
9. If I (be) … you, I wouldn`t tell them anything.
10.Unless he (show) … them the passport, he wouldn`t be allowed to cross the border.

V. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct tense:
1. You will give him a ring if you … (need) his advice.
2. If I could live wherever I wanted to, I think I … (choose) to live on a Scottish island.
3. They could have got there in time if you … (phone) them earlier.
4. If they don`t pass the exam,… they … (take) it again?
5. You … (not leave) your last job if the wages had been better.
6. They … (like) Tom more if he didn`t talk about himself.

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7. If the manager were to reinstate their leader, the strike … (be called off).
8. If we … (listen) more carefully, w e might have understood what he was saying.
9. The oil company are planning to close the port in this town. If that … (happen), the
town will lose a great deal of money.
10. If he … (make) more effort to help himself, I`d more sympathy with him.
Answer key: 1.need; 2.would choose; 3.had phoned; 4.will you take; 5.wouldn`t
have left; 6.would like; 7.would be called off; 8.had been listening; 9.happens; 10.made.

VI. Fill in the blanks with if or unless:
Model: Mrs. Smith wouldn`t buy the dress if her husband didn`t like it.
Mrs. Smith wouldn`t buy the dress unless her husband liked it
1. Mary wouldn`t buy a house …. she needed it.
2. You would drink a cup of coffee …. you felt tired.
3. Tom wo uld eat a pizza …. he liked it.
4. Alice wouldn`t go to Mark`s party …. she were invited.
5. …. he could, he would climb that mountain again.
6. …. she spoke more clearly, everybody could understand her.

VII. Complete the tables below using If Clauses and their equivalents:

If the weather is
fine
they

next weekend. their friend
their parents
Alice
E.g.: If the weather is fine they will go to the seaside next weekend.

If you had money
you

she
your friends

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they

If she had studied
harder
she

her mother
her friend

John

Unless Alice helps
Mark
he

his parents

their friends

He will lend you
the money
if

provided that

as long as

VIII. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb:
1. He would have come to the party if you … (invite) him.
2. If I were you, I … (apologize) to her.
3. Alice … (be able to) come with them if she hadn`t been working for so long.
4. He wouldn`t stay at home if the traffic … (not be ) so heavy.
5. Tom … (be) home at seven o`clock provided he catches the five o`clock train.

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IX. Complete the following text by putting the verbs in brackets into the correct
form: If I were a scientist, I … (find) a way to repair the hole in the ozone layer.
Scientists believe that if world temperatures … (rise), sea levels… (rise) too and many
cities … (be flooded). It is also possible that many fertile places… (become) deserts. If
this happened, there … (be) chaos throughout the world. If people had disposed of their
rubbish more carefully, the environment … (not be polluted). Governments are also
responsib le for this situation, because if there had been tighter laws on pollution, factories
… (not release) such harmful chemicals into atmosphere.

Answer key: would find; rise; will rise; will be flooded; will become; would be; wouldn`t
have been polluted ; wouldn`t have released.

X. Use the correct conditional tenses for the verbs in brackets:
1.If you were sure it is ok, you … (pay) her immediately.
2. I think she … (not sleep) if she weren`t so tired.
3. If Mark had wor ked harder, he … (succeed).
4. If you had known the truth, you … (not cry).
5. We … (write) better compositions if we had read the books more carefully.
6. Do you think if she had more money she … (be) happier?
7. We … (l ike) to watch that film last night.
8. I wonder if he … (agree) to do it.
Answer key: 1.would pay; 2.wouldn`t sleep; 3.would have succeeded; 4.wouldn`t
have cried; 5.would have written; 6.would be; 7.would have liked; 8.will agree.

XI. Fill in the spaces in this text with suitable verbs:
Don`t you think people use the word if too much? We are always saying things like:
if … more money, if we … in a bigger flat, if we … a better job, if we … afford to go to
Miami on holiday, if only we … an expensive car like the people next door, if schools …
better, if there … no waiting lists for hospitals, if, if, if! If people … dream, we … need the
word if!

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XII. Complete these zero conditional sentences using the correct form of the verbs in
brackets:
1. If his little girl … a clown, she … crying.(see/start)
2. He never … the car if he … someone suspicious on the side of the road.(stop/see)
3. You … the net if you … to look for something important.(not surf/not need)
4. They … from school together if they … at the same time.(come/finish)
5. I always … something nice to buy if I … shopping.(find/go)
6. Mary sometimes … her sister when she … someone`s advice.(call/need)
7. … at school late when they … tired?(they/arrive/be )
8. Her sister … cartoons if they … black and white.(not like/be)
9. If we … 5 and 9, we … 14.(add/get)
10. If we … wood, we … ashes.(burn/get)

XIII. Complete these first conditional sentences using the correct form of the verbs in
brackets:
1.If he … Alice this morning, he … her the news.(see/tell)
2. I you … a computer certificate, you … promoted.(obtain/get)
3.Their grandparents … by your house if they … have enough time.(come/have)
4. If you … smoking, you … sick.(not stop/get)
5. They … you if you … them.(join/invite)
6. Mark … at an expensive restaurant if he … today.(eat/get paid)
7. Your mother … free at the weekend if she … the project in time.(be/finish)
8. If I … enough fruits I … a fruit salad.(buy/make)
9. … to keep calm if someone … at her .(try/shout)
10…. to push her into it if she … ready.(not try/not be)

XIV. Complete these type three conditional sentences:
e.g.: If your sister hadn`t invited Mark to the cinema, he wouldn`t have needed his car
keys.
1. If you … for your keys for half an hour, you … on time.(look/leave)
2. I … in a hurry if I … get to the city centre.(be/have to)
3. If her aunt … her keys, she … the underground.(find/take)
4. They … to go to the petrol station if they … enough petrol.(need/have)

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5. If their cousin … her to buy some biscuits, she … to the café.(ask/go)
6. I … my windscreen wipers weren`t working if it … to rain.(realize/start)
7. If there … a lot of cars, your brother … faster.(be/drive)
8. If you … the car park immediately, you … all t he film.(find/miss)
9. Her cousin … his friends for popcorn if he … hungry.(join/be)
10. None of these … if she … a stomachache.(happen/have)

XV. Complete these conditional sentences:
1. If he … her it was so cold in the mountains she … some warm clothes .(tell/bring;
type3)
2. What … you … if the dress … you?(do/not fit; type 1)
3. If you … a bike and you could ride it you … with me.(have/come; type 2)
4. The car has a special function and it … unless the doors … closed.(start/be; type 0)
5. If we … they were coming to the party, we … at home.(know/stay; type 2)
6. … he … them to call us if he … us?(ask/see; type 1)
7. What …she … if she … the lottery?(do/win; type 2)
8. If they … water at 100 C, it … .(heat/boil; type 0)
9. Unless she … them what happene d, they … never … .(tell/find out; type 1)
10. They … better care of their planet if they … more responsible.(take/be; type 2)

XVI. Put the verbs in brackets into the right form:
1. If I … (think) carefully, I will take the right decision.
2. Unless you r uncle does his wok well, he … (not get) a wage rise.
3. If his relatives … (arrive) here on time, they will go for a walk before dinner.
4. You wouldn`t trust that woman, if you … (know) the truth.
5. If he tried to cheat you once, you … (not believe) h im anymore.
6. What … (you/do), if you were in my place?
7. If Alice doesn`t admit her fault, they … (consider/never) her their friend.
8. You … (not waste) money on holiday, if your job was so insecure.
9. Your grandma won`t let you play outside unless you … (help) her with the washing up.
10. If she … (try) to trick him, he would teach her a lesson.

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XVII. Put the verbs into the correct form:
1. If they … (know) her address, they would visit her when they go to Paris.
2. If he won this scholarship, it … (change) his life.
3. She wouldn`t mind leaving so late if she … (not have) an important meeting.
4. He wouldn`t buy the house from that village if he … (be) you.
5. If they lived today, their story … (not finish) tragically.
6. They would have fireworks tonight if their team … (win) the championship.
7.The wouldn`t be the same if all the books … (disappear).
8. If your brother gets a good mark on the final test, he … (be) very happy.
9. If you mix blue and red, you … (get) purple.
10. If you … (hear) the sea and the ocean, you will be overwhelmed.

