English grammar practice exercise, for pre-intermediate and intermediate level.
In this exercise you will practise the difference between first conditional and second conditional sentences.
Instructions: Decide whether the following sentences should be in the first or second conditional and put the verb in brackets into the appropriate form:
| Structure of the first conditional | ||
| positive | negative | question |
| If I see him, I'll (I will) tell him. | If you don't hurry, you'll miss the bus. | What will you do if there is a problem? |
| Structure of the second conditional | ||
| positive | negative | question |
| If I had more time, I'd (I would) travel more. | I wouldn't (would not) refuse if you offered me $10,000. | What would you say if you met Queen Elizabeth? |
| If I were you, I'd leave the job. | I wouldn't (would not) leave the job if I were you. | Would you leave the job if you were me? |
| The first conditional - common mistakes | ||
| Common mistakes | Correct version | Why? |
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If you go to England, you will improve your English. | We use the present simple in the if-clause. |
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If I find his address, I will send him the letter. | We use will in the main clause, to express certainty in the future. |
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I'll tell him if I see him. | We use the present simple in the if-clause. |
| The second conditional - common mistakes | ||
| Common mistakes | Correct version | Why? |
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If I had enough money, I would buy a new computer. | We use the past simple (here I had) in the if-clause. It shows we are talking about something which is unlikely to happen or is an imaginary situation. |
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If you didn't hurry so much, you would feel more relaxed. | The main clause has would + infinitive. |
