A conditional* is a sentence, often starting with “if” or “unless,” in which one half expresses something which depends on the other half. Apart from “if” and “unless,” we can use the following conjunctions to start a conditional:
- when (when it means the same as “if”)
- in case (more formal than “if”)
- provided (that) (more formal than “if”)
- as long as
*Note that a conditional is not the same as a condition. A condition is an arrangement that must exist before something else can happen. For example, “One of the conditions in the contract is that we don’t build on the land.” A conditional, on the other hand, is a specialized linguistic term that describes a type of sentence.
There are a few types of conditionals: zero, first, second, third, and mixed. In this post, we’ll look at the first 3 types, analyzing what they mean, how they are formed, and practicing using them. Make sure you subscribe to this blog to not miss future articles about the other types of conditionals. And now, without further ado, let’s dive into the topic of 0, 1st, and 2nd conditionals.
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