XVIII . Choose the correct answer:
1. He can`t find his money. If I were him, I ……. in his pocket.
a. would look b. look c. looked
2. ………….. they get up on time, they`ll catch the train.
a. providing b. unless c. supposing
3. If he ……………. his homework, he can watch TV.
a. finished b. finishes c. had finished
4. ……………my baby is tired or hungry, he cries.
a. when b. providing c. supposing
5. If she ………….. so bad, she`d go with you.
a. was feeling b. didn`t feel c. had felt
6. If she hadn`t watched that movie, she …………… nightmares.
a. won`t have b. don`t have c. wouldn`t have had
7. If he has time he ………………….. his friends tomorrow.
a. visits b. would visit c. will visit
8. …………….. we hurry, we will be late for work.
a. providing b. supposing c. unless

XIX. Circle the correct answer:
1.If you … better qualified, you`d apply for that job.
a. were; b. would be; c. am; d. will be

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2. If Mark … work by 6 o`clock, he will go home.
a. will finish; b. finishes; c. has finished; d. finished
3. If you … any s ense, you wouldn`t have bought that car.
a. would have; b. had; c. would have had; d. had had
4. He … his son if he hadn`t been so excited.
a. wouldn`t have rung; b. wouldn`t ring; c. had rung; d. rung
5. If I … to take on that job, I … much more free time.
a. haven`t agreed/ would have; b. didn`t agree/ would have; c. hadn`t agreed/
would have had; d. didn`t agree/ would have had
6. If I … a visitor`s pass, I won`t be able to go in.
a. don`t have got ; b. hadn`t got; c. doesn`t have; d. haven`t got
7. Mary … a day off work unless she were ill.
a. won`t take; b. wouldn`t take; c. didn`t take; d. wouldn`t have taken
Answer key: 1.a; 2.c; 3.d; 4.a; 5.c; 6.d; 7.b.

2. Conditionals through rephrasing
These types of exercises are a little bit more difficult than matching exercises or multiple –
choice exercises but they are very useful for those students who prepare for exams or
Olympics.
I. Connect the following conditions and result s into conditional clauses:
Model: Tom has enough money./ He will buy a new car.
If Tom has enough money, he will buy a new car.
1.The weather is beautiful./ She will ride her bike every day.
2. Tom rides his bike./ He won`t ha ve enough time to do his homework.
3. Tom doesn`t do his homework./ He`ll get poor marks.
4. He gets poor marks./ His parents will be very angry.
5. His parents are angry with him./ They won`t buy him another bike.

II. Make sentences according to the model:
Model: Mark hasn`t got a car. (drive it every day)
If Mark had a car, he would drive it every day.
1. Mary hasn`t got a pet. (play with it every day)
2. I haven`t got a CD player. (listen to music all day long)
3. Alice hasn`t got a miniskirt. (wear it at the disco)

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4. Her brother hasn`t got a kite. (fly it in the park).
5. You haven`t got a toaste r. (eat toast every morning).

III. Write conditional clauses like the ones in the model:
Model: He didn`t ask you. You didn`t tell the truth.
If he had asked you, you would have told him the truth.
1. Mark didn`t repair their car. His famil y didn`t go on the trip.
2. Her mother didn`t arrive home earlier. She didn`t cook anything.
3. His sister didn`t find her pair of glasses. She didn`t watch her favourite soap opera.
4. Tom didn`t take care of the cat. It got lost.
5. Alice didn`t like the movie. She didn`t stay up to the end.
6. I didn`t talk to my sister. She didn`t wait for me to go shopping.
7. You didn`t meet your uncle. He didn`t find out the news.
8. His brother didn`t dri ve carefully. He had an accident.

IV. Finish each of the following sentences in such a way that it means exactly the
same thing as the previous sentences:
Suggested answer: We left earlier, so we couldn`t meet Mark.
If we had left earlier, we could have met Mark.
1.You didn`t come home last night, so you couldn`t meet her.
If …
2.She will give you the good news only if you are ready to hear it.
Provided …
3. Th ey can`t deal with this situation without help.
Unless …
4. You didn`t have an accident because I warned you.
If …
5. She thinks they should listen to him.
If …
6. Alice couldn`t have been there because she was in London at that time.
If …
7. Since he doesn`t like football he shouldn`t be in this team.
If …

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8. Her aunt didn`t tell her when the concert started so she was late again.
If …

V. Rephrase the following sentences, using conditionals:
Model: He isn`t your type. You won`t like him./ If he were your type, you woul d like
him.
1. He is happy. He will forgive you.
2. You are qualified. I advise you to apply for this job.
3. They didn`t allow him to come. He felt miserable.
4. Life was difficult for her. She never had enough money.
5. Tom never knows the latest news. He doesn`t listen to the radio.
6. We didn`t read the explanations carefully. We couldn`t do the exercises.
7. It wasn`t possible for her to tell you about it. She didn`t k now anything.
8.You don`t have enough time. You can`t finish your translation.
9. You shall be still driving at midnight. You can`t leave earlier.

VI. Think of a suitable way to complete the second part of the dialogue:
1.`They don`t need to take a map, do they?`
`But supposing …?`
2.`Can I borrow your bike?`
`Yes, so long as …`
3. `Do you think he should send that letter?`
`It might be a good idea, just in case…`
4. `So, you are thinking of buying that old house?`
`Well, as long as…`
5. `We hear he is planning to go camping next weekend.`
`I hope to, provided … `
6. `Do you think she will still catch the train?
`Well, she won`t unless … `

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VII. Write conditionals to match these situations:
1.He doesn`t have a spare ticket. He can`t take her to the concert.
If he …
2. They wanted to go out yesterday but it was very cold.
If it …
3. Mark ate too much birthday cake, so he was sick.
If Mark …
4. You can`t write to him because you don`t know his address.
If you …
5.Mary paid 1600 $ for her dress.
If I …
6. With a bit of luck, he may enter the contest.
If he …
7. Alice walked to work in the rain and got wet.
If …
8. You can`t type. You aren`t able to operate a computer.
If you …
9. If you see her, give her his message.
If you …
10. He didn`t go because he wasn`t invited.
He …
11. Give up smoking and be healthie r!
If you …
12. They had no paper and they had to make models in clay for the builders to follow.
If they …
13. They speak Spanish to him, not English, so his English doesn`t improve.
If they …
14.She says she will come and give a speech at the conference if they pay her a reasonable
fee. She …
15. You won`t help her if she doesn`t ask you properly. Unless …

VIII. Rewrite these sentences to form conditiona ls:
1. She is unfit because she doesn`t do enough exercise.

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If she …
2. You got angry because she was rude to you.
If she …
3. He might go to live in Italy but he will have to find a job first.
If he …
4. I know about this because you told me.
If you …
5. We didn`t tell him about it because he didn`t ask us.
If he …
6. They don`t know this programme because they don`t watch T V a lot.
If they …
7. They aren`t sitting outside because it`s raining.
If it …
8. They are friends again because she apologized to him.
If she …
9. Tom didn`t hear what she said b ecause he wasn`t listening.
If Tom …
10. You are feeling ill because you ate too much.
If you …
11. He might stop being famous but it won`t worry him.
If he …
12. You are having a wonderful time because you are doing a lot of interesting things.
If you …
13. She is rich a nd famous because the public like her.
If the public …
14. They became famous because they were lucky.
If they …
15. People go to see his films because they are interesting.
If his films …
16. We got to top because we have a lot of talent.
If we …
17. He doesn`t know why his music is so popular, so he can`t explain it.
If he …
18. She would win an award and then she will be very pleased.

