Conditional
1
ALTERNATIVE
WORDS
It is possible to use other words
instead of if in first conditional sentences:
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ALTERNATIVE TO “IF”
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WHY USE IT?
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EXAMPLE
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When
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When the “condition” will
definitely happen.
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When I die, I’ll leave all my money to charity.
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As soon as
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To emphasize immediacy
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This situation is very urgent.
I’ll call you as soon as I have more information.
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Unless
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In place of “if not”
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You’ll fail the test unless
you study.
= You’ll fail the test if you don’t study. |
Let’s study each case separately.
When:
When
the “condition” will definitely happen in the future.
Look at the difference between these
two sentences:
- If I see Sam, I’ll give him your message. (I’m not sure if I will see him or not)
- When I see Sam, I’ll give him your message. (I will definitely see Sam)
As
soon as:
To
emphasize immediacy.
- My feet hurt! As soon as I get home, I’m going to take off these high heels.
- As soon as we have enough money saved, we’ll take a vacation to Costa Rica. We can’t wait!
- I’ll respond to your e-mail as soon as I can.
Unless:
Substitute
for “if not.”
- You won’t lose any weight unless you start
eating healthier food.
= You won’t lose any weight if you don’t start eating healthier food. - I’m not going to dance unless somebody invites
me.
= I’m not going to dance if somebody doesn’t invite me. - Unless
there’s an emergency at work, I’ll be home on time.
= If there’s not an emergency at work, I’ll be home on time.
