2 If he had not been late this morning, his teacher would not have punished him. In truth, he was late.
Some books added others type of conditional sentences like mixed conditional sentence.
4. Mixed Conditional Sentence
Mixed conditional sentence is a combination of conditional sentence type 2 and conditional sentence type 3.
Table 2.4 Mixed Conditional Sentences TYPE
IF CLAUSE MAIN CLAUSE
MEANING
Mixed Type
Simple past
If I were a bird,
would have + past participle
I would have flown to your place last night.
Untrue in the present or future.
Fact: I am not a bird,
so I didn ‟t fly to your
place.
Past perfect
If you had worked hard,
would + simple form
you would succeed.
Untrue in the past. Fact:
You didn ‟t work
hard. Now, you don ‟t
succeed.
Function:
Mixed conditional sentence is used to talk about actions or situations that did not take or were not taking place in the past, but we can imagine the
probable result in the present, or actions or situations that do not take place in the present, but we can imagine the probable result in the past.
3. Conditional Sentences Type II
a. Definition of second conditional
Second conditional uses present unreal conditional to talk about unreal, untrue, imagined, or impossible conditions and their results. Use the simple
past form of the verb in the if clause, if the verb is be, use were for all persons. Use could, might, or would + the best form of the verb in the result clause
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. The pattern is if + past tense, +would + verb
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. For example: 1 If you left me, I would die of a broken heart.
2 If I were you, I would not recommend this book to my friends. 3 I might watch the video if I had the day off.
There is no difference in time between the first and second types of conditional sentence. Type 2 like type 1, refers to the present or future and the
past tense in the if clause is not a true past but a subjunctive, which indicates unreality.
b. Second conditional is usually used:
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1 When the supposition is contrary to known facts: If I were you, I would plant some trees round the house. But I am
not you. 2 When we don
‟t expect the action in the if clause to take place: If a burglar came into my room at night, I would scream. But I
don ‟t expect the burglar come in.
c. Possible variations of the basic form
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Variations of the main clause
1 Might or could may be used instead of would: If
you tried again you would succeed. Certain result If
you tried again you might succeed. Possible result
53
Jay Maurer, op. cit., p. 410.
54
Louis Hashemi and Barbara Thomas, Grammar for first certificate, New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006, p. 166.
55
A. J. Thomson A. V. Martinet, Loc. Cit.
56
A. J. Thomson A. V. Martinet, op. cit., pp. 198-199.