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If she …
19.They are successful today because they were determined to succeed when they were
younger.
If they …
20. He isn`t living an ordinary life because he is working in show business.
If he …

IX. Rewrite these sentences using the words in brackets:
1. If he had known all the facts, it`s possible that he wouldn`t have made that
decision.(may)
If he had known all the facts ………………………………… that decision.
2. If you gave her a hand, it would be possible for her to do that much more
quickly.(could)
If you gave her a hand ………………………………… much more quickly.
3. If he needs any advice in the future, it`s possible that you will be able t o give him
some.(might)
If he needs any advice in the future …………………………….. give him some.
4. If you applied earlier, it`s possible that you would have got the job.(might)
If you applied earlier ………………………………… the job.
5. Concentrate and you won`t find this too difficult.(shouldn`t)
If ……………………………………. this too difficult.
6. He has so much to do that he can`t relax.(could)
If ……………………………
7. I got the green card and that`s why I was able to work in the US.(couldn`t)
If ……………………………………… in the US.
8. She sent it last Monday, we expected to be here by now.(should)
If she sent it last Monday, …………………………… by now.

X. Complete the second sentence so that it means the same as the first, using the
word given:
1. Write his address down because you might want to contact him.(case)
Write his address down ………………………….. to contact him.
2. She will lend him the money but he must give it back to her next month.(long)

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She will lend him the money ………………………………… it bac k to her next month.
3.She can ask you a thousand times but you will never agree.(even)
You will never agree …………………………………. you a thousand times.
4.If they don`t work hard, they won`t get anywhere in life.(unless)
They won`t get anywhere in life ……………… ………………. hard.
5. To catch that bus they must leave now.(providing)
They will catch that bus ……………………………… now.
6. You haven`t got a lot of money but you`d be unhappy anyway.(even)
You`d be unhappy …………………………………. a lot of money.
7. She will be polite to you but you must be polite to her.(provided)
She will be polite to you ………………………………. polite to her.
8. If I don`t get promoted soon, I will leave the company.(unless)
I will leave the company ………………………….. soon.
9. Let`s talk about this problem now be cause you might not have an opportunity
later.(case) Let`s talk about this problem now ……………………………….. an
opportunity later.
10. Alice didn`t run all the way there but she would have been late anyway.(even)
She would have been late ………………………………… all the wa y there.

XI. Rewrite these sentences using one of the words or phrases below:
unless, in case, as long as, provided, providing, even if
1. The football match will be cancelled if the weather doesn`t improve.
…
2. I took a lot of warm clothes because I thought it might be cold there.
…
3.Mark didn`t want to see the concert but he couldn`t afford a ticket anyway.
…
4. She will help you this time but you mustn`t expect her to do it every time.
…
5. Alice will give you a key because she might not be here to let you in when you get
back.
…
6. You might not succeed but you are going to do your best anyway.
…

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7. Perhaps something extraordinary will happen, otherwise, it`s going to be another
ordinary day.
…
8. Mary told him that he could use her compu ter but he had to be careful with it.
…

XII. Rephrase each sentence, beginning as shown, so that the meaning stays the
same: Example: They will be late if they don`t hurry.
Unless they hurry , they `ll be late.
1.We will be punished if we don`t finish o ur work on time.
Unless …
2. Tom and Mark will go out if it doesn`t snow today.
Unless …
3. If I don`t go shopping, I`ll have little food to eat.
Unless …
4. He will be very sad if she doesn`t show up soon.
Unless …
5. We`ll be very surprised if Mary doesn `t get the job.
Unless …
6. You will give your students good marks if they do their homework.
Unless …
7. It will land safely if the weather is good.
Unless …
8. Only those who behave reasonably will be released sooner.
Unless …
9.If it snows, he won`t go out.
Unless …
10. If it isn`t too hot tomorrow, we will go for a walk in the park.
Unless …

XIII. Rephrase each sentence, beginning as shown, so that the meaning stays the
same:
Example: With enough space, they will thrive.

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If they have enough space, the y will thrive .

1. With a lot of luck, he will earn a lot of money.
If …
2.With a lot of work, she will win the scholarship.
If …
3. With a lot of talent, I will become a great actor.
If …
4. With a good map, they will find the way.
If …
5. With a lot of h elp, Alice will succeed.
If …
6. With bunches of flowers, Mark will win Mary`s heart.
If …
7. With kindness, they will make many friends.
If …
8. With charm, we will make a good impression.
If …
9.With a lot of imagination, he will write a good novel.
If …
10. With a lot of money, Tom will afford to buy that expensive car.
If …

XIV. Rephrase each sentence, beginning as shown, so that the meaning stays the
same:
Example: If, by any chance, he meets her at the hotel, tell him to ring me up.
Should he meets her at the hotel, tell him to ring me up.
1. If, by any chance, you see her at the cinema, talk to her about that problem.
Should …
2. If, by any chance, Mark returns home, break the bad news to him.
Should …
3. If, by any chance, they arrive at the bus s tation, tell them not to wait for him.
Should …
4. If, by any chance, the kids get bored, show them some pictures.

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Should …
5. If, by any chance, she finds out the truth, tell her to act carefully.
Should …
6. If, by any chance, you find the treasure, wait for me.
Should …
7. If, by any chance, their parents meet my parents, remind them to take some photos.
Should …
8. If, by any chance, his aunt rings me up, tell her I`m not at home.
Should …
9. If, by any chance, we fall ill, call for the doctor.
Should …
10. If, by any chance, her friend arrives earlier, tell her to wait for her.
Should …

XV. Rephrase each sentence, beginning as shown, so that the meaning stays the
same:
Example: Since he doesn`t like plays, he never goes to the theatre.
If he liked plays, he would go to the theatre.

1. Since Mark and Alice don`t like films, they never go to the cinema.
If …
2. Since Tom and Mary don`t get bad marks, their parents never punish them.
If …
3. Since you don`t think positive, you never succeed.
If …
4. Sin ce we don`t believe in superstitions, we are never afraid of ghosts.
If …
5. Since he doesn`t know the place well, he never catches them.
If …
6. Since I am not keen on dancing, I never go to the disco.
If …
7. Since her sister doesn`t like swimming, she never goes to the swimming pool.
If …
8. Since these kids are afraid of strangers, they never play outside their garden.

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If …
9. Since they hate hang -gliding, they never practice it.
If …

10. Since gardening is not his hobby, he never works in his garden.
If …

XVI. Rephrase each sentence, beginning as shown, so that the meaning stays the
same:
Example: But for the money, he would change his car every month.
If it weren`t for the money, he would change his car every month.
1. But for your laziness, you wo uld get good marks at school.
If it …
2. But for her lack of inspiration, she would write a bestseller.
If it …
3.But for her grumpiness, Alice would get on well with her classmates.
If it …
4. But for his stubbornness, Mark would have a lot of friends.
If it …
5. But for your rudeness, you would have a boyfriend.
If it …
6. But for the problems with his parents, Tom would be a happy boy.
If it …
7. But for their friends` help, they wouldn`t solve those Maths problems.
If it …
8. But for our jokes, they wouldn`t laugh so often.
If it …
9. But for her talent, Mary wouldn`t write such nice stories.
If it …
10. But for her ambition, her sister wouldn`t take part in the race.
If it …

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XVII. Rephrase each sentence, beginning as shown, so that the meaning stay s the
same:
Example: You had better wait for them.
If I were you, I would wait for them.
1. Alice had better do her homework.
If I …
2. That poor woman had better save for a rainy day.
If I …
3. Mark should help his father with his work in the garden.
If I …
4. Mary had better make her bed every morning.
If I …
5. You should read all the books recommended by your teacher.
If I …
6. Tom had better see this new film.
If I …
7. They should take some exercise every day.
If I …
8. Your aunt had better st art taking some swimming lessons.
If I …
9. Your sister should better take your mother`s advice.
If I …
10. Your cousin had better learn his lessons.
If I …

XVII I. Rephrase each sentence, beginning as shown, so that the meaning stays the
same:
Example: Mark didn`t learn his Romanian lesson, and so he got a four.
If Mark had learnt his Romanian lesson, he wouldn`t have got a four.

1. We didn`t go to school yesterday, and so we were punished.
If we …
2. Tom didn`t do very well at school last month, and so his grandparents didn`t buy him a
new bike.

