If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.
If turnips were watches, I’d wear one by my side.
How do write about what ifs? Events that might happen, events we wish would happen or events that could have happened? How do we talk about hypothetical situations and their consequences, or events that never happened and the possible consequences if they had happened?
Conditional sentences cover that hazy area of the what ifs, the hypotheticals and the possibles. These sentences are sometimes called “future-in-past” sentences (when the sentence refers to a future event from the perspective of a point in the past) or “the unreal past” (when the sentence refers to a past event that never actually happened). Conditionals use auxiliaries like would, should, could paired with a past tense or past perfect tense verb to talk about a hypothetical event. This independent clause is tied to a dependent conditional clause, often containing if or when.
For example:
If he had listened to me, he would have known that trying to build a papier-mâché submarine was a bad idea.
I’d travel all over the world if I won the lottery and I did not have a crippling fear of planes, boats, trains, cars and all other forms of transportation.
If I had been born two centuries earlier, I’m sure I would have been one of the world’s top phrenologists.
Parts of a Conditional Sentence
Conditional sentences are made up of two clauses: the protasis, which is the dependent conditional clause, and the apodosis, which is the main clause and shows the outcome/consequence.
For example:
If I had known my teacher suffered from crippling chelonaphobia, I wouldn’t have brought my pet turtle to school that day.
In this example, If I had known my teacher suffered from crippling chelonaphobia is the protasis and is the dependent conditional clause. I wouldn’t have brought my pet turtle to school that day is the apodosis and the independent clause showing the outcome. The protasis and apodosis can be written in any order, provided you use the correct punctuation to separate the clauses.
I wouldn’t have brought my turtle to school that day if I had known my teacher suffered from crippling chelonaphobia.
Uses of Conditional Sentences
Conditional sentences serve three main purposes – to show factual implications, make predictions or speculate about the impossible or untrue.
Implicative conditional sentences express that if situation/action A happens, situation/action B will happen as well. These are general truths, scientific facts, etc. Since these are universal or generally accepted truths, the sentences use present tense for both the protasis and apodosis.
If you heat ice, it melts.
Implicative conditional sentences can also express logical deductions that aren’t quite universal truths. These sentences can use a mix of past, present and future tenses:
The soda will fizz if you shake it.
If his car is gone, he’s at work.
If the creek rises, the road will close.
Predictive conditional statements refer to a condition and a hypothetical, but possible, consequence. These sentences are usually about a future consequence, but can use past, present or future tense.
If I wash my car today, it will rain tomorrow.
He will fail the course if he does not get at least a 98 on his final exam.
If he fails the course, then he didn’t study enough.
Tell her to give me a call if you hear from her.
Counterfactual conditional statements show conditions and outcomes that are either false or extremely unlikely. These statements can be past, present or future tense, and the two clauses do not have to match tense (e.g., past condition with present outcome, present or ongoing condition with past outcome, etc.).
If he had said that to me, I would’ve given him a piece of my mind.
If I won the lottery, I’d buy my own island. (While winning the lottery is technically possible, it is highly unlikely.)
They would have won that synchronized swimming championship if they hadn’t chosen John Cage’s 4’33” as the music for their routine.
If I didn’t have a fear of water, I would have loved to have lived beside the ocean.
Types of Conditional Sentences
There are four types of conditional sentences in English, ranging from the completely possible to the completely impossible.
Zero conditional sentences express that if one statement is true, the second statement must be true as well. These sentences can express universal truths, certainties, scientific facts, etc. Zero conditional sentences often use if or when in the conditional phrase, since the outcome is the same. These sentences use present tense in both clauses.
When you heat water to 100˚, it boils.
If you mix red and yellow, you get orange.
I always get sick when my kids catch colds.
Zero conditional sentences are often used to give instructions or orders.
If Susie comes in to work today, let Bill know.
Call me when you need a ride home.
Type 1 conditional sentences deal with a possible condition and probable result in the real world. These sentences are often used to give predictions, warnings or advice. These sentences use if + present tense + future tense, or vice versa with appropriate punctuation.
If you bite into that flaming hot pocket, you will burn your mouth.
She’ll get soaked if she goes out today without an umbrella.
If he is late again, I will be furious.
Type 2 conditional sentences describe unreal situations and are not based on fact, but instead are unlikely or hypothetical situations and their results. These sentences use if + past subjunctive + would + infinitive, or vice versa with appropriate punctuation.
If I were President, I would immediately make all Mondays national holidays.
You wouldn’t have failed your test if you had studied instead of marathon-watching all nine Star Wars movies.
If he were younger, he would have bought that motorized unicycle, safety be damned.
Type 3 conditional sentences deal with a fictional past condition and the probable outcome of that condition, but reality is always contrary to what the sentence shows. The situations expressed in these sentences are unreal and completely hypothetical, and the sentences usually express regret or admonition. These sentences use if + had + past subjunctive + would have + past participle, or vice versa with appropriate punctuation.
If he had asked me to the dance, I would have said yes. (But he didn’t ask, so I did not say yes.)
She wouldn’t have wrecked her car if she hadn’t been eating that bowl of cereal while driving. (But she was eating cereal while driving, so she did wreck her car).
You wouldn’t have missed your bus if you hadn’t slept past your alarm. (But you did sleep past your alarm, so you did miss your bus.)
Mixed type conditional sentences refer sentences when the unreal condition and result occur at different times, and thus are “mixed.” There are two types of mixed conditionals: a present result of a past condition and a past result of a present of continuing condition.
A present result of a past condition mixed conditional refers to an unreal past event and its hypothetical ongoing result in the present. These sentences show a past and present that are the opposite of reality. This type of mixed conditional sentence is formed by if + past perfect verb and a present conditional main clause.
If I’d buckled down and done my job better, I’d be the president of this company instead of the mail clerk. (But I hadn’t buckled down, so now I am only a mail clerk.)
We wouldn’t be lost if you hadn’t thrown the map out of the window. (But you did lose the map, so we are currently lost.)
If she hadn’t spent all her work time trolling that knitting forum, she would have a job now. (But she did spend her work time trolling, so she is now unemployed.)
The second type of mixed conditional sentence, a past result of a present of continuing condition, expresses of an unreal present or continuing condition and its hypothetical past result. This sentence type is formed by if + simple past tense and a perfect conditional apodosis.
I would have joined the circus when I was younger if I wasn’t afraid of clowns. (But I am currently afraid of clowns, so I never joined the circus when I was younger.)
He would have enjoyed the movie if he understood French. (But he can’t understand French, so he did not enjoy the movie he saw.)
If I didn’t love him so much, I would have been horrified by his yodeling obsession. (I love him, so I did not mind his obsession with yodeling.)
Conditionals and Punctuation
Conditional sentences are complex sentences, combining a dependent clause and independent clause. Like all complex sentences, the punctuation in conditional sentences depends on if the dependent if clause is first or last in the sentence. When the conditional clause is first, you will use a comma after the if statement and before the independent clause containing the consequence. If the consequence/independent clause is first, then you will not use a comma.
For example:
If you didn’t want to volunteer for this month’s fundraiser, you should have responded to my email sooner.
Julie would never have agreed to be President of the local chapter of the Fabio International Fan Club if she had realized that she would be Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer as well.
Grammaphile 