EXERCISES ON CONDITIONAL SENTENCES

Compiled by: Nguyn Tun Anh, Bachelor of Arts, Teacher of English

Major: Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) & Translation-Interpretation Studies
Email: ngtanh.hucfl@gmail.com; mobile phone: 01689.942.816
..
This paper belongs to .
Exercise 1: Put the verbs in brackets into the correct forms.
1 I've hung out the clothes. It's lovely and sunny; if it (stay) like this they (be) dry in two hours.
2 French is essential in this job. All the telephonists speak it. If they (not know) French they (not understand)
half the callers.
3 How did you do in the car rally? ~ We came in last actually; but only because we got lost. If we (not got) lost
we (come) in somewhere in the middle. We certainly (not be) last.
4 I wasn't really surprised that we got lost because I knew that the navigator couldn't map-read. ~ But if you
(know) that why you (take) him as navigator?
5 This flat would be all right if the people above us (not be) so noisy.
6 A group of spectators, including myself, left the stand just before the end of the game. When we were half
way down the stairs a goal was scored and there was a great cheer from the spectators. If there (not be) a goal
the crowd (not cheer).
7 If the crowd (not cheer) we (not run) back up the stairs to see what had happened.
8 If we (not run) back we (not crash) into the rest of the spectators on their way down, and there (not be) this
frightful accident.
9 If the pain (return) you'd better take another pill.
10 If you aren't going to live in the house why you (not sell) it? If I (have) a house I couldn't use I (sell) it at
once.
11 No, I didn't know any Russian at that time. ~
But if you (not know) Russian why you (offer) to give him Russian lessons? ~
Because I knew that he (refuse). He always rejected my offers.
12 Tell him to bring his bicycle inside. If he (leave) it outside someone (steal) it.
13 Why do people always wear dark clothes at night? If pedestrians (wear) light coloured clothes drivers (see)
them much more easily.
14 She must have loved him very much because she waited for him for fifteen years. If she (not love) him she
(not wait) so long.
15 He looked so small and weak that nobody asked him to do anything. If he (look) strong he (be) expected to
dig all day like everyone else.
16 The government are talking of pulling the village down to make room for an airport. ~
If they (start) doing it the village people (resist)?
17 If you are catching an early train tomorrow you (like) to have breakfast at 7.00?
18 We'll have to break the ice on the pond; otherwise the ducks (not be able) to swim. And if they (not be able)
to swim they (not be able) to get food. (Use can/'could forms where possible.)
19 When he left school he became a fisherman. His family didn't like it at all. They (be) much happier if he
(become) a greengrocer like his father.
20 They still say that if he (go) into the greengrocery business when he left school he (be) comfortably off now
instead of being poor.
21 But he says that if he (have) his life again he (make) the same choice.
22 So many parcels and no baskets! If I (know) that we were going to buy so much I (bring) a basket.
23 No one bathes here. The water is heavily polluted. If you (bathe) in it you (be) ill for a fortnight.
24 I can hear the speaker all right but I wish I could see him too. ~
If he (stand) on a barrel we all (see) him and that (be) much better.
25 Look at poor Tom trying to start his car by hand again! If I (be) Tom I (get) a new battery.
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26 I expect you'll see Jack at the lecture tonight. If you (do) you please (remind) him about tomorrow's
meeting?
27 The headmaster decided that Peter was the culprit and expelled him from the school. A more intelligent man
(realize) that Peter couldn't have been guilty. (If the headmaster had been more intelligent he... .)
28 But I blame the real culprit even more. If he (admit) his guilt Peter (not be) expelled.
29 The only thing I haven't got is a balcony. If I (have) a balcony I (grow) plants in pots. Then my flat (be)
perfect!
30 Jack rang while you were out. ~
Oh dear! If I (know) he was going to ring I (stay) at home.
31 My unmarried friends are always telling me how to bring up my children. I sometimes think that if they
(have) children they (make) just as many mistakes as I do.