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If Tom …
3. The weather wasn`t fine, so they had to stay inside.
If …
4. My sister didn`t read the book last week, so her teacher was unhappy about it.
If …
5. Life didn`t have anything good in store for us, s o we were very unhappy.
If …
6. They didn`t have anything to eat, so they starved.
If …
7. Alice didn`t write an interesting composition, so her teacher disliked it.
If …
8. My cousins couldn`t come home on time, so their parents scolded them.
If …
9.You d idn`t follow your parents` advice, and so you had to regret it later.
If …
10. I got a bad mark at school, and so my parents were very disappointed.
If …

XIX. Rephrase each sentence, beginning as shown, so that the meaning stays the
same:
Example: Mark and Mary would have attended the rock concert if they hadn`t been
arrested.
If it hadn`t been for their arrest, Mark and Mary would have attended the rock
concert.

1. We would have gone on the trip if we hadn`t been ill.
If it …
2. Tom would have spoken about the plane crash, if he hadn`t been afraid.
If it …
3. The students would have known the story if they hadn`t played truant.
If it …
4. We would have liked her speech if her voice hadn`t been hoarse.
If it …

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5. The little one would have hidden behind the stove if it hadn`t been hot.
If it …
6. He would have taken his umbrella if the weather hadn`t been fine.
If it …
7. She would have liked my brother if his joke had been funny.
If it …
8. My aunt would have gone for a walk in the park if she hadn`t be en involved in a car
crash.
If it …
9. His cousin could have solved the problem if it hadn`t been so difficult.
If it …
10. We would have picked some flowers if the storm hadn`t started.
If it …

XX. Rephrase each sentence, beginning as shown, so that the meaning stays the
same:
Example: Without her parents` support and understanding, Alice wouldn`t have become
such a famous biologist.
Alice wouldn`t have become such a famous biologist if it hadn`t been for her
parents` support and unders tanding.
1.Without your beauty and grace, you wouldn`t have turned yourself into such a
glamorous model.
You …
2. Without his students` ideas, the famous professor wouldn`t have discovered such an
important formula.
The famous professor …
3. Without hi s incredible patience and endurance, he wouldn`t have discovered a new
continent.
He …
4. Without her originality and creativity, Mary wouldn`t have impressed the whole
audience.
Mary …
5. Without their unlimited ambition, they wouldn`t have conquered the world.
They …

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6. Without my friend`s support, I wouldn`t have become a music star.
I …
7. Without her genius, she wouldn`t have composed such famous pieces of music.
She …
8. Without your ambition, you wouldn`t have become such a good surgeon.
You …
9. Wit hout his zest for life, Mark wouldn`t have inspired his grandchildren.
Mark …
10. Without her uncle`s love and support, she wouldn`t have been able to survive.
She …

XXI. Rephrase each sentence, beginning as shown, so that the meaning stays the
same:
Example: You didn`t arrive at school on time last Monday because you got up late.
If you had got up early, you would have arrived at school on time.
1. Tom and Alice got a four at History last Tuesday because they didn`t study enough.
If …
2. Our cousins were punished because they didn`t help their parents with the housework.
If …
3. The German pilot dropped some bombs by mistake because he couldn`t see well.
If …
4. Mark was unhappy because his wife left him.
If …
5. I didn`t take part in the discussion because I found it uninteresting.
If …
6. Your sister had a stomachache because she ate some bad eggs.
If …
7. We didn`t like that poem because we didn`t understand it.
If …
8. My parents didn`t work hard because they were badly paid.
If …
9. Her grandmoth er didn`t arrive at the airport on time because she missed the bus.
If …

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10. Your cousins didn`t like the cartoon because they were sad.
If …

XXII. Rephrase each sentence so that it contains the word in capitals, and so the
meaning stays the same:
1.His b rother spent the whole night studying hard. Now he is complaining about being
exhausted.(UNLESS)
…
2. They wouldn`t have succeeded if their friends hadn`t helped them.(FOR)
…
3. If his students didn`t learn their lessons, what would he do?(SUPPOSE)
…
4. We can`t offer them any bananas. We sold them all this morning.(IF)
…
5. If it weren`t for her imagination, she wouldn`t write such successful novels.(UP)
…
6. There is a shortage of panda bears. They aren`t properly protected.(PROVIDED)
…

XXIII.Rephras e the following sentences using unless :
e.g. If he doesn`t start saving some money now, he won`t have enough pension funds.
Unless he starts saving some money now, he won`t have enough pension funds.
1. If we don`t have the pass entry, the bodyguard won`t let us in.
…
2. If you don`t prepare for your exams, you won`t pass them.
…
3. If it doesn`t stop raining, they won`t be able to leave on time.
…
4. If your baby doesn`t stop right now, she won`t finish the dinner in time.
…
5. If Alice doesn`t pass the d riving test, her parents won`t buy her a car.
…
6. If you don`t read the subtitles, you won`t understand the film.
…

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7. If they aren`t more careful, they will have an accident.
…
8. If you don`t hurry, you will miss the train.
…
9. If Mark doesn`t him, he will continue with his nonsense.
…
10. If your father doesn`t pay the utility bill, the company will stop electricity. …

3. Matching exercises

I. Form sentences by matching column A to column B:
A. Your dog would immediately react 1. if you hadn`t lied to me.
B. Could he find another job soon 2. if they keep walking in the rain.
C. You might have been my friend 3. if we get lost in the forest
D. You will visit me as often as you can 4. if they fired him?
E. She could have repaired that box 5. if she becomes a president.
F. The forest would have been saved 6. if anyone attacked you.
G. They will get sick 7. if your parents decide to move to another
city.
H. We might have voted for her 8. if the fire brigade had come faster.
I. She will surely do some good us all 9. if she had known how.
J. We will never be found 10. if we had trusted her promises.

II. Match the clauses together to make conditionals:
1.If he had told me about this problem earlier, a. she probably won`t be at the
meeting.
2. If your brother were a more sensitive person, b. you could always ring us up.
3. If we don`t contact you soon, c. your wife would never have left
you.
4. If Mary hadn`t died so young, d. he wouldn`t have said that to her.
5. If you didn`t work so hard all the time, e. she would have had them by now.
6. If I had worked harder last month, f. everything would be all right now.
7. If the plane hadn`t been delayed, g. would he hurry up and get ready.

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8. If he`s coming with us, h. I wouldn`t be so busy this month.
9. If Alice really wanted to have chi ldren, i. they would be there by now.
10. If she was feeling ill this morning, j. I`m sure she`d be a famous
musician.

III. Match the clauses together to make conditionals:
1.Late again! If he didn`t stay up so l ate, a. his English would really improve.
2. If she were really ill, b. they could buy the house of their dre ams.
3. If his French was absolutely perfect, c. he`d be able to get up in the mornings.
4. If your hair wasn`t so long, d. there wouldn`t be so many accidents.
5. If they didn`t drive so fast on this road, e. my grandparents could sit outside in the
garden.
6. If she had her address book with her, f. he would get a job as an interpreter.
7. If they won the lottery, g. she would be able to phone her mum.
8. If Mark stayed in Britain for a year, h. she would love to do more cooking.
9. If the weather wasn` t so awful, i. you would look much smarter.
10. If my sister had the time, j. I`d be more sympathetic.

IV. Match the first and the second parts of the sentences below:
1. If they had some better players, a. he wouldn`t have a problem buying shoes.
2. Tom would give you a lift home b. if your father didn`t drive so fast.
3. If Mary did a little more practice, c. you might get a good pass.
4. You wouldn`t feel so nervous d. if his car wasn`t at the garage.
5. If they spoke perfect English, e. they`d have a chance of winning the cup.
6. Alice would feel much healthier f. if she helped more around the house.
7. If his feet weren`t so big, g.we would try windsurfing.
8. I would make friends h. if she took a little more exercise.
9. If I were you, i. they wouldn`t have to do these exercises.
10. M y brother`d really appreciate it j. if I were a little more sociable.
11. They would look much smarter k. if you didn`t talk about computers all the
time.
12. If you did the necessary work, l. she`d be an excellent guitarist .

