Conditional Sentences / If-Clauses Type I, II und III Conditional Sentences are also known as Conditional Clauses or If Clauses.

They are used to express that the action in the main clause (without if) can only take place if a certain condition (in the clause with if) is fulfilled. There are three types of Conditional Sentences. Conditional Sentence Type 1 It is possible and also very likely that the condition will be fulfilled. Form: if + Simple Present, will !uture "xample# If I find her address, I$ll send her an in%itation. Conditional Sentence Type 2 It is possible but very unlikely, that the condition will be fulfilled. Form: if + Simple Past, Conditional I (& would + Infiniti%e) "xample# If I found her address, I would send her an in%itation. Conditional Sentence Type 3 It is impossible that the condition will be fulfilled because it refers to the past. Form: if + Past Perfect, Conditional II (& would + ha%e + Past Participle) "xample# If I had found her address, I would ha%e sent her an in%itation. Exceptions Sometimes Conditional Sentences Type I, II and III can also 'e used with other tenses. IF Clause Type 1 Language Guide German + Dictionary for iPhone and iPod Touch (made 'y e(o)u) Form if + imple !resent, will"Future "xample# If I find her address, I will send her an in%itation. The main clause can also 'e at the 'e(innin( of the sentence. In this case, don*t use a comma. "xample# I will send her an in%itation if I find her address. #ote: +ain clause and , or if clause mi(ht 'e ne(ati%e. See Simple Present und will !uture on how to form ne(ati%e sentences. "xample# If I don$t see him this afternoon, I will phone him in the e%enin(. Use Conditional Sentences Type I refer to the future. -n action in the future will only happen if a certain condition is fulfilled 'y that time. .e don*t know for sure whether the condition actually will 'e fulfilled or not, 'ut the conditions seems rather realistic / so we think it is likely to happen.

"xample# If I find her address, I$ll send her an in%itation. I want to send an in%itation to a friend. I 0ust ha%e to find her address. I am 1uite sure, howe%er, that I will find it. "xample# If 2ohn has the money, he will 'uy a !errari. I know 2ohn %ery well and I know that he earns a lot of money and that he lo%es !erraris. So I think it is %ery likely that sooner or later he will ha%e the money to 'uy a !errari. IF Clause Type 2 Form if + imple !ast, main clause with $onditional I %& would + Infiniti'e( "xample# If I found her address, I would send her an in%itation. The main clause can also 'e at the 'e(innin( of the sentence. In this case, don*t use a comma. "xample# I would send her an in%itation if I found her address. #ote: +ain clause and , or if clause mi(ht 'e ne(ati%e. See Simple Past und Conditional I on how to form ne(ati%e sentences. "xample# If I had a lot of money, I wouldn$t stay here. Were instead of Was In I! Clauses Type II, we usually use 3were4 / e%en if the pronoun is I, he, she or it /. "xample# If I were you, I would not do this. Use Conditional Sentences Type II refer to situations in the present. -n action could happen if the present situation were different. I don*t really expect the situation to chan(e, howe%er. I 0ust ima(ine what would happen if "xample# If I found her address, I would send her an in%itation. I would like to send an in%itation to a friend. I ha%e looked e%erywhere for her address, 'ut I cannot find it. So now I think it is rather unlikely that I will e%entually find her address. "xample# If 2ohn had the money, he would 'uy a !errari. I know 2ohn %ery well and I know that he doesn*t ha%e much money, 'ut he lo%es !erraris. 5e would like to own a !errari (in his dreams). 6ut I think it is %ery unlikely that he will ha%e the money to 'uy one in the near future. IF Clause Type 3 Form if + !ast !erfect, main clause with $onditional II "xample# If I had found her address, I would ha%e sent her an in%itation. The main clause can also 'e at the 'e(innin( of the sentence. In this case, don*t use a comma. "xample# I would ha%e sent her an in%itation if I had found her address.

