What is a “conditional”?
There are many different types of sentences in English. A conditional sentence is one of them.
Simply put, a conditional sentence is a sentence that describes a situation/ event that has a low to high probability or low to high likelihood of occuring followed by a probable outcome.
How many types of “conditionals” are there?
There are four types of conditional and a fifth if you include mixed conditionals.
They are as follows:
- Zero Conditional
- First Conditional
- Second Conditional
- Third Conditional
- Mixed Conditional
Basic ‘form’ and meta-language of a conditional sentence
A conditional sentences is usually made up of two parts: an indepedent clause and a depedent clause.
Some other grammarians and teachers may refer to the the depedent clause as the ‘if clause’ or the ‘conditional clause’.
Similarly, the independent clause can also be known as the ‘main clause’ or the ‘result clause’.