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13. They wouldn`t think you were boring m. if she had more free time.
14. If we had the confidence, n. I`d be careful what you say to her sister.
15. My mother would decorate the kitchen o.if they took more interest in clothes .

V. Match the following clauses to make sentences:
1. If he leaves now, a. tell her I miss her.
2. If she doesn`t obey the rules, b. they won`t go on the trip.
3. If he doesn`t stop shouting, c. she will be in trouble.
4. If it rains tomorrow, d. he will catch the bus.
5. If my grandma feels worse, e. I`ll call the police.
6. If we don`t water the garden now, f. you will look feet.
7. If she comes back in two hours, g. I`ll call for the doctor.
8. If you train regularly, h. the flowers will die.
9. If Alice talks to you, i. they will burn themselves.
10. If they don`t stop, j. she will be able to meet him.

VI. Join these sentences using if or unless :
1.We wouldn`t go shopping a. that rat leaves.
2. You`ll get your weekly pocket money. b. it rains cats and dogs.
3. She won`t have her hair cut c.they were forced to go to separate
highschools.
4. Alice wouldn`t marry Tom d. you don`t forget your household duties.
5. The dog will stop barking e. we got enough money.
6. Your parents will be relieved f. she thinks is unfashionable.
7. They would be devastated g. he was rich enough to spoil her.
8. His father won`t wear this raincoat h.they get your call.

4. Oral drills
They are usually very controlled and therefore they have limited potential. Because they
are fairly repetitive and not very creative they should not be used for too long or too
frequ ently. However, they do give students the opportunity for “safe” practice; accuracy
can be focused on as the students get a chance to rehearse language.

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I. What would you have done if:
1. you had had a modern car
2. you had lived in the 14th century
3. you had played the piano
4. you had been the richest person in the world
5. you had travelled around the world

II. Use the cues bellow to make up chains of conditional phrases type 1:
Example: If I win the lottery, I` ll get a lot of money.
If I get a lot of money, I` ll buy an expensive car.
If I …………………. I`ll ……………………. .
1.win the lottery
2. get a lot of money
3. buy an expensive car
4. drive very fast
5. have an accident
6. get hurt
7. go to hospital
8. miss family and friends
9.be unhappy
10. get poo r marks

III. Connect the following real conditions and probable results into conditional type
1:
Model: Perhaps the weather will be nice. Then they`ll go on a trip.
If the weather is nice, they will go on a trip.
1. Perhaps his sister will be at home. Then she`ll make a delicious cake.
2. Perhaps you`ll have time to go shopping. Then you`ll buy that nice blouse.
3. Perhaps Mark will call. Then she will invite him to her birthday party.
4. Perhaps Alice will accept the invitation. Then they will have a g reat time at the party.
5. Perhaps they will lend us the new CDs. Then we will be very happy.

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6. Perhaps Tom`s parents will buy him that pair of roller blades. Then he`ll go for a ride in
the park.

IV. Connect the following conditions and results into co nditional phrases:
Model : If the weather were fine, he would go to the seaside.
1. The weather were fine./ He`d go to the seaside.
2. Her aunt gave her some money./ She`d buy that silver necklace.
3. You told the truth./ You wouldn`t be punished.
4. Mary had a cat./ She`d play with it every day.
5. Her parents let her go to the party./ She`d be very happy.
6. Mark had a computer./ He would play computer games.

V. Situation: Alice is a lazy girl. She never does things in time, that`s why her school
marks are very poor.
Model: Alice never gets up early in the morning.(be in time for school)
If Alice got up early in the morning, she would be in time for school.
1.Alice never does her homework.(get good marks)
2. She never takes all her books and copybooks at school.(can`t take notes during classes)
3. She never learns her lessons.(give good answers)
4. She never talks to her classmates about her problems.(have more friends)
5. Alice never reads books.(learn a lot of interesting things)
6. She never goes to bed early.(wake up early in the morning)

VI. Give full answers to the following questions. Use would/ might or could in your
answers:
1. What might happen if your brother didn`t do his homework?
2. What could your sister buy if your mum gave her 1 million lei?
3. What would he do if the elevator were out of order?
4. What might happen if she fell down the stairs?
5. What would happen if we heated water at 100 degrees Celsius?
6.What would you do if your grandfather felt sick?

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VII. Make sentences like the ones in the model:
Model: visit Mary
A: It`s a good thing you didn`t visit Mary/ visited Mary.
B: What would have happened if you hadn`t visited her/ had visited her?
A: She would have been very unhappy/ happy.
1. go to the party
2. tell your mum the truth
3. laugh at his jokes
4. sleep late in the weekend
5. accept Tom`s invitation
6. join the dance club
7. invite Mark to your birthday party

VIII. What might have happened last week if Mark had:
1.talked to his form teacher?
2. bought that beautiful shirt?
3. come late from school?
4. told Tom he was a liar?
5. announced his parents he was leaving school?
6. eaten all the cake?
7. broken his arm?
8. visited his grandparents?

IX. Answer the questions bellow with Cond itionals. Use the words in brackets in
your answers:
Model: A: For what reason/ In what circumstances would he have accepted Mark`s
invitation? (Mary come too)
B: He would have accepted Mark`s invitation if Mary had come too.
For what reason/ In what c ircumstances:
1. would Alice have told that lie? (force)
2. would you have given 100 $ to me? (dress)
3. would his English teacher have punished him? (homework)
4. would her brother have gone to work by taxi? (late)

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5. would my sister have danced with you? (like)
6. would your aunt have bought a new pair of glasses? (lose)
7. would Tom have spent all his money on snacks? (hungry)
8. would they have called the plumber? (leak)

X. Answer these questions using your own ideas:
1. What would happen if education wasn`t compulsory in your country?
2. What would happen if poor children didn`t have access to education?
3. What would have happened if her parents hadn`t sent her to school?
4. How would he have felt if his parents had he home -schooled?

XI. Find the right advice for the following situations:
Model: I`m an active person and I don`t want to retire.
If I were you , I would talk to my boss about this/ I would think about it more
carefully.
1. My brother isn`t used to living in a town.
2. My daughter is in terested only in music and ignores school.
3. My cousin is the victim of a bully.
4. I save money to buy a new car but it will take ages to have one.

XII. Answer the questions: E.g. What will he do if he feel tired?
If he feels tired, he will go to bed.
1. What will Alice do if she is in trouble?
2. What will they do if they are hungry?
3. What will Tom do if he breaks his leg?
4. What will your brother do if he fails the test?
5. What will Mary do if she has a headache?
6. What will Mark do if he breaks a window?
7. What will his sister do if she gets lost?
8. What will they do if they lose their passports?
9. What will her mother do if she is angry?
10. What will their cousins do if they have a car accident?

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5. Using games in assessment
Games are a vital part of a teacher’s equipment, not only for the language practice
they provide, but also for the therapeutic effect they have. They can be used at any stage of
a class to provide an amusing and challenging moment and are especially usefu l at the
end of a long day to send the students away feeling cheerful about their English class.

I. Role play: Supposing you were a magus, what magic would you do?

II. Game 1:
Write a sentence using the conditional.
For instance: If I had one million dol lars, I would travel around the world.
The students get a sheet of paper and each student will write his/her version of the
beginning.
If I had one milllion dollars …

III. Game 2:
The `If game` or the ` Consequences Chains `, for example, the first student starts with a
conditional `If I had had enough money I would have gone to that trip` and the second
student will continue `If I had gone to that trip I would have met my favourite band` and
so on.

IV. Game 3:
The teacher give students the if clause begin ning of a conditional sentence.
If I see him again …
Then the students are invited to give their own endings. After hearing some ideas, the
students are asked about the most interesting endings and details they remember about the
sentences.

V. Game 4:
The teacher writes some conditional sentences and then cuts them into two parts and
distribute them around the class.Students are sked to memorize their half and find their
partner. When they found their partner, they should decide who they are, where they are

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and what has happened. They should make a conversation ending with the conditional
sentence.
If you had done as I said, this wouldn`t have happened.