32 (At a cinema) Ann: Don't worry. They get married in the end. Mary: Then you've seen it before' If you (tell)
me that we (go) to something else!
33 Be careful about the time. If you (spend) too long on the first question you (not have) enough time to do the
others properly.
34 We had a lot of trouble putting the tent up. If it (not be) so windy perhaps it (not be) quite so difficult.
35 Ann (sitting beside her open fire): I love open fires; if I (have) nothing but a radiator to sit beside I (get)
quite depressed.
36 Lucy, a student at a residential college: Couldn't I leave the hostel and get a flat, mother?
Mother: No, you couldn't. I know very well what (happen) if you (have) a flat. You (play) the guitar all night
and (miss) your classes in the morning; then you (fail) your exams and (have) to repeat the year. And you (not
feed) yourself properly and (get) run down. And then you (catch) some infection and (die) of it, and we (have)
to leave this district as the neighbours (keep) saying that we had caused your death by letting you have your
own way!
Exercise 2: Rewrite these sentences, using an if construction.
He smokes too much; perhaps that's why he can't get rid of his cough.
If he didn't smoke so much he might get rid of his cough or
If he smoked less he might (be able to) get rid of his cough.
1 She is very shy; that's why she doesn't enjoy parties.
2 He doesn't take any exercise; that's why he is so unhealthy.
3 I haven't the right change so we can't get tickets from the machine.
4 They speak French to her, not English, so her English doesn't improve.
5 He doesn't work overtime, so he doesn't earn as much as I do.
6 My number isn't in the directory so people don't ring me up.
7 The police are not armed so we don't have gun battles in the streets.
8 The shops don't deliver now, which makes life difficult.
9 He's very thin; perhaps that's why he feels the cold so much.
10 We haven't any matches so we can't light a fire.
11 It's a pity we haven't a steak to cook over our camp fire.
12 I'm fat; that's why I can't get through the bathroom window.
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13 He doesn't help me, possibly because I never ask him for help.
14 I can't drive so we can't take the car.
15 We have no ladder so we can't get over the wall.
16 My friend advised me to sell it. (My friend said, 'If I. . . you I. . .")
17 I haven't much time so I read very little.
18 They don't clean the windows so the rooms look rather dark.
19 He never polishes his shoes, so he never looks smart.
20 He doesn't pay his staff properly; perhaps that's why they don't work well.
21 We haven't got central heating, so the house is rather cold.
22 I have no dog, so I don't like being alone in the house at night.
23 He spends hours watching television; that's why he never has time to do odd jobs in the house.
24 I haven't got a vacuum cleaner; that's why I'm so slow.
25 I don't know his address, so I can't write to him.
26 He never shaves; that's the only reason he looks unattractive.
27 You work too fast; that's why you make so many mistakes.
28 I can't park near my office; that's why I don't come by car.
29 I live a long way from the centre; that's why I am always late for work.
30 I haven't a map so I can't direct you.
31 People drive very fast. That's why there are so many accidents.
32 English people speak very quickly. Perhaps that's why I can't understand them.
33 My house is guarded by two Alsatian dogs. That's the only reason it isn't broken into every night.
34 The flats are not clearly numbered, so it is very difficult to find anyone.
35 You don't wipe your feet, so you make muddy marks all over the floor.
36 I live near my office, so I don't spend much time travelling to work.
Exercise 3: Rewrite these sentences using an if construction.
You didn't tell me we had run out of bread, so I didn't buy any.
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If you had told me we had run out of bread I'd have bought some.