#ote: +ain clause and , or if clause mi(ht 'e ne(ati%e. See Past Perfect and Conditional II on how to form ne(ati%e sentences. "xample# If I hadn$t studied, I wouldn$t ha%e passed my exams. Use Conditional Sentences Type III refer to situations in the past. -n action could ha%e happened in the past if a certain condition had 'een fulfilled. Thin(s were different then, howe%er. .e 0ust ima(ine, what would ha%e happened if the situation had 'een fulfilled. "xample# If I had found her address, I would ha%e sent her an in%itation. Sometime in the past, I wanted to send an in%itation to a friend. I didn*t find her address, howe%er. So in the end I didn*t send her an in%itation. "xample# If 2ohn had had the money, he would ha%e 'ou(ht a !errari. I knew 2ohn %ery well and I know that he ne%er had much money, 'ut he lo%ed !erraris. 5e would ha%e lo%ed to own a !errari, 'ut he ne%er had the money to 'uy one. Conditional Clause and Main Clause If I ha%e enou(h money, I will (o to 2apan. conditional clause main clause I will (o to 2apan, if I ha%e enou(h money main clause conditional clause First, Second, and Third Conditional 1. First conditional: 3. Third conditional: If I ha%e enou(h money, I will (o to 2apan. If I had had enou(h money, I would ha%e (one to 2apan. 2. Second conditional: If I had enou(h money, I would (o to 2apan.

Conditional clause ). If + Present Tense a. '.

ain clause will + inf , present tense , imperati%e

If you help me with the dishes (if + pres), I will help you with your homework. (will + inf) If the sum of the di(its of a num'er is di%isi'le 'y three, the num'er is di%isi'le 'y three (Pres. tense) If you see +r !ox toni(ht, tell him I am ill. (imperati%e). would + inf would ha%e + past participle

c.

*. If + Past Tense +. If + Past

We do not normally use will or would in the conditional clause, only in the main clause. Uses of the Conditional 1. First conditional a. 7ature# 8pen condition, what is said in the condition is possi'le. '. Time# This condition refers either to present or to future time. e.(. If is late, we will ha%e to (o without him. If my mother knows a'out this, we are in serious trou'le.

2. Second conditional a. 7ature# (impossi'le) or impro'a'le situations. '. Time# present9 the T"7S" is past, 'ut we are talkin( a'out the present, now. e.(. If I knew her name, I would tell you. If I were you, I would tell my father. Compare: If I 'ecome president, I will chan(e the . (Said 'y a presidential candidate) If I 'ecame president, I would chan(e the social . (Said 'y a school'oy# impro'a'le) If we win this match, we are 1ualified for the semifinals. If I won a million pounds, I would stop teachin(. (impro'a'le) 3. Third conditional a. 7ature# unreal '. Time# Past (so we are talkin( a'out a situation that was not so in the past.) e.(. If you had warned me, I would not ha%e told your father a'out that party.(6ut you didn*t, and I ha%e). !emem"er# ). The conditional construction does not normally use will or would in if clauses. EXCEPTION: If will or would express willin(ness, as in re1uests, they can 'e used in if clauses. e.(. If you will come this way, the mana(er will see you now. I would 'e (rateful if you would (i%e me a little help. (& : please, come this way9 please, (i%e me...) *. !or the second conditional, were replaces was: If I were a rich man... +. -fter if, we can either use ;some( one, where...); or ;any( one, where...). If I ha%e some spare time next weekend....or # If I ha%e any spare time... ,. Instead of if not, we can use unless. e.(. I*ll 'e 'ack tomorrow unless there is a plane strike. 5e*ll accept the 0o' unless the salary is too low. -.There is a ;mixed type; as well, for the present results of an unreal condition in the past# If + Past Perfect would + inf. If you had warned me <then=, I would not 'e in prison <now=.