VI. Game 5:
`Taxi!`
The teacher makes sets of cards for the students who will play the part of taxi drivers. The
cards dictate whom the taxis will stop for. For example a taxi may pick up a passenger if
he/she is wearing a particular colour, if he/she has got a certain colou r hair/eyes, if he/she
is taller/shorter/thinner than the taxi driver.
Then the taxi drivers begin driving around the class while the would -be passengers try to
catch a taxi. Once a taxi has picked up a passenger, he/she would be taken to the
destination and given a new card. At the end they can explain why they picked a particular
passenger up and why they didn`t.
VII. Game 6: `Moral Dilemmas `
Second conditionals are used in real life to talk about questions like “What would you do
if you had to choose bet ween letting a war criminal go free so that he’d stop the war and
continuing the war until he could be brought to justice?” Giving students a few questions
like this to discuss can be intellectually stimulating and produce a good mix of the second
conditio nal and other language. It can also be designed to fit in with the topics of the book
(e.g. environmental moral dilemmas) or with their job or studies (e.g. medical moral
dilemmas). They can also make up similar questions to ask each other.
VIII. Game 7: `Guess My Answer`
The Moral Dilemmas activity above can be made more fun by getting students to guess
their partners’ answers before they ask the questions. This also works for other meanings
of the second conditional such as tentat ive offers in negotiation s. The students are given a
list of deals such as “If I gave you 100 dollars, would you do my homework for a month? ”
and the teacher asks them to guess what their partners will say before they ask the
question. Then they can make up similar sentences spe cifically to elicit a particular
response, e.g. “Would you give me your car if I gave you my motorbike?” to obtain a “No,
I wouldn’t.”

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IX. Game 8: ` Sentence Completion`
The teacher g ives students at least fifteen second conditional sentence starters such a s “If I
had four legs” or “If I were the richest person in the world”. They should complete the
sentences with their own ideas and then read out just the part they have written (not the
sentence stems on the worksheet) for their partners to guess which sen tence they wrote it
in, e.g. “People would take photos of me all the time” could be written in either of those
two example sentence stems above. The sentence stems could also be moral dilemmas, or
you could write them to tie the second conditional in with other language points such as
feelings (“I would feel _______ if the internet disappeared”) or phrasal verbs (“If
_______, I would get on much better with him/her”).
X. Game 9: `Problem Solving`
Problems like being stuck on a desert island or having a can o f food but no can opener are
often used in practicing conditionals.. However, as the students are not really in that
situation it is much more natural to ask “What would you do if flood waters cut your
house off?” and “What would you do if all electronic c ommunication permanently broke
down?” Students can debate which idea is best and/or vote on the best idea.
XI. Game 10 :`Votes`
Voting can also be used in other ways to practice the second conditio nal. For example,
students can present their ideas on what t hey would do if they were put in charge of the
world or if they were given superpowers, and then students can vote for the best. The ideas
need to be quite outlandish ones like these, because otherwise the first conditional is a
more natural tense to use t o present their ideas.
XII. Game 11 :`Personality Questionnaires`
This is kind of an extension of the moral dilemmas idea above. Students write second
conditional questions to test their partners on one personality trait or more, then ask them
the question s and judge their answers without telling them what they are being tested on.
The people who are answering the questions could then guess the topic(s) and how well
they have done before being told the results. For example, for “brave” they could be asked
questions like “If you saw that the person sitting next to you had a gun in their belt, what
would you do?”

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XIII. Game 12 : `If I Were You`
Any fun activities on giving advice can be used with second conditional phrases like “If I
were you,…”, “If I were in your place,…” and “If I was in your shoes,…”. Possibilities
include writing letters, giving deliberately bad advice, and guessing the problems from the
advice given.
XIV. Game 13 :`If You Answered Me That Way`
Students ask each other second conditional questions in the hope of getting specific
answers, e.g. “What would you do if you won the lottery?” to make their partner say “I’d
quit my job” or “Under what circumstances would you buy a gun?” to get the reply “If
there was a war.” The responses that the y should get could be given on slips or a
worksheet, or they could write down responses for themselves or others to obtain.
XV. Game 14: Students are asked to write chain stories or even writing chain poems.
If you drink coffee,
You’ll stay awak e tonight
If you stay awake tonight,
You’ll fall asleep in the morning.
And if you fall asleep in the morning,
Your teach er will be very angry.
XVI. Game 15: `Tic-tac-toe`
The teacher prepare s 2 different sets of cards. He/she can use two different colours. One
colour for If Clause, one colour for the result clause.
The class is divided into two and play tic-tac-toe or the students are put in groups and
they are told that the first group who matches the halves will be the winner.

XVII. Game 16: The students are asked to stand up and form a circle. The teacher shouts
a half conditional sentence, throw s the ball to a student and asks him to complete it.

XVIII. Game 17: The teacher gives students scrap paper, preferably used photocopies and
tells them to write 5 half conditional sentences on. Then tells them to stand up and play
snowball fights. The teacher can stop them when he/she think s the fun is enough for them.

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Then he/she tells them to pick the closest snowball, go back to their seats and finish the
sentences.

XIX. Game 18: `Board game.` Here is an engaging board game to help students practice
conditionals. Students play in groups of four. The players move their counters along the
board. When a player lands on a question square, the student to their right asks them a
'What do you do if…?/What will you do if..?/ What would you do if.. ?/What would you
have done if…?' questions. The player then tries to answer the question appropriately by
making a conditional sentence. If they do this successfully, they stay on the square. If they
make a mistake, they go back to their previous square. T he first player to reach the finish
wins the game. It can be used to practice all the conditionals.
XX. Game 19:`What did I write? `
This is a fun guessing game to help students practice the first conditional. The
class is divided into two groups ( A and B) and each student is given a corresponding
worksheet. The students complete the endings of the first conditional sentences on their
worksheet with their own ideas. Student As complete the odd -numbered sentences and
Student Bs complete the even -numb ered sentences. When the students have completed
their sentences, they pair up with someone from the other group. The students' task is to
guess the endings of the first conditional sentences their partner wrote. Student B starts
and tries to guess the end ing of the first sentence. Student B continues to guess until
he/she says the exact words on Student A's worksheet. Then, it's Student A's turn to guess
the second sentence and so on. This process continues until all the sentences are complete.
XXI. Game 20: `Five-in-a-row`
In this pairwork teaching activity, students complete ‘if’ and ‘result’ clauses to make first
conditional sentences. The students are told that they are going to practice the first
conditional by playing two games of noughts and crosses. The class is divided into pairs.
Each pair is given a copy of the Game 1 worksheet. The worksheet contains a five -by-five
grid. Each square on the grid contains an if cla use. Students take it in turns to choose a
square and make a first conditional sentence by adding a suitable result clause. If a student
does this successfully, they draw their O or X symbol in the square. The aim of the game
is to be the first student to get five squares in a row either horizontally, vertically, or
diagonally. That student is the winner. Pairs then repeat the process with Game 2, but this

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time the squares contain result clauses. Students have to make a first conditional sentence
by adding an appropriate if clause to complete the sentence.
XXII. Game 21: `Video conditions `
The teacher stops the video at a point where a character has to make a decision, and the
students try to predict the consequences of the possible choices with sentences like “If he
asks her out, she will tell her boyfriend and he will beat him up” and “If he doesn’t ask her
out, he will regret it and n ever get another opportunity.” The teacher can tell the class what
the possible choices are or let them try to work them out from the context. After watching
which choice they take and the real consequences, students can discuss the likelihood of
the conse quences they predicted for the other choice (perhaps with third conditional if they
know that).
XXIII . Game 22: `Negotiations `
The first conditional is often used in sentences like “If I give you a lift to the
cinema, will you lend me your car fo r the rest of the day?” This can be made more fun by
asking them to make up sentences that they are sure their partner will accept or reject (e.g.
depending on the cards they have been given). They could also be given a list of things
they want from their partner with points for each thing they can get them to agree to, with
the person from each pair who gets the most points at the end of the game being named the
best negotiator.
XXIV. Game 23: Election Question Time.
Students prepare their electi on promises in groups and then stand up and present
them with sentences like “If you vote for us, we will cut taxes by 30%.” After they finish,
the members of the other parties can ask them tricky questions with the first conditional
like “What will you do if that doesn’t give you enough money to keep all the factories
open?” Then they finish with a vote in which they are not allowed to vote for their own
party.
XXV. Game 24: Christmas Conditionals
This memorable teaching activity combin es the topic of Christmas superstitions with the
first conditional. Students work in pairs (A and B). Each student is given either a
Christmas or New Year worksheet. Each superstition is written as a first conditional

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sentence and comes with three possible endings (a, b and c). The correct ending is already
given. The students have to write in two false endings for each conditional sentence. When
they have finished, they quiz their partner and see how many of the superstitions their
partner can guess correc tly.