1 I didn't see the signal, so I didn't stop.
2 I didn't know your number, so I didn't ring.
3 She didn't know you were in hospital, so she didn't visit you.
4 We only came by bus because there were no taxis.
5 She didn't speak to him, possibly because she was so shy.
6 Landlord: She threatened to set fire to her flat; that's the only reason I asked her to leave.
7 We didn't visit the museum because we hadn't time.
8 I only came up the stairs because the lift wasn't working.
9 We didn't listen carefully; perhaps that's why we made this mistake.
10 We got a lift, so we reached the station in time.
11 You washed it in boiling water; that's why it shrank.
12 We missed the train because we were using an out-of-date timetable.
13 His own men deserted him; that's the only reason why he failed.
14 They were driving very quickly. That's why the accident was so terrible.
15 It was raining. That's the only reason I didn't take the children to the beach.
16 When I bought this house I didn't realize that in summer planes skimmed the roof every five minutes. {If I
{knew). . . I {not buy) etc.)
17 Tom's father was on the Board. That's the only reason he got the job.
18 He wasn't looking where he was going. That's why he was run over.
19 I don't like country life, perhaps because I wasn't brought up in the country.
20 I didn't know he was so quarrelsome. I'm sorry now that I invited him.
21 It rained all the time. Perhaps that's why he didn't enjoy his visit.
22 I didn't work hard at school so I didn't get a good job when I left.
23 They used closed-circuit television. That's how they spotted the shop-lifter.
24 They asked him to leave the dining-room because he wasn't wearing a shirt.
25 It took us a long time to find his house because the streets were not clearly marked.
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26 We didn't go by air only because we hadn't enough money.

27 The bus didn't stop because you didn't put your hand up.
28 He turned up at the interview looking so disreputable and unshaven that they didn't give him the job.
29 I didn't know how thin the ice was, so I was walking on it quite confidently.
30 The champion didn't take the fight seriously at first; perhaps that's why he didn't win it.
31 They got the children back alive only because they paid the ransom at once.
32 The examiner read the passage very quickly, so the candidates didn't understand it.
33 They weren't wearing life-jackets; perhaps that's why they were drowned.
34 He didn't get to the top of his profession, perhaps because his wife didn't encourage him.
(Exercises 1, 2, 3 are extracted from: Thomson, A. J & Martinet, A. V. A Practical English Grammar
Exercise 2. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1986, pp. 83-97)
Exercise 4: Underline the most suitable verb forms in each sentence.
a) If the machine stops/will stop, you press/will press this button.
b) I can't understand what he sees in her! If anyone treats/will treat/treated me like that, I am/will be/would be
extremely angry!
c) If you help/helped me with this exercise, I will/would do the same for you one day.
d) According to the timetable, if the train leaves/left on time, we will/would arrive at 5.30.
e) If it is/will be fine tomorrow, we go/will go to the coast.
f) If we find/found a taxi, we will get/would get there before the play starts.
g) It's quite simple really. If you take/will take/took these tablets every day, then you lose/will lose/lost/would
lose weight.
h) I don't like this flat. I think I am/I will be/I'd be happier if I live/will live/would live/lived in a house in the
country.
i) I don't know how to play baseball, but I'm sure that if I will do/did, I play/will/play/would play a lot better
than anyone in this awful team!
j) If I phone/will phone/phoned you tonight, are you/will you be/would you be in?
Exercise 5: Underline the most suitable verb forms in each sentence.
a) Why didn't you tell me? If you told/had told me, I had helped/would have helped you.
b) If Bill didn't steal/hadn't stolen the car, he wasn't/wouldn't be/hadn't been in prison now.
c) If Ann wasn't driving/didn't drive/hadn't driven so fast, her car didn't crash/wouldn't crash/wouldn't have
crashed into a tree.
d) Let me give you some advice. If you smoked/would smoke/had smoked less, you didn't
feel/wouldn't/feel/wouldn't have felt so tired.
e) What bad luck! If Alan didn't fall/hadn't fallen/wouldn't fall over, he won/would win/would have won the
race.
f) If you invited/had invited me last week, I was able/had been able/would have been able to come.
g) I'm sure your letter hasn't arrived yet. If it came/had come I'm sure I noticed/had noticed/would have noticed
it.
h) We have a suggestion to make. How do you feel/would you feel if we offered/would offer/had offered you the
job of assistant manager?
