Pridatochnoe conditions in English

This topic is one of the most serious in English grammar. Studying the language at the initial stage, you can somehow manage without this knowledge. But the higher your level, the more you will have the desire to diversify and complicate your speech, making it approximate to that which is spoken by native speakers. At this point, there will be a need to study the subordinate clauses of the condition: their meaning, varieties, ways of education and examples of use. This will help the proposed article.

Where are they used?

In English, as in Russian, all sentences are divided into simple and complex. And the latter, in turn, can be compound and complex. The first type does not create much difficulty in learning the grammar of a foreign language. But in the case of the second there are some nuances.

Consider a typical complex sentence in English:

If (when) the weather is fine, I'll go for a walk.

In this case, you can easily see two components:

• I'll go for a walk - the main sentence (main clause);
• If (when) the weather is fine - condition clause or time clause.

What do they mean?

In the above example, the main sentence expresses the thought: "What will happen?", And the subordinate clause - "Under what condition (or at what time, when) will this happen?"

In such proposals, the inseparable semantic and grammatical relationship of the main and subordinate parts is expressed. In general, subordinate constructions can express very different meanings: the mode of action and degree, place, time, condition, cause, effect, purpose, comparison, assignment. But in this article we will only talk about two types of situations and conditions.

In a speech, such constructions express logical, space-time and cause-and-effect relationships. Therefore, an advanced student of English should understand when to use the time and conditions.

Used unions

Characteristically, in the compound sentences, the main part is invariably the same, and there may be several subordinate clauses. All of them are in direct dependence (logical and grammatical) from the main component and are joined to it by means of various alliances and union expressions. Here are the most common:

• If - if;
• In case - in the case;
• When - when;
• While - while, while;
• As soon as (as long as);
• Until - not yet, before;
• After - after;
• Before - before;
• Unless (if not) - if not.

Note: the union used does not always help to determine the type of compound sentence. And often it is necessary to do this in order to apply the grammatical rule, which is described later in the article. For an accurate confirmation that before you it is a proposal with an additional condition or time, you need to ask the question to the subordinate part.

Remember also that the sentence can begin with both the main part and the subordinate clause. Is it difficult not to get confused? Just pay attention to which part of the proposal is the union (one or other of the list presented above).

What is the clause of time?

This type of part includes a part of a complex sentence that obeys the main one, while answering the questions: "When?", "How long?", "How long?", "Since when?", "How long?" And t .P.

To join the clauses to the main part, unions are used: when, after, before, until and others with a similar meaning. However, in order to make sure that it is the meaning of time that expresses itself, and not any other, it is more reliable to ask the question.

What is the subordinate clause?

Such grammatical constructions answer the question: "Under what condition?". They are quite diverse and are joined by unions if, in case, unless, etc. But not always the union word acts as a guarantee that the value of the condition is realized in the offer. Because in many cases the turnover, for example, with if, is translated not "if", but "whether." Compare:

• I'll come if they invite me. I'll come if they invite me.
• I do not know if they will invite me.

Adjective conditions in English are found in sentences that take place in the past, present or future time. In addition, the conditions put forward themselves have a gradation: real, unlikely and unrealistic. This is best understood by examples.

Type I

The subordinate condition relating to the first type describes a real fact. That is, what really took place in the past, present or future. In this case, the time forms of the verb-predicate in the main and subordinate parts usually coincide.

This is clearly seen in the examples.

• Past tense:

- If the weather was good, he went for a walk.

• Present time:

If the weather is fine, he goes for a walk. - If the weather is good, he walks (walks) walking.

• Future tense:

If the weather is fine, he will go for a walk.

Only in the last example you can see that the two parts of the complex sentence do not agree in time (the subordinate is in the form of the present, and the main one is in the future). This happened not accidentally, but because of a special grammatical rule, to which subordinate clauses of time and conditions are subject. The details will be explained later.

In the meantime, let us consider the manifestations of the second and third types of clauses. They no longer reveal themselves in three grammatical times, but acquire the meaning "if only, then ...". Moreover, such a hypothetical situation can be related to the present day, and to the past.

Type II

When the speaker believes that the reality of the condition is quite small, then a separate speech structure is used. Drawing an analogy with the Russian language, this is a subjunctive ("if ..."). Example:

If the weather was fine, I would go for a walk. If the weather was good, I would go for a walk.

Note that this situation occurs at a time when a person is talking about it. This is not a regret for yesterday.

In order to construct grammatically correctly an utterance of this type, it is necessary:

• In the subordinate part put the verb-predicate in the form Past Simple;
• In the main part to use would + the infinitive form of the verb (but without the particle to).

Type III

If the observance of this condition (and the commission of an action) is considered by the speaker as absolutely impossible, another type of subordinate clause enters into force. The impossibility of realizing this situation is due to the fact that the action has already taken place in the past, and the speaker can not change its result. And so complex with subordinate clauses of this type usually expresses regret and mourning over the circumstances.

If the weather had been fine yesterday, we would not have stayed home. "If there was good weather yesterday, we would not stay at home." In that case, we would go for a walk.

But there may be another, opposite in meaning the situation. A person reflects on what might have happened, but does not feel regret about it. For example:

If I had overslept, I would have been late - If I had overslept (a), I'd be late.

Note that the entire sentence refers to the past tense and expresses the impossibility of performing a particular action exactly then, in the past.

This grammatical structure is formed according to the following scheme:

• In the subordinate part, the verb-predicate is put in the form Past Perfect;
• In the main part used would + Perfect Infinitive.

What time is used in subordinate clauses?

This question is very serious. Earlier in the article it was mentioned that it is important to determine the type of the subordinate part. And in this case it is necessary to focus not on the unions, but on the questions asked.

The fact is that there is a certain grammatical rule. It is associated with the type of the subordinate part and the use of the present / future time in it.

If subordinate clauses answer the questions: "Under what condition will the action take place?" Or "At what time (when) will this happen?", They express, respectively, the condition or time. In these types of subordinate clauses, future time (with the verb will) can not be used. Instead, it uses the present. Even when the situation clearly refers to the future and this time is translated into Russian.

Compare:

• She will bake a cake when you come - She'll make a cake when you come.
• If I get this job, I'll be happy - If I get this job, I'll be happy.

As it is easy to see, in the latter case, the above example refers to a variety - the subordinate condition of type I. To the other two kinds of conditional subordinate clauses, this rule does not apply, since there are quite different constructions for expressing grammatical meaning.

In many situations, complex sentences make it possible to better express the speaker's thoughts. Subordinate units are joined by means of special alliances. As the main varieties, subordinate clauses and clauses are distinguished.

The English language presents certain grammatical rules in the use of such structures. To reliably master them, one needs to understand the theory once, and then perform as many exercises as possible so that an example of correct use is fixed in memory. Later, when it becomes necessary, it will automatically appear in the speech.