Dependencies in $onditional $lauses

It is common to think of ;if; in "n(lish as a kind of con0unction, and to think of the meanin( of a conditional sentence as a strai(htfoward product of the meanin(s of its component clauses. In the simplest way of thinkin( of this, the truth of a conditional sentence is a product of the truth %alues of its indi%idual clauses, accordin( to a truth ta'le that holds the full sentence to 'e true unless the P part is true while the > part is false. This implies, of course, that each of the parts of a conditional sentence could stand on its own, and could ha%e its truth determined independently of the other. Consider the followin( sentences# ?. @. If it rains in , e%ery'ody always (ets (loomy. If I touched 2immy, he would 'urst into tears. Is it true that ;it rains in California;A Bes. Is it true that ;e%ery'ody always (ets (loomy;A 7o. Therefore, sentence (?) is false. 6ut of course that line of reasonin( doesn*t make sense. .e ha%e to understand the phrase ;in California; as takin( the entire sentence in its , 0ust as we understand ;e%er'ody; as takin( in Californians who experience rain, which is not at all what ;e%ery'ody; means in a self standin( sentence. Sentence (?) is undou'tedly false, 'ut not for the reason worked out from the truth ta'le for material implication. Is it true that ;I touched 2immy;A 7o. I wouldn*t think of it. Is it true that ;he would 'urst into tears;A I can*t answer that, since a sentence with a conditional modal can*t 'e e%aluated on its own. -ssumin(, for the same of ar(ument, that the second clause is either true or false, then sentence (@) is true. 6ut we know, of course, that the truth of this sentence, as we usually understand it, cannot 'e determined in that way. The point is, of course, that the su'tle ways in which we understand the actual conditional sentences that (et used in e%eryday talk in%ol%e detailed consideration of the actual (rammatical form of the sentences themsel%es. .ypes of /eanings of $onditional entences

"%e Sweetser, in rom Et!molo"! to Pra"mati#s has classified conditional semantics accordin( to the three domains she speaks of in that 'ook, the #ontent domain, the epistemi# domain, and the spee#h a#t domain. Content 'ased conditionals are understood 'y relatin( the content of the two clauses to each other. - typical way in which content conditionals can 'e understood is for the ;P; clause to identify a situation which causes or automatically results in the state of affairs si(nalled 'y the ;>; clause. This is the case for o o o If you drop it, it will 'reak. If you say that a(ain, I*ll slap you. If it rains, we*ll cancel the picnic.

"pistemic conditionals are understood as expressions of the reasonin( process. If the state of affairs represented 'y the ;P; clause turns out to 'e true, then we are licensed to 'elie%e what we are told in the ;>; clause. Thus# o o o If their li(hts are on, the .ilsons are home from their %acation. If the streets are wet, it rained last ni(ht. If she wins, she*s 'een practicin( in secret.

-nd speech act conditionals are understood as pre posin( to a speech act a ;P; clause that identifies the situation which (ot the speaker to pro%ide the speech act. Thus# o o o If you*re hun(ry, I could find somethin( for you in the frid(e. If you lea%e 'efore I see you a(ain, ha%e a (ood time. If what I said offended you, I apolo(iCe.

.e will see, in comparin( the %er'al forms of conditional sentences, that some com'inations can only ha%e the epistemic interpretation, others can ha%e either an epistemic or a content interpretation. I ha%e not explored the formal conditions for 'ein( a speech act conditional. 0erbal Forms - ma0or descripti%e pro'lem that (rammarians ha%e to face in dealin( with "n(lish conditional sentences in%ol%es the complex system of compati'ility relations 'etween the two parts of a conditional sentence. That is, certain %er'al forms occurrin( in the antecedent clause of a conditional sentence are compati'le only with certain other %er'al forms in the conse1uent clause. Some examples of compati'le com'inations are these# o o o o If she opens it, they will escape. If she opened it, they would escape. If she had opened it, they would ha%e escaped. If she opened it, they escaped.

Some examples of incompati'le (or at least difficult to contextualiCe) com'inations are the followin(# o o o DIf she*ll open it, they had escaped. DIf she were here, I*ll 'e happy. DIf she opens it, she had misunderstood my messa(e.

