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Imagining Wealth: Conditional Grammar Guide

The document discusses conditional sentences using "if" clauses to talk about imagined or hypothetical situations. It provides examples of common conditional sentences using "if" and the past tense form, even though the meaning refers to future possibilities rather than past events. It also notes that "were" should be used in formal grammar for all subjects in the conditional clause, though "was" is commonly accepted in informal speech. The document ends by posing hypothetical situations and asking the reader to share what they would do in those scenarios.

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Ana Maria Lay Obregon
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23 views19 pages

Imagining Wealth: Conditional Grammar Guide

The document discusses conditional sentences using "if" clauses to talk about imagined or hypothetical situations. It provides examples of common conditional sentences using "if" and the past tense form, even though the meaning refers to future possibilities rather than past events. It also notes that "were" should be used in formal grammar for all subjects in the conditional clause, though "was" is commonly accepted in informal speech. The document ends by posing hypothetical situations and asking the reader to share what they would do in those scenarios.

Uploaded by

Ana Maria Lay Obregon
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

What would you do if y

had a lot of money?


SO…
What would YOU do if you
won the lottery!?
Maxine would buy a new house
for herself and her parents if
she won the lottery.
If Paul won the lottery, he’d
take a trip around the world.

John and his wife would buy a


piano if they became rich.
We use unreal conditionals in
English to talk about:
A situation that is not real, but that we imagine . . .

If I had a million dollars . . . I would …


If I lived in Italy . . . I would . . .
If I got a job as a chef . . . I would . . .
Are these real situations?
• Do I really have a million dollars?
• Do I really live in Italy?
• Do I really work as a chef?
How do we make this type of conditional
grammar? Look at these examples:
1. If my friend asked me for money,
I would lend it to her.
2. Tomas would be happier if he got a
less stressful job.
3. Speaking in English would be easier
if you practiced more frequently.
After the IF, use ______________________ tense.

In the other clause, use __________________.


Form & Meaning:
When you imagine a future happening like
this, you use a past tense form after IF;

However, the meaning is NOT past.


Ex. If I moved to a big city, I’d sell my
car.

The meaning here is NOT past tense . . .


I didn’t move away and I didn’t sell my car.

I’m imagining a future possibility.


Notice that you can start these
sentences with the If-clause or with
the Would-clause:
If Marta moved abroad, she would
learn another language.
Marta would learn another language if
she moved abroad.
Try these examples:
1. If we ____________ (have) more time
and money, we ________________ (take)
a vacation to Hawaii.

2. The world ______________


(be) a better place if everyone
______________ (help) others.
More Practice . . .
3. If you ____________ (get) more
exercise, I’m sure you ________________
(feel) healthier and happier.

4. Jack ______________ (do) better


in school if he _____________
(sleep) more each night.
Important Note!
Formal grammar requires that when making
these kinds of conditional sentences, we use
WERE for the past tense of be for
all subjects (including I, he, she).

Ex. -If I were you, I would buy that


house.
-She would buy a mansion if she were
wealthy.
You will probably hear many native
speakers of English use WAS in these
cases, and this is often accepted in
spoken, less formal situations.
What would YOU do if . . .

• you became rich?


• you found a wallet on the street?
• your house caught on fire?
• your best friend moved far away?
• your child failed a test?
• you could be invisible for a day?
• you met a famous person on the street?
• you saw a ghost?

Share Your Responses with the class . . .

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