6.Using different types of exercises in assessment
I. Correct the mistakes in the following sentences:
1. If she will need any help, just call me.
2.Unless I don`t study, I won`t pass the final exams.
3. If he won`t listen to you, she will be upset with him.
4. But for you didn`t help him, he wouldn`t have succeeded.
5. In case there will be a fire, call the firemen.

II. Point to the mistakes in the following conditional sentences:
1. Unless she doesn`t learn e nough, she won`t get a good mark.
2. The flight will be delayed if the weather was bad.
3. If I be you, I wouldn`t say that.
4. His sister will put on weight if she would eat sweets every day.
5. They would visit Rome if they arrived in Italy one day.
6. If Alice doesn`t call, he would start to panic.

III. Translate into English:
1.`Daca vei fi cuminte vom merge la Disneyland`, ii spuse bunicul micutului Mark, care se
juca nerabdator cu siretul de la pantofi. `Si daca vei manca tot din farfurie iti voi c umpara
si o jucarie`, adauga el.
2. `Daca as avea o masina rapida as merge cu viteza maxima`, se gandi Tom, schitand cu
mana rotatia unui volan. `Si daca Mary ar sta alaturi de mine, as zbura ca un nebun`,
continua el sa viseze, uitand de dosarul cu acte c e zacea de ceva timp pe birou.
3. `Daca as fi avut un frate mai mare`, gandi Alice, `mama m -ar fi lasat sa ies in oras seara
tarziu; daca as fi iesit cu fratele meu, mama nu ar mai fi fost atat de ingrijorata si nu m -ar
mai fi sunat din jumatate in jumatat e de ora.`

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IV. Write an appropriate beginning or ending for these sentences:
1. ……………………………….., she will put on some thick clothes.
2. If they continue walking, ……………………………. .
3. ……………………………….., he would go to the dentist.
4. ……………………………….., his dog will bite her.
5. If you played inside, ………………………………… .
6. If they decided to come to his party, ……………………. .
7. …………………………………, we will be able to go on holiday next summer.
8. If tha car alarm went on ………………………………. .
9. …………………………………., she will be able to vote.
10. If they were busy, ……………………………………… .

V. Use your own ideas to complete the sentences:
1. You`d go to the swimming pool if ……………………………. .
2. When she has an argument with her boyfriend she ……………………… .
3. They would have gone out last night if ………………………………. .
4. Who would he call if ……………………………….. .
5. Their town would be nicer if …………………………… .
6. If Tom didn`t have a computer …………………………. .
7. If it`s warm tomorrow ………………………………… .
8. His brother will buy some chips if …………………………… .
9. Her sister recharges her phone when …………………………… .
10. If Mary hadn`t met her best friend ………………………………… .

7.Using songs in assessment
I. In this activity students are asked to draw scenes from a song before listening
to it.
Language level: Intermediate
Learner type: Young learners; Teens
Time: 40 minutes
Activity : Drawing
Topic: Love
Language : Second conditional
Materials : Song

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Lesson plan
Tell students that you want them to draw two sketches. Tell them to listen to your
complete instructions before they start. Give the following instructions:
I want you to draw a scene from a winter’s day: the trees are bare; the leaves on the
ground are brown; the sky is grey. There is a man going for a walk. There is a thought
bubble coming from his head. I also w ant you to draw a second picture. In this one the
man is in a church. He is down on his knees and he is praying. The preacher is beside him.
There is another thought bubble coming from the man’s head.
Ask students to repeat the instructions back to yo u before drawing. If possible, give
access to colour pencils. Ask students not to write anything in the thought bubbles at this
stage.
Let students compare their work with each other.
Ask students to consider what their man might be thinking abou t. Elicit as many
possible thoughts as you can and write the best ideas on the board. For example:
“I wish it was warmer”
“I should get a dog”
“I hate winter”
Note that you could restrict the task: ask students to think of second conditional sentences
that could go in the man’s thought bubbles.
Explain to students that the man would love to be somewhere else but that he can’t
leave. Ask them to guess why (the answer is that he is involved with a woman that he
can’t leave).
Write the following second conditionals on the board and ask students to copy them in
or beside the man’s thought bubbles:
Thought bubble one: I’d be safe and warm if I was in L.A.
Thought bubble two: If I didn’t tell her, I could leave today.
Teach students the full song lyrics to California Dreamin g (The Mamas and Papas) .
The song lends itself perfectly to a drill -type chant because of its call and response
format. Ask students to repeat after you. Note that you don’t have to tell students that they
are dealing with a so ng. Let them work it out for themselves.

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All the leaves are brown
And the sky is grey
I’ve been for a walk
On a winter’s day
I’d be safe and warm
If I was in LA
California dreaming
On such a winter’s day
I stopped into a church
I passed along the way
Well , I got down on my knees
And I pretend to pray
You know the preacher likes the cold
He knows I’m going to stay
California dreaming
On such a winter’s day
All the leaves are brown
And the sky is grey
I’ve been for a walk
On a winter’s day
If I didn’t tell h er
I could leave today
California dreaming
On such a winter’s day
Let students hear the song.
After elicitin g possible thoughts ask students to write a short story about the man in the
scene.
Follow up
Scan your students’ drawings and use video -editing software to create a collage to
accompany the song.

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II. In this activity students are asked to complete the song with the missing verbs
after they have listened it.
The teacher asks the students to listen to the song `Count on me` (Br uno Mars). After they
completed the missing verbs they got the full version of the song to correct themselves.

If you ever … yourself stuck in the middle of the sea,
I … the world to find you
If you ever find yourself lost in the dark and you can't see,
I … the light to guide you
Find out what we're made of
When we are called to help our friends in need
You can count on me like one two three
I … there
And I know when I need it I can count on you like four three two
You' ll be there
'Cause that's what fri ends are supposed to do, oh yeah
Whoa, whoa
Oh, oh
Yeah, yeah
If you tossin g and you're turning and you just can't fall asleep
I … a song
Beside you
And if you ever … how much you really mean to me
Every day I will
Remind you
Ooh
Find out what we're made of
When we are called to help our friends in need

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You can count on me like one two three
I'll be there
And I know when I need it I can count on you like four three two
You' ll be ther e
'Cause that's what friends … supposed to do, oh yeah
Oh, oh
Yeah, yea h
You … always … my shoulder when you cry
I … never … go
Never say goodbye
You know you can
Count on me like one two three
I … there
And I know when I need it I can count on you l ike four three two
And you … there
'Cause that's what friends are supposed t o do, oh yeah
Oh, oh
You can count on me 'cause I can count on you
If you ever find yourself stuck in the middle of the sea,
I'll sail the world to find you
If you ever find yourself lost in the dark and you can't see,
I'll be the light to guide you
Find out what we're made of
When we are called to help our friends in need
You can count on me like one two three
I'll be there
And I know when I need it I can count on you like four three two
You'll be there
'Cause that's what friends are suppose d to do, oh yeah
Whoa, whoa

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Oh, oh
Yeah, yeah
If you tossing and you're turning and you just can't fall asleep
I'll sing a song
Beside you
And if you ever forget how much you really mean to me
Every day I will
Remind you
Ooh
Find out what we're made of
When we are called to help our friends in need
You can count on me like one two three
I'll be there
And I know when I need it I can count on you like four three two
You'll be there
'Cause that's what friends are supposed t o do, oh yeah
Oh, oh
Yeah, yeah
You'll always have my shoulder when you cry
I'll never let go
Never say goodbye
You know you can
Count on me like one two three
I'll be there
And I know when I need it I can count on you l ike four three two
And you'll be there
'Cause that's what friends are supposed to do, oh yeah
Oh, oh
You can count on me 'cause I can count on you
III. In this activity students are asked to listen to the song `Hero` (Enrique Iglesias)
and then they have to put the verbs in brackets into the right tense. In the end, they
got the full version of the song to correct themselves.

