Present & Past Real Situations
Conditional habits & customs
Present Real Conditional Expressions
| IF | WHENEVER |
|---|---|
In conditional sentences that express true, factual ideas, the simple present or past is used in the if-clause. |
When, whenever, anytime, or each time can be used in place of If for cause-effect statements of habits and customs. |
If I go shopping, I take a cloth bag. (present) |
Whenever I go shopping, I take a cloth bag. (present) |
If I need light bulbs, I buy CFL bulbs. (present) |
When I need light bulbs, I buy CFL bulbs. (present) |
If we went shopping, the store gave us a bag. (past) |
Anytime we went shopping, the store gave us a bag. (past) |
If I needed light bulbs, I bought CFL bulbs. (past) |
Each time I needed a light bulb, I bought a CFL bulb. (past) |
whenever – anytime
CFL – compact fluorescent light bulb
Present vs. Past
| CURRENT HABIT | FORMER HABIT |
|---|---|
Both the If-clause and the result clause use a present tense verb form. |
Both the If-clause and the result clause use a past tense verb form. |
If I go to the city, I take public transportation. (present) |
If I went to the city, I drove my car. (past) |
If I leave a room, I turn the light off. (present) |
If I left a room , I left the light on. (past) |
If I shop for groceries, I take take my own reusable bag. (present) |
If I shopped for groceries, I got paper bag from the store. (past) |
Commas – Clause Position
| INITIAL-POSITION | MID-POSITION |
|---|---|
In emphasis word order, the if clause is brought to the beginning of the sentence and a comma is used to mark the change from standard word order. |
In standard word order, if is "sandwiched" between two clauses and no comma is used. |
If I went shopping, [comma] I took a cloth bag. (emphasis word order) |
I took a cloth bag if I went shopping. (standard word order) |
If my friends invite me, [comma] I go to their house for dinner. (emphasis word order) |
I go to my friends' house for dinner if they invite me. (standard word order) |
Would – Three Meanings
| USED TO | REQUEST / INVITATION | HYPOTHETICAL |
|---|---|---|
Would can be used to indicate a former habit. |
Would can be used to make a request or invite. |
Would can indicate something hypothetical or imaginary. |
During the summers, I would go to my grandparents house. (custom or habit) |
Would you like a cookie? |
How would you like it if I did that to you? |
These sentences mean almost the same:
| RESULTIVE CLAUSE | CONDITION |
|---|---|
I took a cloth bag (1 event or multiple events, customary) |
if I went shopping. |
Practice
Energy Conservation
Complete the conditional sentence:
- Then – refers to a time in the past before concerns for conservation.
- Now – refers to present concerns for conservation.
- Enter the verb form of the condition clause.
- Select the correct verb form for the action clause