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i) If you lent/had lent us the money, we paid/would pay/had paid you back next week.
j) Terry never catches anything when he goes fishing. And if he catches/caught/had caught a fish, he
throws/would throw it back!
Exercise 6: Put each verb in brackets into a suitable verb form.
a) Why didn't you phone? If I (know) ....had known you were coming, I (meet) you at the airport.
b) It's a pity you missed the party. If you (come), you (meet) my friends from Hungary.
c) If we (have) some tools, we (be able) to repair the car, but we haven't got any with us.
d) If you (not help) me, I (not pass) the exam.
e) It's a beautiful house, and I (buy) it if I (have) the money, but I can't afford it.
f) I can't imagine what I (do) with the money if I (win) the lottery.
g) If Mark (train) harder, he (be) a good runner.
h) If Claire (listen) to her mother, she (not marry) David in the first place.
Exercise 7: Rewrite each sentence, beginning as shown. Do not change the meaning.
a) I didn't have an umbrella with me and so I got wet.
I wouldn't have got wet if I'd had an umbrella with me
b) I'll call the police if you don't leave me alone!
Unless
c) In the snowy weather we don't go to school.
If
d) Without Jack's help, I wouldn't have been able to move the table.
If
e) Make me some coffee, and I'll give you one of my biscuits.
If
f) If you hadn't told me about Sue's hair, I wouldn't have noticed.
Unless
g) If you see Peter, tell him to be here at 8.00.
Should
h) I wouldn't accept if you asked me to marry you!
If you were
(Exercises 4, 5, 6, 7 are extracted from Vince, M. & Emmerson, P., First Certificate Language Practice
with Key, MacMillan Production, 2003, pp. 40-42)
Exercise 8: Put each verb in brackets into an appropriate verb form.
a) Now we're lost! If you (write down) Marys directions, this (not/happen).
b) Why don't we emigrate? If we (live) in Australia, at least the weather (be) better!
c) I'm afraid that Smith is a hardened criminal. If we (not/punish) him this time, he (only/commit) more crimes.
d) Thanks to Dr Jones, I'm still alive! If it (not/be) for her, I (be) dead for certain.
e) I'm sorry I can't lend you any money. You know that if I (have) it, I (lend) it to you.
f) Don't be afraid. If you (touch) the dog, it (not/bite).
g) In those days, if you (have) a job, you (be) lucky.
h) It's always the same! If I (decide) to leave the office early, my boss (call) me after I've left!
i) What a terrible thing to happen! Just think, if we (not/miss) the plane, we (kill) in the crash.
j) Did you enjoy your meal? If you (finish) eating, I (clear away) the plates.
Exercise 9: Complete each sentence with a phrase containing the verb in brackets in an appropriate
form.
a) If I were (say) loved you, what would you do?
b) If it (rain) I would have gone out for a walk.
c) If you'd told me it was a surprise party, I (say) anything to Uncle Dave!
d) Thanks for your help with the garden; I (do) otherwise.
e) If only Mick had come to the disco, then we (have) a great time!
f) (pay) the phone bill today, the phone will be cut off.
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g) If I (had) your tools, I wouldn't have been able to fix the car.
h) Those wires look a bit dangerous; (touch) if I were you.
i) If (be) the goalkeeper's heroics, we would have lost the match.
Exercise 10: Rewrite each sentence three times so that it contains the word in capitals.
a) We won't go away if the weather is bad.
UNLESS Well go away unless the weather is bad.
ONLY
STAY
b) If you hurry up you won't be late.
DON'T
OR
WANT
c) If they offered you the job, would you accept?
WERE TO
SHOULD
HAPPENED
d) Without your help, I would have given up years ago.
HADN'T BEEN
BUT
HADN'T HELPED
e) I'll lend you the money on condition that you pay it back next week.
PROVIDED
LONG
ONLY
Exercise 11: Complete the text by writing one word in each space.
