CONDITIONAL SENTENCES: Mixed Conditional Sentences

CONDITIONAL SENTENCES

Conditional sentences are sentences expressing factual implication or hypothetical situations and their consequences. In other words it means that in order for a certain actions to take place there should be conditions to be fulfilled in the main clause.

Teaching English to Speakers of other Languages (TESOL)

Therefore, they are called conditional sentences because the validity of the sentences is conditional on the existence of a certain circumstance which may be expressed in the context of dependent clause or may be understood from the context. Conditional sentence is made up of two clauses which are dependent clause which express the condition (Protasis) and independentclause (Apodosis). For example;

If I get money, I will buy a car

Protasis              Apodosis

If a conditional sentence begins with a dependent clause, a comma is put to separate the two. However, a comma can not be used in case a sentence begins with an independent clause. For example;

• If Makanga comes, we will roast meat.
• We will roast meat if Makanga comes.

There are three types of conditional sentences.

·       Conditional sentence type one (Open/likely)

·       Conditional sentence type two (Closed/unlikely)

·       Conditional sentence type three (Unfulfilled/impossible)

CONDITIONAL SENTENCETYPE ONE (OPEN/LIKELY)

This is the one which expresses that an action is possible and also is very likely that the condition will be fulfilled. Its formation involves the following formula;

If + simple present, will-future. For example;

If it rains, we will plant trees.

CONDITIONAL SENTENCE TYPE TWO (CLOSED/UNLIKELY)

It is possible but very unlikely that the condition will be fulfilled. The rule of its formation is;

If + simple past, would + infinitive. For example,

If it rained much in Dodoma, we would plant rice.

Read more: Conditional Clauses (if-clauses)

CONDITIONAL SENTENCES TYPE THREE (UNFULFILLED/IMPOSSIBLE)

It is impossible that the condition will be fulfilled because everything referred to, is already in the past. These sentences are formed out of this formula;

If + past perfect + would + have + past participle. For example;

If he had studied hard, he would have passed the exam.

*Note; It is from the above three main types of conditional sentences that all other

types originate from.

Read more: Conditional sentences I, II, and III

MIXED CONDITIONAL SENTENCES

These usually refers to a mixture of the second and the third conditionals, and either the conditions or consequences, but not both has a past time reference.

When the condition refers to the past and the consequence to the present, the condition clause is in the past perfect (as with the third condition), while the main clause is in the conditional mood as in the second condition. For example,

If you had not studied hard, you would not be living in this beautiful house.

When the consequences refer to the past but the condition is not expressed as being limited to the past, the conditional clause is expressed as in the second conditional, (past but not past perfect) while the main clause is in the conditional perfect as in the third condition. For example;

• If we were the administrators, we would have accepted the idea.

More examples;

• If he was the master, he would have won the fighting.
• If he was the teacher, he would have agreed the contract.

Also read more about conditional sentences

MIXED CONDITIONAL PATTERNS

1.  a) Past-Present.

Example; -If he had got the first bus, he would be in Mwanza now.

          -In case he had got the first bus, he would be in Mwanza now.

(But he did not get the first bus in the past that is why he is not in Mwanza     now.)

          -If I had been serious in my studies, I would have a good job.

(But I wasn’t serious in my studies that is why I don’t have a good job).

b) Past-Future.

-If James had taken a new car, he would be arriving at Musoma the next hour.

   (But he didn’t take a new car and he is not going to arrive at Musoma the next hour).

       2.  a) Present-Past.

        -If I were the president, I would have sucked out all the                   corrupt ministers.

(But I am not the president and the corrupt ministers are still in their positions).

    -If Martin went to school, he would have written the letter for         you.

(But Martin doesn’t know how to write, that’s why he didn’t help you to write a letter).

   

    b) Present-Future.

   -If she was not sick, she would go to visit her aunt tomorrow.

     (But she is still sick and so she will not go). 

3.  a) Future-Past.

   -If he was not going to be a priest in two years to come, he would have married a girl proposed by his parents.

(But he is going to be a priest in two years to come and that is why he didn’t accept to marry).

b) Future-Present.

   -If we were doing the exams next week, we would be very frustrated.

(But we are not going to do the exams next week and so we are not frustrated).       

      *Note;    the other words used instead of if in If-Clause are: Unless, in case, and provided that.

  ü In case I were you, I would have bought a new car.

  ü She would go to visit her aunt tomorrow provided that she was not sick.

  ü Unless we were doing the exams next week, we would not be frustrated.

Therefore, mixed conditional sentences comes from second and third conditional sentences, which are the two major among the three known conditional sentences.

Read more on: The summary of basic verbs forms and meaning in sentences with if clauses

REFERENCES

Coghill, J. and Magendanz, S. (2003), English Grammar, New York: Wiley Publishing.

Hopper Paul, J. A. (1999), Short Course in Grammar, New York: W. W. Norton and Company Ltd.

N. D. V. Prasada Rao (2010), English Grammar and Composition, India: S. Chanel and Company.