Conditional sentences. Construction “I wish”

– Hello, boys and girls!

– Welcome to our lesson!

– We are happy to see you.

– Today we are going to start our lesson with the following five sentences…

If the clock strikes midnight, it’s a new day.

If Kate and Jake are hungry, I will make some sandwiches.

If Cole had a good voice, he would become a rock singer.

If Wendy had studied harder, she would have passed the exam.

I wish you wouldn’t be so rude to your sister Daisy.

As you can see, the first sentence is the zero conditional, the second sentence is the first conditional, the following sentence is the second conditional and the fourth sentence is the third conditional. Now pay attention to the last sentence! Here we’ve used the construction “I wish”.

What’s the difference between these four types of conditional sentences? When can we use the construction “I wish”?

You can find the answers to these questions in this lesson.

So, today in the lesson we will:

● talk about 4 main types of conditional sentences;

● talk about the construction “I wish”;

And

● put the knowledge into practice.

First, let’s answer the question:

What is a conditional sentence?

A conditional sentence is a type of sentences that gives a condition and the outcome of the condition occurring. It simply means that one thing is required for something else to occur or exist.

Conditional sentences consist of two clauses. The first clause is called a conditional clause or if-clause. And the second clause is called a main clause or a result clause.

The if-clause gives a condition and the result clause describes a possible or certain result.

For instance:

If I won a million dollars, I would give up my job tomorrow!

If we had won the competition, we would have had a free trip to Italy.

The if-clauses usually come before the result clauses, but they may also come after them.

Pay attention!

When the if-clause precedes the result clause, we separate the two clauses with a comma.

When the result clause precedes the if-clause, we don’t need to add a comma.

Look at the examples:

If I had seen Julia, I would have invited her to the concert.

Katherine could study better if she wasn’t so lazy.

You also need to know that…

There are 4 main types of conditional sentences in the English language. And they are:

The zero conditional

For example:

Plants die if they don’t get enough water.

The first conditional

For instance:

If my sister watches this film, she will cry.

The second conditional

For example:

If I were rich, I would never work again.

The third conditional

For instance:

I would have helped if I had known you were in trouble.

(Now let’s talk about each one of these types in detail.)

Let’s start with the zero conditional.

The zero conditional is used to talk about things that are always or generally true. For example, we can use it to talk about scientific facts, laws, rules, general habits, etc.

The structure of zero conditionals is simple. In the if-clause we use the conjunction “if” and the Present Simple tense. In the result clause we also use the Present Simple tense.

For example:

If you mix blue and yellow, you get green.

If the weather is nice, we eat on the balcony.

The following type of conditional sentences is:

The first conditional

The first conditional is used to express a real or very probable situation in the present or in the future.

The structure of the first conditional is as follows:

In the if-clause we use the conjunction “if” and the Present Simple tense. In the result clause we use the Future Simple tense or the modal verbs “can”, “may”, “must”, “should” and so on.

Look at the examples:

If you don’t hurry, you will miss the train.

If you finish your homework, you can watch TV.

Pay attention! Even though the if-clause refers to the future, we must use the present tense!

For instance:

If I see Kate, I will invite her to my party.

Not: If I will see Kate, I will invite her to my party.

If it rains tomorrow, I will stay at home.

Not: If it will rain tomorrow, I will stay at home.

The following type of conditional sentences is:

The second conditional

The second conditional is used to talk about an impossible situation or about what is unlikely to happen in the present or in the future.

The structure of the second conditional is as follows:

In the if-clause we use the conjunction “if” and the Past Simple or the Past Continuous tense. In the result clause we use “would”, “could” or “might” with the bare infinitive.

Look at the examples:

If I won a lot of money, I would buy a big house.

If we had a garden, we could have a cat.

Pay attention! We can use either “were” or “was” for the 1^st and the 3^rd person singular in the if-clause. We can also use the structure “if I were you…” to give a piece of advice.

Look at the examples:

If she was angry, she wouldn’t talk to us.

If I were taller, I would buy this dress.

If I were you, I would give up smoking.

The following type of conditional sentences is:

The third conditional

The third conditional is used to talk about something in the past that didn’t happen. It is also used to express regrets or criticism.

The structure of the third conditional is as follows:

In the if-clause we use the conjunction “if” and the Past Perfect or the Past Perfect Continuous tense. In the result clause we use “would”, “could” or “might” with the bare perfect infinitive.

Look at the examples:

If I had finished college, I would have become a doctor.

If I hadn’t learnt English, I wouldn’t have got this job.

The conjunction “if” is the most common conditional conjunction used in conditional sentences, but we can also use the conjunction “unless”. We use it to state a negative condition.

“Unless” means the same as “if…not”.

For instance:

Unless it rains, we will go for a picnic by the river tomorrow.

Or

If it does not rain, we will go for a picnic by the river tomorrow.

The conjunction “if” can also be replaced by the following words and expressions:

In case

When

Even if

Only if

As long as

Provided (that)

Supposing (that)

And so on.

Look at the examples:

You can play in the living room as long as you don’t make a mess.

I will clean up the kitchen right away when I’m back from work.

I will call Madison in case she wants to come with us to the cinema.

Guys, we’ve talked about conditional sentences. Now…

Complete the sentences with the correct conditional form of the verb!

Let’s check the right answers!

1. If I were a millionaire, I would buy a beautiful car.

2. She wouldn’t have had an accident if she had driven carefully.

3. If James finishes early, he will visit his grandfather.

4. If you mix red and blue, you get purple.

5. If Grace goes to Paris, she will visit the Eiffel Tower.

6. He wouldn’t have missed the bus if he had woken up earlier.

7. If you freeze water, it turns to ice.

8. If Dylan were rich, he would travel around the world.

Now, everyone, let’s talk about the construction “I wish”.

The construction “I wish” expresses hypothetical, unlikely or unreal wishes and contains past tense forms.

Now let’s answer the question:

When can we use the construction “I wish”?

1. We can use it to say that we would like something to be different about a present situation.

In this case, we use “I wish” with the Past Simple or Past Continuous tense.

For instance:

I wish Joshua wasn’t going back to Japan tomorrow.

2. It can be used to express regret about something that happened or didn’t happen in the past.

In this case, we use “I wish” with the Past Perfect tense.

For example:

I wish Mike hadn’t eaten all the pizza. I’m so hungry!

3. We can use it to express irritation or a desire for a situation or person’s behaviour to change.

In this case, we use “I wish” with the subject, the word “would” and the bare infinitive.

For instance:

I wish you wouldn’t be so rude to your brother!

Pay attention! We can use the construction “if only” instead of “I wish”. It is used in exactly the same way. The only difference between “if only” and “I wish” is that the construction “if only” is more emphatic and dramatic.

Look at the examples:

If only we knew what to do in this situation.

If only I had studied harder when I was at school.

If only you would stop arguing with your mum.

Guys, we’ve talked about the construction “I wish”. Now…

Open the brackets using the necessary form of the verb!

The sentences are…

Let’s check the right answers!

1. If only she had seen the doctor earlier. He could have saved her.

2. I’m sorry I don’t know how to use the computer. If only I knew how to use it.

3. I wish you would stop making so much noise!

4. I didn’t get a good mark yesterday. I wish I had worked harder.

5. I wish you wouldn’t come through the kitchen with your dirty boots on.

6. I wish I was going with you to the meeting tomorrow.

– Well done, everyone! Now you know more about conditional sentences and the construction “I wish”.

– That’s all for today. See you soon.