If you heat ice, it melts

If it's raining, take an umbrella.

If he looks embarrassed, he may be lying.

2 First conditional: If/unless + present simple + will/may/might/can

*things that are really likely to happen in the present/

future

If I wiH- win the lottery, I'll buy a yacht.

We'll miss the plane unless the taxi will get gets here

soon.

*promises and threats

I'll buy a present if you lend me a guitar.

3 Second conditional: If + past simple 4-would/could/may/might

*unreal/hypothetical situations in the present/

future

What would you do if you were a millionaire?

If I had my own bedroom, I could decorate it

myself.

*advice

If I were you, I'd go home now.

! Conditional sentences can be written in two

ways with no change in meaning:

1 with the if clause at the beginning of the sentence

If you lend me some money, I'll buy you a present.

2 with the if clause at the end of the sentence I'll buy you a present if you lend me some money Note that the if clause is followed by a comma only when it comes at the start of a sentence.

4 Third conditional: if + past perfect + would/could/may/might have + past participle

*speculating about situations in the past which

didn't actually happen

We would have finished the tennis match if it

hadn't rained.

If you'd bought a ticket, you might have won

a prize.

*something that was a possibility in the past

but didn't happen

You could have broken your arm if you'd fallen

out of the tree.

File 12: Wishes

1 wish + past simple/past continuous/could

*to express regrets about a present situation

which we can't change

My sister wishes she were prettier.

*use if only to make a wish stronger

If only my dad didn't snore!

! You can't say I wish I/we would.

1 wish I would be lying were lying on the beach now!

2 wish/if only + would

when you want something to happen in the future

but it is outside your control

I wish my parents would buy me a Mercedes!

*complaints

If only my brother would stop ordering me

around!

3 wish/hope

*use wish when you imagine situations are different from reality

I wish it would stop raining.

*use hope, not wish, for things that are likely to

happen in reality

I hope it stops raining soon.

4 wish + past perfect

*regrets about the past

I wish I hadn't eaten so much last night!

File 13: Reported speech