.hat we need for this set of facts is some set of (eneral principles accordin( to which these accepta'ility 0ud(ments, and the accompanyin( interpretations, can (et explained. The tools we need for statin( these principles include the followin(# o o o !irst, we need to ha%e a %oca'ulary for descri'in( the %arious %er'al forms which enter into the compati'ility relations 0ust mentioned9 second, we need to speak of somethin( I will refer to as ;epistemic stance; the speaker*s stance on the reality of the proposition expressed in the antecedent clause9 third, we will need to notice that some sentences (i%e expression to what we can call the ;interlocutors* interest; the speaker*s %iew that of the alternati%es reco(niCed 'y a conditional sentence, one is looked on as matchin( the speaker*s or the hearer*s interest (this will 'e modified 'elow)9 and

fourth, we will need to notice features of ;polarity; the difference 'etween positi%e polarity and ne(ati%e polarity.

Eescri'in( the selection of %er'al forms in "n(lish conditional sentences is made complex 'y the facts that some of the rele%ant cate(ories are not identifia'le with particular morphemes or particular indi%idual (rammatical notions, 'ut with complexes of these. .hat this means is that we will ha%e to (i%e different names to forms that ha%e the same, or almost the same, superficial appearance. !urthermore, in discussin( the cate(ories we need, it is necessary to keep in mind the difference 'etween ;Time; (which we take as a semantic notion) and ;Tense; (a (rammatical notion). The names of the %er'al form cate(ories we will use are these# o o o o o present the form which, in the copula, results in is, am, are and in the non modal %er's uses the si'ilant suffix to express third person sin(ular a(reement (wal$s) past the form which, in the copula, results in was, were and otherwise, in the ;re(ular; cases, the simple past tense inflection (wal$ed) future the expression of future meanin( with the modal will followed 'y the unmarked infiniti%e present sub1uncti'e this form is the same as the past tense form, except that, in some dialects (perhaps especially in the F.S.) there is a sin(le form for the copula# were past sub1uncti'e this form is the same as the pluperfect form (had "one, etc.), except that in collo1uial "n(lish we also find a more complex form (had%&e "one, etc.), and in collo1uial -merican "n(lish we find a form identical to what I will call ;conditional perfect;# would ha&e "one. conditional this form is constructed with would or #ould plus the unmarked infiniti%e (would "o, etc). conditional perfect this form is constructed with would or #ould plus the perfect infiniti%e (would ha&e "one, etc.)

o o

In (eneral, ;perfect aspect; and ;pro(ressi%e aspect; can coexist with most of these forms and contri'ute their own meanin(s. In other words, in descri'in( a conditional antecedent, the form ;if he has seen her; will 'e simply classified as ;present; for present purposes. Conditional sentences There are three types of the if clauses. type condition I condition possi'le to fulfill II condition in theory possi'le to fulfill III condition not possi'le to fulfill (too late) Form type if clause main clause I Simple Present will future (or +odal + infiniti%e) II Simple Past would + infiniti%e D III Past Perfect would + ha%e + past participle D Examples (if clause at the !e"innin"# type if clause I If I study, II If I studied, III If I had studied, main clause I will pass the exam. I would pass the exam. I would ha%e passed the exam.

Examples (if clause at the end# type I main clause I will pass the exam if"clause if I study.

II III

I would pass the exam if I studied. I would ha%e passed the exam if I had studied.

Examples (affirmati$e and ne"ati$e sentences# type 23amples long forms short4contracted forms + If I study, I will pass the exam. If I study, I*ll pass the exam. If I study, I will not fail the exam. If I study, I won*t fail the exam. If I do not study, I will fail the exam. If I don*t study, I*ll fail the exam. + If I studied, I would pass the exam. If I studied, I*d pass the exam. If I studied, I would not fail the exam. If I studied, I wouldn*t fail the exam. If I did not study, I would fail the exam. If I didn*t study, I*d fail the exam. + If I had studied, I would ha%e passed the exam. If I*d studied, I*d ha%e passed the exam. If I had studied, I would not ha%e failed the exam. If I*d studied, I wouldn*t ha%e failed the exam. If I had not studied, I would ha%e failed the exam. If I hadn*t studied, I*d ha%e failed the exam.

