Subjects
Grades
Mixed Conditionals (Unreal Conditional)
Concept sheet | English Language Arts
Grade
3-6
| Secondary
1
Mixed Conditional Uses
Mixed conditionals are a combination of the second and third conditional.
These sentences are commonly used to imagine:
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hypothetical past conditions and their probable present results
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hypothetical present conditions and their hypothetical past results
Mixed Conditional Structure
Here are two common ways to make mixed conditional sentences:
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Past condition—Present result
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Present condition—Past result
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Past Condition - Present Result
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Present Condition - Past Result
Past Hypothetical Action and Its Probable Present Result
Present Hypothetical Condition and Its Past Result
Conditional sentences contain two clauses:
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Conditional clause (commonly called the if-clause)
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the condition/situation
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dependent clause—it needs the hypothetical result to form a complete sentence
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contains a conditional clause marker—subordinating conjunction such as the words “if,” “when,” “as,” etc.
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Main clause
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the result
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independent clause—makes sense on its own