English Exercises Grammar

 Use this text to answer the tasks to follow.
‘I don’t think I can stand this much longer, Mike. Take me away, please.’
‘Where is there to go? – if we could go,’ I said.
‘The cottage, Mike. It wouldn’t be so bad there, in the country…’
‘But even if we could get there, we’d have to live,’ I pointed out, ’we’d need food and fuel
and things.’
‘… We could find enough to keep us going for a time until we could grow things… It’d be
hard – but, Mike, I can’t stay in this cemetery and longer – I can’t… Look at it, Mike! Look at
it! We never did anything to deserve all this… If it had only been something we could fight!...
‘I can’t stand it here any more, Mike. I shall go mad if I have to sit here doing nothing any
longer while a great city dies by inches all around me. It’d be different in Cornwall,
anywhere in the country. I’d rather have to work night and day to keep alive than just go on
like this. I think I’d rather die trying to get away than face another winter like last.’
I had not realized it was as bad as that. It wasn’t a thing to be argued about.
‘All right, darling,’ I said. ‘We’ll go.’
(from The Kraken Wakes by J. Wyndham)
a) Can you identify examples of hypothetical meaning in the above passage, e.g., ‘It
wouldn’t be so bad there.’
b) How many conditional clauses can you find in the extract?
 Complete the following quotations by matching the conditional clauses in the left-
hand column with their main clauses in the right-hand column.
1. If we see the light at the end of the a) I’d live over a saloon. (W. C. Fields, actor)
tunnel,
2. If voting changed anything, b) then you are not really a rich man. (J.
Paul Getty, tycoon)
3. If I had to live my life over, c) I’d have taken better care of myself.
(Eubie Blake, centenarian)
4. If we want things to stay as they are, d) they’d abolish it. (Ken Livingstone, mayor
of London)
5. If I’d known I was gonna live this long, e) I’d use it. (J. M. W. Turner, painter)
6. If you can actually count your money, f) it’s the light of the oncoming train.
(Robert Lowell, poet)
7. If I could find anything blacker than g) the whole face of the world would have
black, changed. (Blaise Pascal, philosopher)
8. If Cleopatra’s nose had been shorter, h) things will have to change. (Giuseppe di
Lampedusa, writer)
What grammatical clues helped you do this?
 Categorize the sentences according to Types 1,2 or 3. Which examples do not fit?
Why not?
a) If you suffer from hayfever, brew a nettle tea by putting five or six fresh leaves in a
mug of hot water.
b) If you were on a sinking ship and you could save only one person, would it be Kelly,
or your executive producer?
c) If it rains, the pollen count will go down, but the mold count will go up.
d) I think that if you would go down the street and ask anyone, they would say children
have their own opinions.
e) What would happen if Congress passed a big tax cut and nobody noticed?
 Decide whether the following situations are possible or impossible:
a) If it is snowing (now/tomorrow), we’ll go skiing.

b) If it was snowing (now/tomorrow), we’d go skiing.
c) If it was snowing (then) we’d go skiing.
d) If it had been snowing (then) we would have gone skiing.
 Put each verb in brackets into an appropriate verb form.
1. Now we’re lost! If you _______________________ (write down) Mary’s directions,

this ___________________________ (not/happen).
2. Why don't we emigrate? If we ___________________ (live) in Australia, at least the
weather _________________________ (be) better!
3. I'm afraid that Smith is a hardened criminal. If we
_______________________________ (not/punish) him this time, he
______________________________________ (only/commit) more crimes.
4. Thanks to Dr Jones, I'm still alive! If it ___________________________ (not/be) for
her, I _____________________________________ (be) dead for certain.
5. I'm sorry I can't lend you any money. You know that if I
_________________________ (have) it, I __________________________(lend) it to
you.
 Decide whether each sentence is grammatically possible or not.
1. If it isn't for David, we are missing the bus. _______________

2. If it's raining, we go to the pub on the corner instead. ___________________
3. If you didn't lend us the money, we would have gone to the bank. _______________
4. If you should happen to change your mind, drop me a line. ___________________
5. If it wasn't for the rain, we would have been home by now. ___________________
 Complete each sentence with a phrase containing the verb in brackets in an

appropriate form.
1. If it _______________________ (rain) I would have gone out for a walk.

2. If you'd told me it was a surprise party, I _____________________ (say) anything to
Uncle Dave!
3. Thanks for your help with the garden; I ________________________ (do) otherwise.
4. If only Mick had come to the disco, then we ______________________ (have) a
great time!
5. _____________________________ (pay) the phone bill today, the phone will be cut
off.
 Rewrite each sentence three times so that it contains the word in capitals.
1. If you hurry up you won't be late. DON'T / OR / WANT
2. If they offered you the job, would you accept? WERE TO / SHOULD / HAPPENED
 Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence,
using the word given. Do not change the word given.
1. If you are in London by any chance, come and see me.

happen
If you ______________________________________________ come and see me.
2. If you insist on doing everything yourself, of course you'll feel tired!
will
3. If you _____________________________________________, of course you'll feel
tired!
4. Please take a seat, and I'll inquire for you.
will
5. If you ___________________________________________________, I'll inquire for
you.
6. If you do the shopping, I'll cook lunch.
and
7. You _______________________________________________________ I'll cook
lunch.
8. If Pauline hadn't been interested, the project would have been abandoned.
interest
9. But ______________________________________________________ the project
would have been abandoned.
 Complete each sentence with an unreal conditional using information from the
sentences above it.
a) I don’t know Jason’s phone number. I can’t tell him what happened.
If _____________________________________________________________.
b) She didn’t prepare for the test. She didn’t pass.
If ________________________________________________________________.
c) You didn’t warn us about the bad weather. I didn’t bring a raincoat.
If ________________________________________________________________.
 Complete each sentence in such a way that it is as similar as possible in meaning to

the sentence above it.
a) We’ll have to leave without your friend if she doesn’t come soon.
Unless ________________________________________________________.
b) We’re going to start playing if Andy’s ready or if he’s not ready.
Whether _______________________________________________________.

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 Use this text to answer the tasks to follow.

‘Where is there to go? – if we could go,’ I said.

‘The cottage, Mike. It wouldn’t be so bad there, in the country…’

‘All right, darling,’ I said. ‘We’ll go.’

(from The Kraken Wakes by J. Wyndham)

What grammatical clues helped you do this?

 Decide whether the following situations are possible or impossible:

a) If it is snowing (now/tomorrow), we’ll go skiing.

 Put each verb in brackets into an appropriate verb form.

1. Now we’re lost! If you _______________________ (write down) Mary’s directions,

 Decide whether each sentence is grammatically possible or not.

1. If it isn't for David, we are missing the bus. _______________

 Complete each sentence with a phrase containing the verb in brackets in an

1. If it _______________________ (rain) I would have gone out for a walk.

1. If you hurry up you won't be late. DON'T / OR / WANT

1. If you are in London by any chance, come and see me.

 Complete each sentence in such a way that it is as similar as possible in meaning to

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