II

III

D .e can su'stitute could or mi(ht for would (should, may or must are sometimes possi'le, too). I would pass the exam. I could pass the exam. I mi(ht pass the exam. I may pass the exam. I should pass the exam. I must pass the exam. If i won the lotter!, I would... In "n(lish we ha%e four ways to make conditional (if) sentences. 5ere is how to make them... 5 $onditional / is used for scientific facts or (eneral truths. 4If$ can 'e su'stituted for 4when$. 'If !ou (oil water to )**+C, it (oils., '-hen !ou (oil water to )**+C, it (oils., )st $onditional / is used with 4will,can + 'ase %er'$ for a pro'a'le future result. 'If !ou stud! hard, !our En"lish will impro&e., %If I "et enou"h sleep, I will feel (etter., *nd $onditional / uses the 4simple past$ with 4modal + 'ase %er'$ for ima(ined, impossi'le or unreal future situations. 'If I won the lotter!, I would (u! a plane., %If !ou met .ohnn! /epp, what would !ou as$ him0, +rd $onditional / uses the 4past perfect$ with 4modal + ha%e + past participle$. It is usually used to express a past re(ret a'out somethin( which did not happen in the past. 'If I had won the lotter!, I would ha&e (ou"ht a plane., 'If I had (een taller, I #ould ha&e pla!ed in the N12., $rammar % &'s if(: ' Con)unction and an *+clamation# 'y +elanie on -u(ust @G, @H?H

The word com'ination as if has many different meanin(s in "n(lish. It can 'e a con0unction, an exclamation, and slan(I In this (rammar article, you$ll learn the different meanin(s J how to use as if in a sentence. 1. Meaning: 6s if is a con0unction. It is used to say how somethin" seems from the information known. It is a more formal way of sayin( li7e, and is used in the same way as as though. In all of the followin( sentences and examples, as if can 'e replaced with as though and li7e (in informal con%ersation). It doesn,t loo$ as if the e#onom! will impro&e an!time soon. (-ll the economic si(ns, like unemployment, consumer spendin(, housin( construction, su((est that the economy will not impro%e in the foreseea'le future.) 3ou loo$ as if !ou,&e seen a "host4 (Bour face has the same expression it would if you had seen a (host.)

23ample sentences
Is 2ndrea feelin" well0 I spo$e to her toda! and it sounded as if she was "ettin" a #old. It,s "ettin" #older outside. It feels as if fall has arri&ed. 5! sister is a#tin" so stran"e. -hen I tal$ to her, it,s as if she,s not e&en listenin" to me. The airplanes were so #lose to"ether it loo$ed as if the! were "oin" to #rash4 -ow4 6oo$ at those dar$ #louds. It loo$s as if it,s "oin" to rain. 5! "oodness those #hildren are loud4 It,s sounds as if there,s a herd of animals runnin" around upstairs. It was "reat to see 6u$e a"ain. It sounds as if he,s doin" well in life. Is somethin" (otherin" !ou0 3ou loo$ as if !ou ha&en,t slept in da!s4 5! friend is under a lot of pressure at the moment. 7he feels as if she has the wei"ht of the world on her shoulders. It,s not as if this was the first time she was late for s#hool. 6et,s pretend as if this ne&er happened. Bou can see from the a'o%e sentences that as if is often used to descri'e someone$s 'eha%iour, or the way someone is actin(. 5ere are some more examples# I #an,t stand spendin" time with 1en. 8e alwa!s a#ts as if he,s smarter than e&er!one. -h! is Carol i"norin" us0 7he,s a#tin" as if 7he,s ne&er met us (efore4

@. Comparison
6s if can also used to compare thin(s, 'ut in a way that says the comparison is not true. If you want to emphasiCe that somethin( is not true, it$s possi'le to use a past tense after as if. In -merican "n(lish it$s common to use were# 7he,s (eha&in" as if she were the 9ueen of En"land4 (She is not the >ueen of "n(land, 'ut she is actin( as if she is %ery important) The! stared at me as if I were #ra:!. (I$m not craCy, 'ut people looked at me like I was craCy.)

