Conditional Sentence or If Clause

by Septi Lastiani 06.08.00 0 comments

  

Conditional Sentence or If Clause

A clause consists of a subject and a verb and is the smallest grammatical unit that expresses a thought. The subject is the entity “doing” the action of the sentence and the verb is the action that subject completes. A clause creates a complete thought (an idea or a statement that can stand alone).

Ø  Independent clause definition:

An independent clause can stand alone in a sentence. It contains a subject and a verb in its smallest form. A clause may also include modifiers and a verb predicate. It is a complete thought and the smallest unit of grammar that is syntactically accurate. In writing, words and modifiers can be rearranged in independent clauses to create interest.

Example of Independent Clauses:

·      I eat bananas in the kitchen.

·      In the kitchen, I eat.

Here, “I eat” is the subject and verb. An object (“bananas”) and a prepositional phrase (“in the kitchen”) have been added to the clause to make it more specific. The entire sentence is an independent clause because it is a complete thought statement.

Ø  Dependent clause definition

Dependent clauses contain a subject and verb. However, they cannot stand alone as an independent thought. They must be joined with an independent clause to be grammatically correct.

Example of Dependent Clause:

·      Every night before I go to bed, I eat bananas.

This example contains the IC, “I eat bananas.” However, a dependent clause now opens the sentence. While the dependent clause contains a subject and a verb (“I go”), the dependent clause itself cannot stand alone a complete thought.

Ø  Conditional Clauses or If Clauses

Conditional Clauses or If Clauses are also known as Conditional Sentences are sentences expressing factual implications, or hypothetical situations and their consequences. They are so called because the validity of the main clause of the sentence is conditional on the existence of certain circumstances, which may be expressed in a dependent clause or may be understood from the context.

A full conditional sentence (one which expresses the condition as well as its consequences) therefore contains two clauses: the dependent clause expressing the condition, called the protasis; and the main clause expressing the consequence, called the apodosis. An example of such a sentence (in English) is the following:

·      If it rains, the picnic will be cancelled.

Here the condition is expressed by the clause "If it rains", this being the protasis, while the consequence is expressed by "the picnic will be cancelled", this being the apodosis. (The protasis may either precede or follow the apodosis; it is equally possible to say "The picnic will be cancelled if it rains".) In terms of logic, the protasis corresponds to the antecedent, and the apodosis to the consequent.

In other words, If Clauses 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.

Type	Condition
I	condition possible to fulfill
II	condition in theory possible to fulfill
III	condition not possible to fulfill (too late)

The Form of a Conditional Sentence/If Clause are : 

Type	If Clause	Main Clause
I	If I study,	I will pass the exam.
II	If I studied,	I would pass the exam.

Examples (affirmative and negative sentences)

Type		Examples
		Long Forms	Short/Contracted Forms
I	+	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 do not study, I will fail the exam.	If I study, I won't fail the exam. If I don't study, I'll fail the exam.
II	+	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 did not study, I would fail the exam.	If I studied, I wouldn't fail the exam. If I didn't study, I'd fail the exam.
III	+	If I had studied, I would have passed the exam.	If I'd studied, I'd have passed the exam.
	-	If I had studied, I would not have failed the exam. If I had not studied, I would have failed the exam.	If I'd studied, I wouldn't have failed the exam. If I hadn't studied, I'd have failed the exam.

We can substitute could or might for would (should, may or must are sometimes possible, too).

·       I would pass the exam.

·       Icould pass the exam.

·       I might pass the exam.

·       I may pass the exam.

·       I should pass the exam.

·       I must pass the exam.