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by Tom Rohrbach
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There are several kinds of "IF" sentences (conditionals) in English. The simplest kind is called "present real". We use a present real conditional to talk about three kinds of things - facts, situations with frequency ("never" / "always" / "usually" / etc.), or commands with "if". |
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P R E S E N T R E A L C O N D I T I O N A L S |
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| TYPE | VERB TENSES USED | EXAMPLES |
| FACTS |
IF-clause → simple present (*or continuous) main-clause → simple present |
If
water boils, it evaporates. If it is raining, you are in Seattle. [JOKE!] |
| FREQUENCY |
IF-clause → simple
present main-clause → simple present |
If I go to Hawaii, I always take
along my scuba equipment. If Bonnie sees a Baskin-Robbins shop, she usually gets some chocolate ice cream. |
| COMMANDS |
IF-clause → simple present main-clause → base form of verb |
If
you see Mr. Dawley, give him this message... If you visit Seattle, take an umbrella with you. [NO JOKE!] |
Do you know how to use verbs in a 'present
real' conditional? These questions will give you good examples
of typical 'present real' conditionals, and they will help you see how
verb tenses look in such sentences.
By the way, if the "if" clause comes first, we always use a comma
after it.
© 2014 Spring International Language Center
