Conditionals MacMillan FCE
Conditionals MacMillan FCE
Conditionals MacMillan FCE
a) Why didn't you tell me? If you told/had told me, I had helped/would have
helped you.
b) If Bill didn't steal/hadn't stolen the car, he wasn't/wouldn't be/hadn't been in
prison now.
c) If Ann wasn't driving/didn't drive/hadn't driven so fast, her car didn't
crash/wouldn't crash/wouldn't have crashed into a tree.
d) Let me give you some advice. If you smoked/would smoke/had smoked less, you
didn't feel/wouldn't feel/wouldn't have felt so tired.
e) What bad luck! If Alan didn't fall/hadn't fallen/wouldn't fall over, he won/would
win/would have won the race.
f) If you invited/had invited me last week, I was able/had been able/would have
been able to come.
g) I'm sure your letter hasn't arrived yet. If it came/had come I'm sure I
noticed/had noticed/would have noticed it.
h) We have a suggestion to make. How do you feel/would you feel if we
offered/would offer/had offered you the job of assistant manager?
i) If you lent/had lent us the money, we paid/would pay/had paid you back next
week.
j) Terry never catches anything when he goes fishing. And if he
catches/caught/had caught a fish, he throws/would throw it back!
GRAMMAR 7 CONDITIONALS
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FIRST C E R T I F I C A T E L A N G U A G E P R A C T I C E
d)
c) If I had my credit card with me, I would have bought the coat.
d) You would not have got lost if you had taken the map.
e) If Graham had not lost his watch, he would not have missed the plane.
f) If you had not told me her name, I would have found out from someone else.
Key p o i n t s 1 The present tense form in first conditional sentences does not refer to present
time. It refers to future time.
2 The past tense form in second conditional sentences does not refer to past time.
It refers to future time.
3 The difference between first and second conditional sentences can depend on
the attitude of the speaker. The future situation might have a high possibility of
happening (first conditional) or a low possibility (second conditional).
If she falls, she'll land in the safety net.
(This means that there is a real possibility that she will fall.)
If she fell she would land in the safety net.
(I am commenting on an imaginary situation, and I do not think she is likely to
fall.)
4 Might and could are common in conditional sentences when we are uncertain
about our predictions.
If you leave now, you might catch the train.
If you asked him nicely, he might agree.
If you'd continued driving in that way, you could have hit another car.
5 Mixed conditional forms are possible, especially where a past event has a
present result.
If Brenda hadn't stolen the money, she wouldn't be in prison.
6 Unless, provided, and as long as can introduce conditions.
4.3,