Verbs: Conditional Sentences, Wishes, Requests, Demands, and Recommendations

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When if or unless is used to introduce a dependent clause, the sentence expresses a condition. Of the four types of conditional sentences used in English, two refer to actual or possible situations and two refer to speculative or hypothetical situations.

KEY POINTS      Verb Tenses in Conditional Sentences

Conditions of Fact

Sentences expressing conditions of fact refer to actual situations or make generalizations. They state what may be real and true. The word when can also introduce clauses in sentences expressing conditions of fact. Use the same tense, usually the simple present, in both the dependent and the independent clause.

Examples

If the sun's rays are strong, our skin burns. When people earn more, they spend more. Prices fluctuate unless the government intervenes.

 
Conditions of Prediction/Possibility

Sentences expressing conditions of prediction look to the future and predict what will happen if certain circumstances prevail. Use the present tense in the dependent clause and will (or another modal auxiliary) plus the base form of the verb in the independent clause to express future time.

Examples

If it rains this afternoon, I will stay home. If I get married, I might wait a few years before I have children. They will not drive to Kansas unless their car has a new muffler.

 
Conditions of Speculation about Present or Future Time

Sentences expressing conditions of speculation consider hypothetical situations in the present or the future. Use the simple past tense in the dependent clause and would (or another modal auxiliary verb) plus the base form of the verb in the independent clause.

Examples

If they worked harder on the job, they might get a promotion. [They may or may not work harder.] If we had a million dollars, we would make a donation to the museum. [We don't have a million dollars.]

With speculative conditions about the present and future using the verb be, were is used in place of was in the dependent if clause. This use of were to indicate hypothetical situations involves what is called the subjunctive mood.

Examples

If I were an Alaskan, I would probably choose to live in Anchorage. [I am not an Alaskan.] If my aunt were sixty-five, she could get a discount air fare. [My aunt is sixty.]

Conditions of Speculation about the Past

Sentences that look back to past events and speculate about an entirely different outcome also express hypothetical conditions. Use the past perfect tense in the dependent clause and would have (or another modal auxiliary verb) plus the past participle in the to independent clause speculate about past time.

Examples

If they had saved more money, they would have moved to a bigger apartment. [The opposite is true: they didn't save, so they didn't move.] If people had known about the environmental dangers of Love Canal, they would never have bought property there. [The opposite is true: they didn't know, so they did buy.]

Note:

Some blending of conditional meaning and tenses can occur, as in the case of a condition that speculates about the past in relation to the effect on the present.

Example

If I had bought a new car instead of this old wreck, I would feel a lot safer today.

 
In standard written English, use would only in the independent clause, not in the conditional clause. However, would occurs frequently in the conditional clause in speech and informal use.

	Faulty	If the fish fry committee would show more initiative, people might attend their events more regularly.
	Revised	If the fish fry committee showed more initiative, people might attend their events more regularly.
	Faulty	If I would have heard him say that, I would have been angry.
	Revised	If I had heard him say that, I would have been angry.

 
Would, could, and might are used in independent clauses when no conditional clause is present. These are situations that are contrary to fact, and the conditional clause is understood.

Example

I would never advise her to leave college without a degree. She might come back later and blame me for her lack of direction.

Wishes

Like some conditions, wishes deal with speculation. For a present wish — about something that has not happened and is therefore hypothetical and imaginary — use the past tense or the subjunctive were in the dependent clause. For a wish about the past, use the past perfect tense: had + past participle.

A wish about the present

Examples

I wish I had your attitude. I wish that Dr. Spock were here now to give us advice.

 
A wish about the past

Examples

Some union members wish that the strike had never occurred. He wishes that he had bought a lottery ticket.

 
Requests, Demands, and Recommendations

The subjunctive also appears after certain verbs, such as request, command, insist, demand, move (in the sense of "propose"), propose, and urge. In these cases the verb in the dependent clause is the base form, regardless of the person and number of the subject.

Examples

I suggest that this rule be changed. I suggest that students be allowed to vote. He insisted that she hand in the report. I move that the treasurer revise the budget.

 
Some idiomatic expressions preserve the subjunctive in standard English: for example, far be it for me, if need be, as it were.


See also
Sentence Problems: Verbs