17.
3 if when in case
If and in case are used in similar sentences, but have very different meanings.
[00:00:05] In case is used to talk about precaution, doing something in advance to avoid
something bad in the future, and preparing for multiple possible outcomes.
[00:00:15] If means that one action is dependent on, happens because of a second action. Only
with the other event.
[00:00:23] When is most commonly used to refer to the moment when, exactly the moment
something happens, or a moment in the future.
[00:00:32] Let's take a look.
[00:00:33] In case.
[00:00:34] In case is used to show precaution. To show that someone is doing something to
prepare for a possible outcome. It also means that these actions are done in advance without a
guarantee that the other event will happen. That's very different than if sentences, where you
do something only if, only when a different event happens.
[00:00:56] In case is followed by a subject and verb, we don't use will with in case. Instead a
present tense verb is used and that will give us actually the meaning of the future tense. So use
the present tense to mean the future. Don't use will.
[00:01:12] Bring an umbrella in case it rains.
[00:01:14] Should I bring an umbrella? Why? Because it might rain. So the umbrella is a
precaution. It's to be safe and not get caught in the rain. We don't know how likely it is that it's
going to rain but it's a good idea to be prepared whether it rains or not by bringing an umbrella.
No one wants to get stuck in the rain without one of these and the subject is it here, and the
verb is rain.
[00:01:39] Bring some extra money in case it costs more than he told us.
[00:01:43] There is the possibility. In the future that something is more expensive than we
remember. To prepare for that, we will bring extra money in case. To be safe. So even if the
price is not higher, we are prepared either way. We are prepared for it to be cheaper or more
expensive. And here our subject is it again and cost is our verb.
[00:02:03] Just in case.
[00:02:04] If we still put a subject and verb after just in case, it means something has a smaller
possibility of happening, not as likely. So changing our previous examples we get.
[00:02:14] Bring an umbrella just in case it rains.
[00:02:16] Same meaning. It means to rain or it might rain. So it's a good idea to bring an
umbrella. But now it sounds like it's less likely to rain or maybe even much less likely to happen.
[00:02:28] Bring some extra money just in case it costs more than he told us.
[00:02:32] Because of just, we don't really think it will cost more than we were told. But it's
often a good idea to be on the safe side. We want to be a little bit precautious. It doesn't seem
like it's likely to happen. But just in case the price is higher than we thought, let's bring some
more.
[00:02:48] Just in case.
[00:02:49] We can also use just in case by itself. Basically to mean if anything happens, to see
what's happening, or if anything has happened. It usually comes at the end of a sentence and is
often used to say or Justify why you're doing something. In case cannot be used this way, by
itself.
[00:03:08] Yeah, bring your boots, you know, just in case.
[00:03:11] You should call your teacher to see if you left your backpack there. Just in case.
[00:03:15] I'm going to call her, just in case.
[00:03:17] In case of plus noun.
[00:03:19] In case of is always followed by a noun and now we are talking about what to do if a
specific situation happens. And that situation is our noun. For this use its in case of plus a noun
and the meaning is very similar to if.
[00:03:36] In case of rain, bring an umbrella.
[00:03:38] In case of fire, use the emergency exit.
[00:03:41] In case of a tsunami, find a safe shelter.
[00:03:44] If.
[00:03:45] If as a conditional tells us that an action or event depends on something else
occurring. The one action will only happen if the other action happens, it's a condition for
something to happen. A necessity. One thing won't happen unless the if happens, too. This is
very different than in case, because we use in case to take precautions, to be careful and to be
prepared for events that are possible to happen, but are not guaranteed to happen. If is used to
show that one thing will only happen when another thing happens. The action needs the other
action or event to happen first. It's conditional on the other action. Let's see how much if
changes the meaning of our previous examples.
[00:04:29] Bring an umbrella if it rains.
[00:04:32] With if we are saying that someone should bring an umbrella only if it is raining.
Basically we're saying is there rain? Yes. Okay, then bring an umbrella .Or is there rain? No.
Okay. Don't bring an umbrella. With in case we are prepared for situations of rain and no rain,
but with if we are only taking one action that is dependent on something else. So here with if
maybe it's not raining when we leave, so I don't bring the umbrella, because I was only going to
bring it if it was raining at the time we left, but it starts raining later perhaps. Well, I should have
brought the umbrella in case that happened.
[00:05:12] Bring some extra money if it costs more than he told us.
[00:05:15] With in case it sounded like we were still at home. Preparing to go out and we are
being cautious. Ready for any situation by bringing more money to the place we are going.
However with if here, it sounds like we did not prepare. We are just about to see how much this
thing costs. Let's say it's more than we thought, now, we will have to go and get more money.
That's because if is not used to prepare for multiple possible outcomes. If is only used to prepare
one specific outcome.
[00:05:46] Bob will go to your party. If you give him a ride.
[00:05:49] In this example, Bob will go to his friend's party. But there is a condition. There is
something required. Someone must give him a ride. Maybe Bob can't drive and walking is not an
option. So he will go to the party, but there is a requirement. His going to the party depends on
a different action happening. Someone giving him a ride. He will only go to the party if someone
takes him there.
[00:06:15] This lecture was used to look at how we use if to show that one action depends or is
conditional on another action if. Want to know how to make the conditional if sentences, like if I
had a million dollars, I would buy a boat, that is in the next section.
[00:06:29] When.
[00:06:30] We've seen when a few times, but as a wh- question word to ask about the time that
something happens.
[00:06:36] Now, let's look at how to use it as a conjunction. As a conjunction it means at, or
during a time. At the moment something happens. It's used to show what was or will be
happening at a specific time. If when comes at the beginning of a sentence, we use a comma to
connect the different parts of the sentence. But when it comes later in the sentence, we use no
comma.
[00:06:59] The comma rule is the same with after, before and while. Here are some examples.
[00:07:04] When you feel hungry, eat a healthy snack.
[00:07:07] Eat a healthy snack when you feel hungry.
[00:07:09] So at the time of feeling hunger, the moment it happens, eat a snack.
[00:07:13] When he called me, I told him I was busy.
[00:07:16] I told him I was busy when he called me.
[00:07:18] So I received a call. At the moment Ireceived it, right when I received it, I told them I
was unavailable.
[00:07:24] When plus the future.
[00:07:26] When can be used to talk about the future, too. But listen. The verb after when
remains in the present simple or present perfect. The verb in the other part of the sentence will
be used in the future tense. I'll give you some examples to make this clear. So we can say.
[00:07:43] I will call you when I arrive ,or when I arrive, I will call you.
[00:07:47] I use the future simple but not with my when verb. I use the future simple in the
other part of the sentence. That's the other clause. We'll talk more about clauses later in this
section.
[00:07:58] When you've woken up, I'm going to make you some coffee and breakfast.
[00:08:02] I'm going to make you some coffee and breakfast when you've woken up.
[00:08:06] At the moment you do something, wake up. I am going to do something for you. This
rule is almost exactly the same for after, before, until and while. They can also talk about the
future, but won't use future tenses. Their verbs can only be in the present simple.
[00:08:22] I will talk to you after you wake up.
[00:08:25] Or after you wake up, I will talk to you.
[00:08:27] Before you go to bed, they'll stop by your house.
[00:08:30] Or they'll stop by your house before you go to bed.
[00:08:33] I'll be home until they return from there trip.
[00:08:36] While you're in class, I'm going to pick up lunch.
[00:08:38] Or I'm going to pick up lunch while you're in class.