Jose Carillo's English Forum

Joe Carillo's Desk => You Asked Me This Question => Topic started by: Kal on July 26, 2016, 11:40:17 AM

Title: Conditionals
Post by: Kal on July 26, 2016, 11:40:17 AM

Dear Jose,

I have a some good understanding of conditionals, but sometimes I get confused by the usages. It is my understanding that there are five types of conditionals: zero conditional, first conditional, second conditional, third conditional, and mixed conditional.

Could you explain all of them in details?

Are there subcategories in each of these types of conditionals?

Is there such a thing as a fourth conditional or a fifth conditional?

What tenses goes with each of them?

What tenses trigger the different types?

What expressions besides "if" that can trigger a conditional?

Could a conditional construction be present in both parts of the clause or sentence?

What are the tense sequences(past, present, future) in real(factual) conditionals?

What are the tense sequences(past, present, future) in unreal(hypothetical, imaginary or counterfactual) conditional?

What all modals are associated with conditionals?

Could you also explain open and closed conditional?

Title: Re: Conditionals
Post by: Joe Carillo on July 30, 2016, 05:10:20 PM

I am sure that these five previous postings on the conditionals in the Forum would enhance your understanding of this grammar form:

1. When are subjunctive sentences called for and how are they constructed? (http://josecarilloforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=6065.0)

2. How conditional indicative sentences differ from subjunctive sentences (http://josecarilloforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=6195.0)

3. Do better than a calculated guess in handling conditional sentences (http://josecarilloforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=1165.0)

4. How third conditionals differ from subjunctive sentences (http://josecarilloforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=6426.0)

5. Do conditional sentences backshift in reported speech? (http://josecarilloforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=1450.0)