If you are an expert or a beginner, or you might have enrolled for some English grammar course, then you would be familiar with the conditionals. Even if you could not relate yourself to the conditionals, do not worry.
In this session, Englishbix will introduce you with a grammar concept which will help you understand the structure and usage of the English sentences. We will be working on understanding the mixed conditionals.
Basically, in English grammar, you must be familiar with the zero, first, second and third conditionals to appropriately understand the structure of the sentences.
But did you know there are mixed conditionals as well? Let’s get started to understand it.
As per the English grammar guidelines, conditional sentences majorly consist of two parts, which is the main part and the if part (you can also call it a conditional part). These sentences are generally used to express imaginary situations. The order of the sentences does not matter much. You can see that the conditional part can also come first. In case the if part of the conditional part comes first then it should be separated from the second part with a comma between them.
Before we move ahead to the Mixed conditionals lets understand the regular conditional sentences.
1. Zero Conditional Sentence – With this type of sentence you can describe the scientific facts, generally known truths, events or things which are universally true. It is also considered as the simplest conditional sentence in English.
2.Type one condition: In this type of condition the sentence expresses real and possible situations in the future.
3.Type Two Conditional Sentence: With this type of conditional sentence you can describe an unreal situation with regards to the present or future.
4.Type Three Conditional Sentence: In this type of conditional sentence, you can express situations (actions or events) that cannot exist. It is often used to express some missed opportunities.
Now, let’s move ahead to gain insights into the Mixed Conditional Sentences and their types.
2 Types of Mixed Conditionals with Examples
In this type of conditional sentence, you can mix different types of conditions such as one, two, or three. With these combinations, you could explain that one condition emphasizes on the result of the past actions.
This usually refers to the mixture of second and third conditions. You could observe two different types of mixed conditional sentences.
- Mixed Third/ Second Conditional
- Mixed Second/ Third Conditional
1. Mixed Third/ Second Conditional
When you mix the third and second conditional sentences it will describe the present as the result of past conditions.
Structure of Mixed Third/ Second Conditional
With this type of mixed conditional sentence, the tense of the ‘if’ clause is past perfect whereas the tense of the main clause is present conditional.
| Tip: If + Past Perfect, Present Conditional (would/wouldn’t + Verb (bare form)). |
For instance, you can have a look at the examples to understand it in a better way.
- If I had listened to your advice, I wouldn’t be in the mess.
- If he had checked the map, he wouldn’t be lost.
- If I had gone to university, I would be a doctor now.
Now, let’s discuss the second case – Mixed Second and third conditional sentences.
2. Mixed Second/ Third Conditional
In this type of mixed conditional sentence, you can describe the past result of a present or sometimes the continuing condition.
Structure of Mixed Second/ Third Conditional
Here you can find that the tense of the ‘if’ clause or the conditional clause is a simple past whereas the tense of the main clause is perfect conditional.
| Tip: If + Past Simple, Perfect Conditional (would/wouldn’t + have + Past Participle). |
For example:
- If I were a good cook, I would have invited them to dinner.
- If you weren’t such a poor dancer, you would have got a job in the chorus line in that musical.
Conclusion:
With this amazing blog, you would have gained immense knowledge of the types and sentence structure of mixed conditional. For more updates, you can always reach us through the comment section. So stay tunes to Englisbix.