Conditional Tense
CONDITIONAL TENSE
Conditional sentences usually are of the type in which one circumstance will be symbiotic with the other. For example, “if I find her address, I’ll send her the invite.” Normally, there are three kinds of relationships which can be expressed using the conditional- factual, future, and imaginative conditional relationship.
Factual conditionals generate two branches- timeless and time-bound conditionals. Furthermore, timeless conditionals are divided into habitual and generic statements. Generic factual conditionals basically serve the purpose of signifying invariable truths which is usually found in scientific journals etc and are usually in simple present tense. For example, “if you melt ice, it turns into water.”
Habitual factual conditionals also signify truth but a habitual truth not a scientific one. For example, “if I clean the room, you do the dishes”. Since it is not time-bound, it usually doesn’t just stick to simple present, it sometimes even occurs in simple past. For example, “if Margaret said ‘run!’, Tommy ran”.
Another aspect of factual conditionals is implicit and explicit factual conditionals. Implicit factual conditionals are basically the ones which express indirectly an assumption in a time-bound frame. For example, “if you can get a job in Microsoft, you can get a job anywhere!” the underlying message is that securing a job in Microsoft can mean securing a job in any other big multi-national company. However, this fact could change in the future, thus it is time-bound.
An explicit factual conditional is when one uses the conditional i.e. the ‘if’ clause to directly mean something. For example, “if you get caught, you will be put behind bars”. So this statement is a direct statement which implies the fact that the person will actually be in trouble if he gets caught.
The future conditional relationship implies the future. For example, “if the temperature touches 50 degrees Celsius tomorrow, all the schools and offices
Conditional sentences usually are of the type in which one circumstance will be symbiotic with the other. For example, “if I find her address, I’ll send her the invite.” Normally, there are three kinds of relationships which can be expressed using the conditional- factual, future, and imaginative conditional relationship.
Factual conditionals generate two branches- timeless and time-bound conditionals. Furthermore, timeless conditionals are divided into habitual and generic statements. Generic factual conditionals basically serve the purpose of signifying invariable truths which is usually found in scientific journals etc and are usually in simple present tense. For example, “if you melt ice, it turns into water.”
Habitual factual conditionals also signify truth but a habitual truth not a scientific one. For example, “if I clean the room, you do the dishes”. Since it is not time-bound, it usually doesn’t just stick to simple present, it sometimes even occurs in simple past. For example, “if Margaret said ‘run!’, Tommy ran”.
Another aspect of factual conditionals is implicit and explicit factual conditionals. Implicit factual conditionals are basically the ones which express indirectly an assumption in a time-bound frame. For example, “if you can get a job in Microsoft, you can get a job anywhere!” the underlying message is that securing a job in Microsoft can mean securing a job in any other big multi-national company. However, this fact could change in the future, thus it is time-bound.
An explicit factual conditional is when one uses the conditional i.e. the ‘if’ clause to directly mean something. For example, “if you get caught, you will be put behind bars”. So this statement is a direct statement which implies the fact that the person will actually be in trouble if he gets caught.
The future conditional relationship implies the future. For example, “if the temperature touches 50 degrees Celsius tomorrow, all the schools and offices
Bibliography: * Celce-Murcia, M. & Larsen-Freeman, D. (1999). The grammar book: An ESL/EFL teacher’s course (second edition). * Quirk, R., Greenbaum, S., Leech, G, & Svartvik, J. (1989). A comprehensive grammar of the English language. * John Seely, 2006; Grammar for teachers : the essential guide * Ronald Carter, Michael McCarthy, 2006; Cambridge grammar of English : a comprehensive guide: spoken and written English grammar and usage * Barbara Dancygier and Eve Sweetser, 2005; Mental spaces in grammar : conditional constructions * Dancygier, Barbara 1998; Conditionals and prediction : time, knowledge and causation in English conditional constructions