8is older (rother alwa!s treats him as if he were a #hild. (5e is not a child, 'ut his 'rother often talks to him like a child.)

3.%as if it is "oin" out of style 4-s if$ is also used in this common "n(lish idiom. If somethin( is Kout of style,L it is unpopular or unfashiona'le. If somethin( is K(oin( out of style,L it will soon 'e (one, una%aila'le or you won$t want it anymore 'ecause it will 'e unpopular. So, whate%er is K(oin( out of style,L you ha%e to do it 1uickly 'efore it (oes out of style. This idiom means that someone is doin( somethin( in a hurry, faster than people normally do and much more than necessary. The ;.7. is #onsumin" oil as if it is "oin" out of st!le. 7he,s (een eatin" #ho#olate as if it were "oin" out of st!le. 8e,s (een wor$in" on his #ar as if it were "oin" out of st!le.

). 4-s ifI$
This is -merican slan(, made popular 'y the ?MMN mo%ie CluelessI It$s a spoken exclamation, and the shortened form of as if I would (do that) or as if (that would happen). It means that somethin( is unlikely or impossi'le, or that you don$t really care. -# I heard that !ou,re "oin" out with 2le<4= 6# As if4= (& -s if I would (o out with him, as if that would happen) 5! (oss e<pe#ts e&er!one to wor$ late in order to finish the pro>e#t. As if! 5ar! is o(sessed with him. 7he thin$s he,s "oin" to marr! her. As if4

N. 4-s if I careI$
& I don$t careI 5! parents are worried a(out the amount of time I spend pla!in" #omputer "ames. As if I care ?what the! thin$@4

6. As if can also be used to exclaim how horrible or difficult a situation is: 5! (oss wants me to help m! #oAwor$ers with their pro>e#t. As if I don,t ha&e enou"h wor$ to do ri"ht now4 (& I do ha%e a lot of work ri(ht now, and this re1uest from my 'oss is makin( it worse.) 5! (o!friend wants to ta$e a (rea$ from our relationship. As if I don,t ha&e enou"h pro(lems to deal with ri"ht now4 (& I ha%e a lot of pro'lems ri(ht now, and this new pro'lem is makin( my life worseI) 7omeone #alled her fat toda!. As if her selfAesteem isn,t low enou"h. (5er self esteem is really low9 callin( her fat will lower her self esteem e%en more) 6 IF In "n(lish we also use as if to make comparisons. 5owe%er it has a few distinct characteristics to its use# ?. The %er' after -S I! is always in the past su'0uncti%e, no matter what tense the sentence is. @. If the %er' 6" directly follows -S I!, we use were for all personal pronouns.

5e looks as if he $new the answer.

(The %er's O88PS indicates this sentence is in the present / 'ut the %er' after -S I! / $new is in the past su'0unti%e). She walks as if she were a supermodel.

(The %er' after -S I! / 'e / has 'een chan(ed to were and not was). 5e 'oarded the airplane as if he were a seasoned tra%eller. 5e spends money as if he owned a 'ank.

'S IF / 'S T,-.$, Clauses that start with as if B as thou"h descri'e an unreal or impro'a'le situation if they are followed 'y an unreal tense (the past su'0uncti%e or the past perfect su'0uncti%e). 8therwise, they express that the statement is true. The past su'0uncti%e after as if B as thou"h indicates an unreal situation in the present. 5owe%er, if the situation is true, we use a real tense to express present time# 8e loo$s as if he knew the answer. (he (i%es the impression that he knows the answer, 'ut he (pro'a'ly) doesn*t know or we don*t know whether he knows or not) 8e loo$s as if he knows the answer. (he knows the answer) If we put the %er' precedin( as if B as thou"h into the past tense, the present simple $nows chan(es into past simple, whereas the past su'0uncti%e $new stays the same. Therefore, 'oth sentences will read as follows# 8e looked as if he knew the answer. Conse1uently, the meanin( of this sentence (whether he knew the answer or not) can only 'e deduced from the context. The past perfect su'0uncti%e after as if B as thou"h is used to refer to an unreal past situation. If the situation is true, we use a real tense to express past time# 8e seems as if he hadn't slept for da!s. (it seems that he hasn*t slept for days, 'ut he (pro'a'ly) has or we don*t know whether he has or not) 8e seems as if he hasn't slept for da!s. (he hasn*t slept for days) If the precedin( %er' is put into the past tense, the present perfect hasn%t slept chan(es into past perfect, while the past perfect su'0uncti%e hadn%t slept stays the same# 8e seemed as if he hadn't slept for da!s. Su")uncti/e The su'0uncti%e is a special, relati%ely rare %er' form in "n(lish. Structure of the Su!&uncti$e The structure of the su'0uncti%e is extremely simple. !or all %er's except the past tense of be, the su'0uncti%e is the same as the 'are infiniti%e (infiniti%e without ;to;)# be %past( I were you were he, she, it were we were be %present( I be you be he, she, it be we be all other 'erbs %past 8 present( I wor7 you wor7 he, she, it wor7 we wor7