Mr Jeffries, I have decided against a prison sentence in your case. You may walk free from this court on (1)
condition that you report to Chesham police station every Friday for the next six months. Should you fail to
(2). so, you will be given one warning; and if you persist (3) failing to meet this
obligation, you will return to this court for a harsher sentence. (4) . you can present good reason
why you were unable to report to the station, you will (5) . yourself in severe trouble. If you are
(6) . to attend because of illness, please note that a medical certificate must be produced, signed
by your doctor, proving your state of health. You should realise that (7) . for your previous good
conduct, I would (8) . had no hesitation in imposing a prison sentence. And I shall not forget that
if your friend had (9) . intervened in the fight, you might (10) . seriously injured
the defendant.
Exercise 12: Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the
word given. Do not change the word given.
a) I didn't have the money so I didn't buy a new suit.
would
If I .a new suit.
b) If you are in London by any chance, come and see me.
happen
If you .come and see me.
c) If you insist on doing everything yourself, of course you'll feel tired!
will
If you. , of course you'll feel tired!
d) Please take a seat, and I'll inquire for you.
will
If you ., I'll inquire for you.
e) If you do the shopping, I'll cook lunch.
and
You . I'll cook lunch.
f) If Pauline hadn't been interested, the project would have been abandoned.
interest
But the project would have been abandoned.
g) The fire was brought under control thanks to the night-watchman.
for
If it hadn't .got out of control.
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h) Dick is in prison because a detective recognised him.

if
Dick wouldn't .recognised him.
i) I am not tall enough to reach the shelf.
taller
If I .reach the shelf.
j) But for Helen acting so wonderfully, the play would be a flop.
wonderful
If it .the play would be a flop.
k) It won't make any difference if City score first; United will still win.
even
United .City score first.
1) Getting up early makes me feel hungry.
get
If .makes me feel hungry.
Exercise 13: Complete each sentence with a suitable phrase containing the verb in brackets in an
appropriate form.
a) Should (need). anything, could you let me know?
b) Were the plane (take off) ., everyone in it would have been killed.
c) Had (study) . harder, I would probably have passed all my exams.
d) Should (be) . in the neighbourhood, drop in.
e) Had (go) . to the doctor immediately, your daughter would not be so ill.
f) Never before (spend) . so much money on her daughter's birthday.
g) Should (feel) . hungry, just call room service, and order a meal.
h) Were (offer) . her the job, we couldn't be sure that she would accept.
i) Had (take) . the necessary measures, this political crisis could have been avoided,
(Exercises 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 are extracted from Vince, M. & Sunderland, P., Advance Language Practice
with Key, MacMillan Production, 2003, pp. 49-53)
EXTRA EXERCISES
Write the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Do
not change the word given.
1- If you do have any free time, could you give me a ring?
SHOULD
2- We wont go away if the weather is bad.
UNLESS
3- I didnt have the money, so I didnt buy a new suit.
WOULD
4- If you hurry up, you wont be late.
GOING
5- If they offered you the job, would you accept?
WERE
6- If you are in London by any chance, come and see me.
HAPPEN
7- Without you, I would have given up years ago.
BEEN
8- Please take a seat, and Ill inquire for you.
WILL
9- Dont take this job if you dont really want it.
UNLESS
10- I wasnt tall enough to reach the shelf.
TALLER
11- If the ship sank, what would you do?
WERE
12- If you should notice whats on at the cinema, let me know.
HAPPEN
13- If you hadnt encouraged me, I would have given up.
BUT
14- I dont have any money, so I cant lend you any.
IF
15- But for Helen, the play would be a flop.
WERE
(Extra Exercise is extracted from http://thpt-trankhainguyen-tphcm.edu.vn/?q=content/b%C3%A0i-t
%E1%BA%ADp-v%E1%BB%81-c%C3%A2u-%C4%91i%E1%BB%81u-ki%E1%BB%87n)

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