General Discussion of Conditional Sentence(in brief)
There are three types of if clause. Each of them has some variation. The basic forms of the three types are:
- (a) If + present + future.
- (b) If + past indefinite + would + verb-এর present form এবং
- (c) If + past perfect + would have + past participle
Below is a brief discussion of the three types and some of their important variations.
Type 1 of Conditional Sentence
The basic form of Type 1 is If + present tense + will/shall + present form of verb. For example:
1. If he comes, I’ll/ I shall/ I will go.
2. If he reads, he’ll / he will pass.
3. If it rains tomorrow, I shall/will stay in residence.
NB: Shall is used only in first person. However, will is in the first person to express the speaker’s desire, promise or decision. For example: If he wants, I will help him – If he wants, I will help him.
Remember, both shall and will are abbreviated as ‘ll’. The negative contractions of will and shall are shan’t and won’t respectively.
Some notable variations of this type are:
Variations of Conditional Sentence
(a) If + present + imperative
(b) If + present + may + present form of verb
(c) If + present + might + present form of verb
(d) If + should + present form of verb
(e) Inversion of Should (i.e. opposite position of should
(f) If + present + present
(a) If + present + imperative
(a) In the case of If + present + imperative, the imperative part can also be written with please. Again can start without please. For example:
- If you find my brother, please let me know.
- If he is hungry/ If he feels hungry, give him some food.
(b) If + present + may + verb-এর present form
When we want to say that something may happen in the presence or absence of something, but it is not inevitable, but possible, the word may is added to the main clause. For example:
- If he comes, I may go
- If he reads, he may pass.
c) If + present + might + verb-এর present form
Might is added to the main clause when the action mentioned in the main clause becomes less likely. For example:
- If he doesn’t come here, I might kill him.
- If you open the window again, I might kill you.
(d) If + should + present form of verb
- If I should be absent, wait a little while.
- If I should stay there, I’ll phone you.
(e) Inversion of should (if + should + present form of verb)
Even if the inversion of the meaning of the construction occurs, there is no exception or loss of that meaning. However, the use of the second form is a little more formal than the first form. And such usage usually occurs when something is guaranteed or promised. For example:
- Should I be favored with your kind selection, I would/will spare no pains to give you complete satisfaction.
- Should you find any fault in my goods, send them back.
(f) If + present + present
- If you heat water to 100%, it boils.
- If any book pleases me / If I like a book / If I happen to like a book, I buy it.
We use conditional sentences of the second type only when we imagine something that is definitely not true and think of a kind of imaginary result.
The basic form of this type is: If + past indefinite + would + present form of verb. For example:
- If I knew his brother, I’d / I would support him.
- If he spoke the truth, I wouldn’t need to worry.
- If I thought that he was at home, I would meet him.
Variations of the main clause :
(a) After might or could is used instead of would in main clause. Might is used for possibility and could for ability. For example:
- If he read, he could pass.
- If he read attentively, he might pass.
(b) To express habitual or automatic reactions of the past: Simple Past Tense can be placed in Main clause. (could/might/would not sit). For example:
- If anybody disturbed me, I got/grew angry.
- If there was/happened a scarcity of anything, price of that thing went up.
(c) Variation of tense is possible in main clause if ‘if’ ‘as’ or ‘since’ indicates cause. For example:
- If beef did harm to you, why did you buy/have you bought/do you buy it?
Use of were/was with if clause:
Were is the correct form in all persons after an if clause. However, was can be placed after first person third person singular number. But were is more used. For example:
- If I were rich, I would / I’d help him. Or If I was rich.
- If he were a king, he would establish cottage industries for the poor.
Inversion of Were:
Sometimes the position of if + subject + were can be were + subject…… like:
- Were I there, I would oppose him.
- Were he a millionaire, people would crowd round him.
Type 3 of Conditional Sentence
The basic form of Type 3 is If + past perfect + would have + past participle
1. If I had known that Mr Kalam was there, I would not have gone there.
2. If he had been there, he would have opposed it.
Variations of Conditional Sentence
1. If he had worked hard, he would have passed.
2. If he had worked hard, he could have passed.
3. If he had worked hard, he might have passed.
Had এর Inversion
- Had he not worked hard, he would not have passed. (That is, if he hadn’t worked hard, he wouldn’t have passed.)
Some Exercise for you of Conditional Sentence
Exercise Worked Out
Complete these sentences:
- (a) I will be happy if-
- (b) Have a banana if-
- (c) I will not come tomorrow if
- (d)……..you will fail.
Answers:
- (a) I will be happy if you give me the pen.
- (b) Have a banana if you feel hungry.
- (c) I will not come tomorrow if it rains.
- (d) If you do not read attentively, you will fail.
Complete the sentences:
- (a) I shall go if…….
- (b) If he works hard,……..
- (c) If Kalam tries heart and soul,……..
- (d) Tell him the news if………
- (e) If I find time,……..
- (f) If he is careful,…….
- (g) We will not support him if……..
- (h) If you see him,…….
- (i) Karim will be happy if…..
- (i) He will be angry if…..
Exercise Worked Out of Conditional Sentence
Complete the sentences:
- (a) What would you do if…..
- (b) If I were you,…….
- (c) If I were the Prime Minister,……
- (d) I would fly if……
Answers:
- (a) What would you do if he came here.
- (b) If I were you, I would not forgive him.
- (c) If I were the Prime Minister, I would introduce a new system of government.
- (d) I would fly if I were a bird.
Exercise For Practice
Complete the sentences:
- (a) If I were a king,……
- (b) I would establish a charitable dispensary if……
- (c) He would do the same if……
- (d) If you were a teacher,……
- (e) If he were a doctor,…….