you were they were

you be they be

you wor7 they wor7

The su'0uncti%e does not chan(e accordin( to person (I, you, he etc). Use of the Su!&uncti$e .e use su'0uncti%es mainly when talkin( a'out e%ents that are not certain to happen. !or example, we use the su'0uncti%e when talkin( a'out e%ents that some'ody# wants to happen anticipates will happen ima(ines happenin(

Oook at these examples# The President re1uests that you be present at the meetin(. It is %ital that you be present at the meetin(. If you were at the meetin(, the President would 'e happy.

The su'0uncti%e is typically used after two structures# the 'erbs: ask, command, demand, insist, propose, recommend, re1uest, su((est + that the e3pressions: it is desira'le, essential, important, necessary, %ital + that

5ere are some examples with the su'0uncti%e# The mana(er insists that the car park be locked at ni(ht. The 'oard of directors recommended that he 1oin the company. It is essential that we 'ote as soon as possi'le. It was necessary that e%ery student submit his essay 'y the weekend.

7otice that in these structures the su'0uncti%e is always the same. It does not matter whether the sentence is past or present. Oook at these examples# !resent: The President re1uests that they stop the occupation. !ast: The President re1uested that they stop the occupation. !resent: It is essential that she be present. !ast: It was essential that she be present.

The use of the su'0uncti%e as a'o%e is more common in -merican "n(lish than in "n(lish, where should + infiniti'e is often used# The mana(er insists that the car park should be locked at ni(ht. It was essential that we should 'ote as soon as possi'le. .e usually use the su'0uncti%e were instead of ;was; after if (and other words with similar meanin(). Oook at these sentences# If I were you, I would ask her. Suppose she were here. .hat would you sayA

9hy do we say :I were:, :he were:; .e sometimes hear thin(s like ;if I were you, I would (o; or ;if he were here, he would tell you;. 7ormally, the past tense of the %er' ;to 'e; is# I was, he was. 6ut the if I were !ou structure does not use the past simple tense of the %er' ;to 'e;. It uses the past sub1uncti'e of the %er' ;to 'e;. In the followin( examples, you can see that we often use the su'0uncti%e form were instead of ;was; after#

 Formal

if as if wish suppose Informal (The was form is possi'le in informal, familiar con%ersation.) If I was youn(er, I would (o. If he wasn<t so mean, he would 'uy one for me. I wish I wasn<t so slowI I wish it was lon(er. It*s not as if I was u(ly. She acts as if she was >ueen. #ote: .e do not normally say ;if I was you;, e%en in familiar con%ersation.

(The were form is correct at all times.) If I were youn(er, I would (o. If he weren<t so mean, he would 'uy one for me. I wish I weren<t so slowI I wish it were lon(er. It*s not as if I were u(ly. She acts as if she were >ueen. If I were you, I should tell her.

Some fixed expressions use the su'0uncti%e. 5ere are some examples# Long live the =ing> God bless 6merica> ?ea'en forbid> Be that as it may, he still wants to see her. Come what may, I will ne%er for(et you. .e are all citiCens of the world, as it were.