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Category: Conditionals & Wishes

  • Zero Conditional: Facts and General Truths (PDF)

    Zero Conditional: Facts and General Truths (PDF)

    The Zero Conditional describes things that are always true: facts, scientific truths, automatic results. If you heat water to 100°C, it boils, When employees feel valued, they work harder, If you press that button, the machine stops. Both clauses use the present simple — never will or any future form — and if and when are interchangeable. The pattern is the simplest of the conditional family, and it builds the form-and-meaning foundation that the other three conditionals will then complicate.

    This worksheet drills A2 use of the Zero Conditional through cause-and-effect statements in everyday and workplace contexts.

    What’s inside:

    • Grammar Box with form (If/When + present simple, present simple) and the interchangeability of if and when
    • Sentence matching: pair eight if/when clauses with logical result clauses, then write the full sentences
    • Gap-fill: complete sentences with the present simple form in both clauses
    • Personalised production: write five zero conditionals based on your own experience
    • Full Answer Key plus Teacher Notes on the no-will rule and the if/when interchangeability

    Common mistakes addressed: will in either clause (If you heat water, it will boil), missing third-person -s in the result clause (If a manager doesn’t listen, the team feel), and using would instead of present simple under L1 transfer.

    For: Adult and teenage learners (14+) at CEFR A2, in pre-intermediate classes, 1:1 lessons, or self-study. Direct preparation for Cambridge A2 Key (KET) and B1 Preliminary (PET) Writing, where general-truth statements and “what happens when…” prompts appear regularly. Part of the Conditionals & Wishes collection — the natural next step is First Conditional: Real Possibilities, which moves from general truths into real future scenarios.

  • First Conditional: Real Possibilities (PDF)

    First Conditional: Real Possibilities (PDF)

    The First Conditional describes situations that are real, possible, or likely in the future. If she applies for the job, she will get an interview, If we don’t leave now, we won’t make the meeting. The form is If + present simple, will + base form — and unless (= if not) is a high-frequency alternative for the if-clause (Unless you confirm by Monday, we will give the place to someone else). For less certain outcomes, might, may, and could replace will: If it rains, we might move the event indoors.

    This worksheet builds A2–B1 control of the First Conditional with focus on the unless alternative and the use of might/may/could for less certain outcomes.

    What’s inside:

    • Grammar Box with form, unless as the if not alternative, and might/may/could for less certain outcomes
    • Gap-fill (10 items): two-verb completion with the correct conditional form in both clauses
    • Unless rewriting: convert if + not sentences into unless equivalents
    • Personalised production: complete five conditional starters with your own future plans and possibilities
    • Full Answer Key plus Teacher Notes on the unless register and the no-will-in-if-clause rule

    Common mistakes addressed: will in the if-clause (If she will apply, she will get the job), missing not with unless (Unless you don’t confirm…), and missing third-person -s in the if-clause (If she apply).

    For: Adult and teenage learners (14+) at CEFR A2–B1, in pre-intermediate and intermediate classes, 1:1 lessons, or self-study. The First Conditional is heavily tested in Cambridge B1 Preliminary (PET) Writing and Speaking, where real-future hypotheticals appear in informal emails and the discussion part. Part of the Conditionals & Wishes collection — the natural next step is Second Conditional: Hypothetical Situations, which moves into imaginary present and future.

  • Second Conditional: Hypothetical Situations (PDF)

    Second Conditional: Hypothetical Situations (PDF)

    The Second Conditional expresses situations that are hypothetical, unlikely, or imaginary — not true now or unlikely in the future. If I were the CEO, I would change the company culture completely, She would earn more if she worked in the private sector. The form (If + past simple, would + base form) uses the past simple in the if-clause, but the meaning is present or future — the past tense signals hypothetical, not past time. Formal English uses were (not was) for all subjects (If I were you, I’d ask for a meeting), and could / might replace would for ability or possibility (If I had more time, I could take on more projects).

    This worksheet builds B1 fluency with the Second Conditional for hypothetical workplace and life situations.

    What’s inside:

    • Grammar Box with form, the meaning shift (past form = hypothetical present/future), the were/was rule, and could/might alternatives
    • Gap-fill: complete two-clause hypothetical sentences with the correct verb form in each clause
    • Sentence completion: extend If I were… prompts with personalised hypothetical advice
    • Rewriting: turn real situations into hypothetical versions using the Second Conditional
    • Full Answer Key plus Teacher Notes on the If I were you fixed expression

    Common mistakes addressed: would in the if-clause (If I would have time, I would help), missing to (If I had time, I would to help), and was instead of were in formal expressions (If I was you).

    For: Adult and teenage learners (14+) at CEFR B1, in intermediate classes, 1:1 lessons, or self-study. A direct preparation step for Cambridge B1 Preliminary (PET) and B2 First (FCE) — both exams test the Second Conditional in Reading-Use of English transformations and in advice-giving Writing tasks. Part of the Conditionals & Wishes collection — the natural next step is Third Conditional: Past Regrets, which extends the same hypothetical logic into past-time reflection.

