Conditional Sentences: Types and Usage

This page introduces the four main types of conditional sentences in English, providing a comprehensive overview of their structures and uses.

The zero conditional, also known as the factual conditional, is used to express general truths or automatic results. It follows the structure: "If + present simple, present simple."

Example: "If flowers don't get any water, they die."

The first conditional, or real conditional, is used for possible future situations. It typically uses "if + present simple" in the if-clause and "will + infinitive" in the main clause.

Example: "If you're hungry, I'll make you something to eat."

The second conditional, or unreal conditional, describes unlikely or imaginary present/future situations. It uses "if + past simple" in the if-clause and "would + infinitive" in the main clause.

Example: "If I were a rich man, I would have a big house."

The third conditional expresses impossible past situations and their hypothetical results. It uses "if + past perfect" in the if-clause and "would have + past participle" in the main clause.

Example: "If I had studied harder, I would have gotten better grades."

Highlight: Other words that can replace "if" in conditional sentences include "unless," "as long as," "providing that," and "supposing."

Relative Clauses: Types and Usage

This page focuses on relative clauses, which are used to provide additional information about nouns in sentences. It covers the different relative pronouns and their usage.

Relative pronouns include:

• "Who" for people
• "Which" for things
• "Whose" to show possession (can be used for people or things)
• "Where" for places, people, or things

Example: "The hotel where we stayed is 3 km away."

The page also includes information on word formation, listing various suffixes used to form nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.

Vocabulary: Common suffixes for forming nouns include "-ment," "-tion/-sion," "-ation," "-ence/-ance," and "-ity."

Highlight: Relative clauses can be defining (essential to the meaning of the sentence) or non-defining (providing extra, non-essential information).

The guide concludes with a list of prefixes used to form negative words, such as "un-," "in-," "dis-," and "non-."

This comprehensive overview of conditional sentences, comparatives and superlatives, and relative clauses provides students with essential knowledge for improving their English grammar skills.