Start here · the first lesson of Conditionals and subjunctive
Conditionals and subjunctive
Grammar: Voice, Narration, Tenses + Rule Bank · for IPMAT Indore, IPMAT Rohtak and JIPMAT
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The idea
A conditional sentence has a condition (the if-clause) and a result (the main clause). The verb forms of the two clauses must belong to the same pattern, and the pattern depends on whether the situation is real or unreal, and present/future or past. The same "unreal past" logic covers wish and it is time. Rohtak 2019 Q28 (If he had tried), Indore 2022 Q24 (would have driven you there) and Indore 2022 Q25 (provided she has) are conditional items.
Textbook vs exam method
Textbook method
If-clauses (conditional-first, conditional-second, conditional-third, conditional-mixed, tense-future-in-condition)
| Pattern | If-clause | Main clause | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real possibility | present | will / can / may + base | If it rains tomorrow, the match will be moved. |
| Unreal present | past (were for every person) | would / could + base | If I had a car, I would drive you. |
| Unreal past | had + past participle | would / could / might have + past participle | If I had known, I would have helped. |
| Past condition, present result | had + past participle | would + base (+ now) | If he had worked harder, he would have the scholarship now. |
- In clauses of time and condition (if, when, unless, provided, as soon as, before, till) use the present for a future meaning: I will call you when I reach home.
- Inversion without "if": Had I known… = If I had known…
Wish, as if, it is time (wish-past, it-is-time-past, subjunctive-were)
| Rule | Right | Wrong |
|---|---|---|
| Regret about the past → had + past participle | I wish I had paid more attention last year. | I wish I paid more attention last year. |
| Wish about the present → past simple / were | I wish I knew the answer. | I wish I know the answer. |
| It is (high / about) time + subject + past | It is high time we left. | It is high time we leave. |
| Unreal "if", wish, as if → were | I wish I were taller. | I wish I was taller (informal) |
"If I was / I wish I was" is common in speech, so it is treated as contested and never the only tested point. "It is time to leave" is also correct.
Exam method
- Find the time. of the condition and of the result (tomorrow / now / yesterday).
- Real or unreal?. Pick the pattern from the table.
- Check both clauses. against the pattern; the commonest error is "would" or "will" inside the if-clause.
- Wish / it is time. move the verb one step into the past.