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Questions tagged [conditionals]

An independent clause that refers to a hypothetical situation contingent on another set of circumstance.

Questions about the proper use of the conditional mood.

From Wikipedia:

...the inflectional form of the verb used in the independent clause of a conditional sentence to refer to a hypothetical state of affairs, or an uncertain event, that is contingent on another set of circumstances. This mood differs from the subjunctive mood, which occurs in dependent clauses.

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Conditionals with multiple verbs

I'm an ESL teacher. Normally I teach lower intermediate but I also teach a mixed level grammar review class. I pride myself on being able to explain things clearly but today I found myself in THREE sticky situations all in the same class! I'll…
Jerry
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"I wonder how my life would have been different had she lived"

In the game Rise of The Tomb Raider, there's a mission where Lara (main protagonist) explores her parents' mansion. Her parents died when she was a child. As she explores the possession, she recalls memories from her childhood. At some point she…
Nick
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'If she would have studied hard"

I wonder how this sentence sounds. Does it sound absurd or could it be used in some situations? In other words, is it possible to make a correct sentence with this phrase 'if she would have studied hard'? PS. Source: my curiosity (I maybe remember…
gomadeng
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Even if / Even though

Even if/though we couldn't manage without their help, I wouldn't ask them The correct answer is "Even if" because (as I understand) only 'even if' can be used in conditional sentences. Even if we couldn't manage without their help, I wouldn't…
Oksana
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Which is the correct conditional? 'threats if they don't…' or 'threats if they didn't…'

A friend and I are having a debate about a most perplexing piece of English grammar. Now, I am a native English speaker, and he is Polish - this means that he is rather clued up on the grammatical side of things, whereas I know diddly squat, but…
Conor Thackray
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"If ​there is a god please help me"

What​ conditional is this​ ​sentence? If ​there is a god please help me. Is​ it​ real​ conditional? This explanation was taken from a website called VOA Learning English The present real conditional is the most basic kind of conditional.…
lemon
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Which tense should this be? "are to" vs "were to"

I've been doing some exercises lately when one thing struck me: Miss Baiocci would, I am sure, be a real asset to your organisation, knowing as she does a great deal about the way a company such as yours operates. [...] If it were not clear that…
L. S. Jeong Pótrekin
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'Provided that' followed by two conditions

In a sentence where 'provided that' is followed by two conditions, is a second instance of 'that' required, optional or wrong? 1: [statement A], provided that [statement B] and [statement C] 2: [statement A], provided that [statement B] and…
Ian Thompson
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What type of conditional is this? "If Julie went to the party last night, she definitely saw what happened."

I really cannot understand why the sentence is correct and what type of conditional it is. If Julie went to the party last night, she definitely saw what happened. Other examples that confuse me: If you don't know the answer, you didn't do your…
Sahar
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"If I were born in 1920s, my name would have been Margaret"

Yesterday I heard someone saying If I were born in 1920s, my name would have been Margaret. and I was confused why she didn't say If i had been born in 1920s What's the difference here?
zoddy
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If you knew how bad things were... or If you knew how bad things are

Which one is correct and why? If you knew how bad things were, you would not go on vacation right now. or If you knew how bad things are, you would not go on vacation right now. This is assuming that "things" are actually bad right now (that's…
Nicolas
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If I was there vs if I had been there

I know that if I was there is a simple tense and if I had been there is used in conditional sentences. But do both mean the same, or, if there is any difference, then what is it? Can I use if I was there instead of if I had been there in a…
Noman
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'Provided that' followed by 'no sooner'

I came across this odd-phrased (to my ear at least) sentence in a text I'm proofreading, would appreciate your opinion: "... the settlement agreement may be executed at any stage of the bankruptcy proceedings, provided that no sooner than the list…
QriS
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Usage of the phrase, "when this" when referring to a condition

Consider this statement. The maximum number of solutions is given by the formula, x * x. For example, consider the case, x = 2, when this maximum is 4. I thought there is a minor ambiguity in the above sentence with the phrase, "when this". I can…
Senthil Kumaran
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"... if we become friends" or "became" or "were to become"?

"I would feel happy if we become friends." (become) or "I would feel happy if we became friends." (became) or "I would feel happy if we were to become friends." (were to become) Update: or "I would feel happy if we could become friends." (could…
semantax
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