Table of Contents
The probability of the desired result determines the tense used.
A generalization is a statement that intends to cover all situations.
Conditional
Not all “if” statements are conditional. If they simply state facts or reality, they may be generalizations.
The conditional tense is like the comma: tweak it one way to mean one thing and another way to mean something else.
The conditional tense uses helping verbs like “would,” “could,” or “might” to indicate how probable something is. The “if” clause is a dependent clause, depending upon the result clause to complete the sentence.
The “if” clause may come before or after the result clause.
If the “if” clause is first, it is separated from the main (dependent) clause with a comma.
No comma is needed if the “if” clause follows the main clause.
The situation is possible and the result has a high probablility.
The “if” clause is in the present. The result clause is in the future.
Examples:
- If you send out invitations to your picnic, people will come.
- People will come if you send out invitations to your picnic.
- If it rains at the picnic, you will get wet.
- You will get wet if it rains at the picnic.
- If there is enough food, people will eat a lot.
- People will eat a lot if there is enough food.
If the situation is not based on reality, the conditional tries to predict its probability.
- The “if” clause is in the past.
- The result clause uses the present conditional (“would,” “could,” “might”)
Examples:
- If you sent out invitations to your picnic, people would come.
- (The picnic is tomorrow, the mail has already gone out today, and your internet is down.)
- If it rained hard before your picnic, nobody would attend.
- (No clouds in the sky and none predicted.)
- If there were enough food, people could eat a lot.
- (All you have in the house is a left-over pizza.)
If the situation has passed and did not occur, then the speaker is guessing the probability of what would have happened.
- The “if” clause is in the past perfect (“had” + past participle).
- the result clause uses
- the conditional perfect (“would have” + past participle) or
- the conditional perfect progressive (“would have been” + present participle).
Examples:
- If you had sent out invitations to your picnic, people would have come.
- People would have come if you had sent out invitations.
- If it had rained at your picnic, I would have brought you an umbrella.
- I would have brought you an umbrella if it had rained at your picnic.
- If there had been enough food, people would have eaten a lot.
- People would have eaten a lot if there had been enough food.
If the situation has passed and did not occur, then the speaker is guessing at what would be happening in the present.
- The “if” clause is in
- the simple past or
- the past perfect (“had” + past participle)
- The result clause uses
- the present conditional (“would”) or
- the conditional perfect (“would have” + past participle).
Examples:
- If you had sent out invitations to your picnic, you would have your friends with you now.
- You would have your friends with you now if you had sent out invitations to your picnic.
- If it had rained at your picnic, you would be wet, but not alone.
- You would be wet, but not alone if it had rained at your picnic.
- If people had come to your picnic and there had been enough food, people would have eaten it all.
- People would have eaten it all if people had come to your picnic and there had been enough food.
The “if” clause is a dependent clause, not a complete sentence/thought because of the “if.” The listener/reader is waiting for something to follow.
When the “if” (dependent) clause comes first, it is separated from the main (independent) clause by a comma.
No comma is needed when the dependent clause follows the independent clause.
Examples:
- If the “if” clause comes first, it should be followed by a comma.
- A comma is not used if the “if” clause comes after the result.
- If the sun shines tomorrow, we will have a picnic at the lake.
- You can invite your friends if you want to.
Generalizations
They may begin with “if,” but they are simple statements of presumed reality.
In the present tense, both clauses are in the present. In the future, the “if” clause is in the present and the result clause is in the future.
Examples of simple generalizations:
- If you send out invitations to your picnic, people come; if you don’t, they don’t.
- When you send out invitations to your picnic, people come; if you don’t, they don’t.
- People will come if you send out invitations to your picnic; if you don’t, they won’t.
- People will come when you send out invitations to your picnic; if you don’t, they won’t.
- If there is enough food, people eat a lot.
- People eat a lot if there is enough food.
- If there is enough food, people will eat a lot.
- People will eat a lot if there is enough food.
In the past tense, they become statements in the conditional situation contrary to fact. The “if” clause is in the past perfect; the result clause should be in the conditional perfect.
“If” can be replaced by “when” without changing the meaning in the simple generalization, but not in the conditional situation contrary to fact.
Comparison with examples of conditional situations contrary to fact:
- If you had sent out invitations to your picnic, people would have come; because you didn’t, they didn’t.
- People would have come if you had sent out invitations to your picnic; because you didn’t, they didn’t.
- If there had been enough food, people would have eaten a lot; but there wasn’t, so they didn’t.
- People would have eaten a lot if there had been enough food; but there wasn’t, so they didn’t.
Credit: Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash, Photo by Greg Razozy on Unsplash.