  • Third Conditional: Past Regrets (PDF)

    Third Conditional: Past Regrets (PDF)

    The Third Conditional is the conditional for past regret — imaginary past situations that did not happen. If I had known about the opportunity, I would have applied, She wouldn’t have resigned if she had been offered a pay rise. The form (If + past perfect, would have + past participle) carries two clauses of past-meaning, but the situation is counterfactual: it didn’t happen. Contracted forms are the norm in spoken and written English (If I’d known, I’d have applied), and could have / might have replace would have for ability or possibility (If they had planned better, they could have avoided most of the problems).

    This worksheet builds B2 control of the Third Conditional through reflection-based transformation and rewriting tasks.

    What’s inside:

    • Grammar Box with form, the past-counterfactual meaning, the contracted forms, and could have / might have alternatives
    • Transformation: convert eight pairs of cause-and-effect past sentences into Third Conditional form
    • Rewrite using the word given (Cambridge-style key-word transformation): rewrite five sentences using if, would have, if only, could have, without
    • Reflection production: write three Third Conditional sentences about your own past decisions
    • Full Answer Key plus Teacher Notes on the key-word-transformation task type

    Common mistakes addressed: missing had in the if-clause (If I knew, when had known is meant), wrong past participle (would have went), and double would (If I would have known, I would have called).

    For: Adult and teenage learners (14+) at CEFR B2, in upper-intermediate classes, 1:1 lessons, or self-study. The Third Conditional is a high-frequency target in Cambridge B2 First (FCE) Reading-Use of English transformations — the if only / would have rewriting task type appears in nearly every paper. Part of the Conditionals & Wishes collection — the natural next step is Mixed Conditionals, which combines past and present time frames in single conditional sentences.

  • Mixed Conditionals: Combining Time Frames (PDF)

    Mixed Conditionals: Combining Time Frames (PDF)

    Mixed Conditionals combine elements of the Second and Third Conditional to connect different time frames in one sentence. Type A maps a past condition onto a present result (If I had studied medicine, I would be a doctor now) — using If + past perfect, would + base form. Type B maps a present condition onto a past result (If she were more careful, she wouldn’t have made that mistake) — using If + past simple, would have + past participle. The structural challenge is matching the tense in each clause to the time it refers to, not the surface grammar.

    This worksheet builds B2–C1 control of mixed conditionals through identification, rewriting, and pair-of-facts tasks.

    What’s inside:

    • Grammar Box with both types, the time direction (Past → Present, Present → Past), and a comparison table
    • Identification task: label six sentences Type A or Type B and explain the time direction
    • Pair-of-facts rewriting: combine two related facts into a single mixed conditional, choosing the correct type
    • Sentence completion with personalised past-and-present reflection
    • Full Answer Key plus Teacher Notes on the choice between mixed types and Third Conditional

    Common mistakes addressed: wrong type choice (mapping past condition to past result, missing the mixed quality), missing have in the result clause of Type B (she wouldn’t made instead of she wouldn’t have made), and missing past perfect in Type A (If I studied medicine, I would be a doctor — Second Conditional, not Mixed).

    For: Adult and teenage learners (14+) at CEFR B2–C1, in upper-intermediate and advanced classes, 1:1 lessons, or self-study. Mixed Conditionals are a clear B2/C1 marker in Cambridge B2 First (FCE) and C1 Advanced (CAE) Writing — particularly in the opinion essay where past decisions and present consequences are discussed together. Part of the Conditionals & Wishes collection — the natural next step is Wishes and Regrets: I Wish, If Only, which extends the same hypothetical machinery into wish form.

  • Wishes and Regrets: *I Wish, If Only* (PDF)

    Wishes and Regrets: *I Wish, If Only* (PDF)

    I wish and If only are how English expresses hypothetical desire and regret — and both run on the same backshift logic as the conditional family. Present wishes use the past simple (I wish I spoke better French, If only we had more time); past regrets use the past perfect (I wish I had taken that opportunity, If only they hadn’t made that decision); future change wishes (about someone else’s behaviour) use would + base form (I wish he would listen more carefully). If only is stronger and more emphatic than I wish, but both follow the same patterns. The recurring trap: I wish I would doesn’t exist — English forces I wish I could for own-ability.

    This worksheet drills B2 use of I wish / If only across all three time references, with focus on the would / could distinction.

    What’s inside:

    • Grammar Box with all three patterns (present past simple, past past perfect, future change would) and the if only vs I wish register difference
    • Gap-fill across the three patterns: complete each I wish sentence with the correct verb form
    • Rewriting: turn statements of regret into I wish / If only sentences
    • Personalised reflection: write three sentences about something you wish were different now, something you wish had happened differently, and something you wish someone else would change
    • Full Answer Key plus Teacher Notes on the I wish I could / I wish someone else would split

    Common mistakes addressed: I wish I would (I wish I would speak French) instead of I wish I could, missing past perfect for past regret (I wish I knew this earlier when had known is meant), and was instead of were (I wish I was taller).

    For: Adult and teenage learners (14+) at CEFR B2, in upper-intermediate classes, 1:1 lessons, or self-study. I wish transformations are a recurring task in Cambridge B2 First (FCE) and C1 Advanced (CAE) key-word transformations. Part of the Conditionals & Wishes collection — the natural sibling is Third Conditional: Past Regrets, which shares the past-perfect logic for past regret.