Conditional Sentences

Conditional sentences help us talk about things that could happen or might have happened in the past. Mastering them can add depth to your writing and formal situations.

Logics that evaluate conditional antecedents typically use the two-valued analysis. However, some authors (like Lukasiewicz) have proposed a more flexible analysis based on relevance evaluations.

Cause and Effect Relationships

Whenever you use a conditional sentence, you’re demonstrating an understanding of cause and effect relationships. These sentences involve two clauses — one that describes a condition and the other that describes its result. Conditional sentences are often shortened to “if-then” sentences because the outcome of the condition in the if clause determines the result in the main clause. We see examples of these relationships in our everyday lives, such as: Conditional If I study hard, then I’ll ace my test. If I sleep in, then I won’t have time to finish my homework. If a car accident occurs, then traffic will come to a standstill.

There are two basic types of conditional sentences. The first type, the zero conditional, is used for general truths, facts or scientific principles and is always formulated in the present simple tense in the if clause. For example, if water is heated to 100 degrees Celsius, it boils. The second type of conditional, the modal conditional, is for future possibilities and can be formed using either the present simple or the modal tense. For example, if I meet my sales targets this year, then I’ll expand my marketing team next year.

In a conditional sentence, the ‘if’ clause is called the protasis and the ‘then’ clause is called the apodosis. Grammarians refer to the relationship between these two parts of a sentence as causal, since an action produces its resulting reaction just like planting seeds produces a crop.

Subordinate Clauses

A subordinate clause is a part of a sentence that contains both a subject and a verb. A conditional sentence requires a subordinate clause to function correctly. Generally, the subordinate clause begins with a subordinating conjunction such as if, although, since, after, until, unless, and because. It can also begin with relative pronouns such as who, which, whom, whoever, and whomever.

A full conditional sentence has two parts, a dependent clause called the antecedent or protasis and a main clause called the consequent or apodosis. The antecedent clause expresses the condition, and the consequent clause shows what will happen if the condition is fulfilled.

With a type I if-clause, the simple present tense is used in the if-clause and the simple future tense in the main clause. A type II if-clause uses the past tense in both the if-clause and the main clause. The zero conditional is used to refer to general truths and scientific facts. In a zero conditional, the word if can be replaced by when without changing meaning.

It’s important to understand the differences between conditional sentences and normal, independent clauses. This way, you can make sure that your writing is clear and concise. It’s also helpful to use a professional grammar checker, such as Trinka, that is designed for academic writing and addresses all the conventions and language requirements unique to technical writing.

Modal Verbs

The modal verbs may, might, could and should are used in conditional sentences. They are auxiliary verbs, which means they can’t stand on their own; they need an underlying verb to function. They are used to show how likely something is to happen, and how strongly it’s a possibility. They can also be used to express obligation in a cause-and-effect relationship.

In a full conditional, there is a dependent clause (also called an if-clause) that expresses the condition and a main clause that expresses the impact of the condition. The subordinate clause is expressed in the simple present tense and the main clause is expressed in the simple future tense. The words “then” are optional in a conditional sentence, but they’re usually used to connect the two clauses.

The zero conditional, which is used for logical implications and constant truths, uses the simple present tense in both the if-clause and the main clause. Other tenses can be used, however.

The type 1 conditional is used for a real situation and its probable outcome in the present or the future. The if-clause is in the simple present tense and the rest of the best face wash for women sentence is in the simple future tense. If you spend all of your money now, you won’t have any left for the future.