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Would you dance if I (ask) … you to dance?
… you (run) … and never look back?
Would you cry if you (see) … me cry?
And … you (save) … my soul, tonight?

… you (tremble ) … if I (touch) … your lips?
Would you laugh? Oh, please tell me this.
Now would you die for the one you (love)… ?
Hold me in your arms, tonight.

I can be your hero, baby.
I can kiss away the pain.
I will stand by you forever.
You can take my breath away.

… you (swear ) … that you'll always be mine?
Or … you (lie) …? Would you run and hide?
Am I in too deep? Have I lost my mind?
I don't care… You're here tonight.

I can be your hero, baby.
I can kiss away the pain.
I (stand ) … by you forever.
You can take my breath away.

Oh, I just want to hold you. I just want to hold you.
Am I in too deep? Have I lost my mind?
I don't care… You're here tonight.
I can be your hero, baby.
I can kiss away the pain.
I will stand by your forever.
You can take my breath away.
I can be your hero.
I can kiss away the pain.

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And I will stand by you forever.
You can take my breath away.
You can take my breath away.
I can be your hero.

Would you dance if I asked you to dance?
Would you run and never look back?
Would you cry if you saw me cry?
And would you save my soul, tonight?
Would you tremble if I touched your lips?
Would you laugh? Oh, please tell me this.
Now would you die for the one you loved?
Hold me in your arms, tonight.
I can be your hero, baby.
I can kiss away the pain.
I will stand by you forever.
You can take my breath away.
Would you swear that you'll always be mine?
Or would you lie? Would you run and hide?
Am I in t oo deep? Have I lost my mind?
I don't care… You're here tonight.
I can be your hero, baby.
I can kiss away the pain.
I will stand by you forever.
You can take my breath away.
Oh, I just want to hold you. I just want to hold you.
Am I in too deep? Have I lost my mind?
I don't care… You're here tonight.
I can be your hero, baby.
I can kiss away the pain.
I will stand by your forever.
You can take my breath away.
I can be your hero.
I can kiss away the pain.

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And I will stand by you forever.
You can take my breath away.
You can take my breath away.
I can be your hero.

IV. In this activity students have to listen to the song `If I were a boy` (Beyonce) and
then t o complete the right sentence. In the end, they got the full version of the s ong to
correct themselves.
……………………….
Even just for a day
I'd roll out of bed in the morning
And throw on what I wanted then go
Drink beer with the guys
And chase after girls
I'd kick it with who I wan ted
And I'd never get confronted for it.
Cause they'd stick up for me.

If I were a boy
I think I could understand
How it feels to love a girl
I swear I'd be a better man.
……………………………
Cause I know how it hurts
When you lose the one you wanted
Cause he's taken you for granted
And everything you had got destroyed

If I were a boy
……………………………………….
Tell everyone it's broken
So they'd think that I was sleeping alone
………………………………………..
And make the rules as I go

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Cause I know that she'd be faithful
Waiting for m e to come home

It's a little too late for you to come back
Say it's just a mistake
Think I'd forgive you like that
………………………………………..
You thought wrong

But you're just a boy
You don't understand
Yeah you don't understand
How it feels to love a girl someday
……………………………………
You don't listen to her
You don't care how it hurts
Until you lose the one you wanted
Cause you've taken her for granted
And everything you have got destroyed
But you're just a boy…

If I were a boy
Even just for a day
I'd roll out of bed in the morning
And throw on what I wanted then go
Drink beer with the guys
And chase after girls
I'd kick it with who I wanted
And I'd never get confronted for it.
Cause they'd stick up for me.
If I were a boy
I think I could understand
How it fe els to love a girl
I swear I'd be a better man.

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I'd listen to her
Cause I know how it hurts
When you lose the one you wanted
Cause he's taken you for granted
And everything you had got destroyed
If I were a boy
I could turn off my phone
Tell everyone it's broken
So they'd think that I was sleeping alone
I'd put myself first
And make the rules as I go
Cause I know that she'd be faithful
Waiting for me to come home
It's a little too late for you to come back
Say it's just a mistake
Think I'd forgive you li ke that
If you thought I would wait for you
You thought wrong
But you're just a boy
You don't understand
Yeah you don't understand
How it feels to love a girl someday
You wish you were a better man
You don't listen to her
You don't care how it hurts
Until you lose the one you wanted
Cause you've taken her for granted
And everything you have got destroyed
But you're just a boy…

V. Another songs that can be used for these kind of activities are:
`If I had a million dollars` (Barenaked Ladies)
If I had a $1000000
(If I had a $1000000)

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I'd buy you a house
(I would buy you a house)
If I had a $1000000
(If I had a $1000000)
I'd buy you furniture for your house
(Maybe a nice chesterfield or an ottoman)
And if I had a $1000000
(If I had a $1000000)
I'd buy you a K -Car
(A nice Reliant automobile)
If I had $1000000 I'd buy your love.

If I had a $1000000
I'd build a tree fort in our yard
If I had $1000000
You could help, it wouldn't be that hard
If I had $1000000
Maybe we could put like a little tiny fridge in there somewhere
You know, we could just go up there and hang out
Like open the fridge and stuff
There would be already laid out foods for us
Like little p re-wrapped sausages and things
If I had $1000000
(If I had $1000000)
I'd buy you a fur coat
(But not a real fur coat that's cruel)
And if I had $1000000
(If I had a $1000000)
I'd buy you an exotic pet
(Like a llama or an emu)
And if I had $1000000
(If I had a $1000000)
I'd buy you John Merrick's remains
(All them crazy elephant bones)

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And I f I had $1000000 I'd buy your love.
If I had a $1000000
We wouldn't have to walk to the store
If I had a $1000000
We'd take a limousine 'cause it costs more.
If I had a $1000000
We wouldn't have to eat Kraft Dinner
But we would eat Kraft Dinner
Of course we would, we'd just eat more
And buy really expensive ketchups with it
That's right, all the fanciest dijon ketchups
Mmmmmm
If I had $1000000
(If I had $1000000)
I'd buy you a green dress
(But not a real green dress, that's cruel)
And if I had $1000000
(If I had $1000000)
I'd buy you some art
(A Picasso or a Garfunkel)
If I had $1000000
(If I had $1000000)
I'd buy you a monkey
(Haven't you always wanted a monkey?)
If I had $1000000
I'd buy your love
If I had $1000000, If I had $1000000
If I had $1000 000, If I had $1000000
I'd be rich

`Time After Time ` (Cyndi Lauper)
Lying in my bed I hear the clock tick,
And think of you
Caught up in circles confusion –

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Is nothing new
Flashback –warm nights –
Almost left behind
Suitcases of memories,
Time after –
Sometimes you picture me –
I'm walking too far ahead
You're calling to me, I can't hear
What you've said –
Then you say –go slow –
I fall behind –
The second hand unwinds
If you're lost you can look –and you will find me
Time after time
If you fa ll I will catch you –I'll be waiting
Time after time
After my picture fades and darkness has
Turned to gray
Watching through windows –you're wondering
If I'm OK
Secrets stolen from deep inside
The drum beats out of time –
If you're lost you can look –and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall I will catch you –I'll be waiting
Time after time
You said go slow –
I fall behind
The second hand unwinds –
If you're lost you can look –and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall I will catch you –I'll be waiting
Time after time …

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