This document discusses different ways to express unreal or hypothetical situations in English using conditionals and expressions like wish and if only. It explains the structure of real conditionals, present unreal conditionals, and past unreal conditionals. It also covers using wish, hope, and if only to talk about desires or regrets in the present, future, and past. Examples are provided to illustrate the different conditional and expression structures. The document concludes with practice exercises for readers to complete conditionals and make wishes about pictures using the proper tenses and structures.

1. Conditionals; Other
Ways to Express
Unreality
Experiences of an
International Traveler
9
Focus on Grammar 5
Part IX, Unit 23
By Ruth Luman, Gabriele Steiner, and BJ Wells
Copyright © 2006. Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

2. Tired Traveler
If only I had
found a taxi.
I wish I
could brush
my teeth
right now.
If the airport
hadn’t lost my
luggage, I
wouldn’t have
been delayed.
If I had more
money, I
would stay at
better hotels.

3. Real Conditionals
Real conditionals are sentences that describe
situations that occur regularly or are likely or possible in
the future.
If we don’t get to the station on time,
the train will leave without us.
In present-time
situations, use the
simple present in
both clauses to
describe habitual
or regularly
occurring actions.
In future-time
situations, use the
simple present in
the if clause and
the future with will
or be going to in
the result clause.
If I don’t put
sunscreen on,
I get a bad
sunburn.

4. Unreal Conditionals
Unreal conditionals are sentences that describe
situations that are untrue, unlikely, or impossible in the
present or the past.
In present-time
situations, use the
simple past in the
if clause and
would, could, or
might plus the
base form of the
verb in the result
clause.
If I had enough
money, I would
visit Paris.
She doesn’t have enough
money and she won’t
visit Paris.

5. He didn’t travel with a
map, so he got lost.
Present Unreal Conditionals
Use the simple past in the if clause. If the verb is be,
use were for all persons. Use could, might, or would
+ base form in the result clause.
If I were a better planner I
wouldn’t travel without a map.
Where’s my wallet?
If he were more careful, he
would notice that his wallet
was missing.

6. Past Unreal Conditionals
Use the past unreal conditional for past unreal, untrue, imagined, or
impossible conditions and their unreal results. Use the past perfect in the
if clause. Use could, might, or would + have + past participle in the
result clause.
If I had looked at a map, I
wouldn’t have gotten lost.
He didn’t look at a map,
so he got lost.
Where’s my wallet?
If he had been more careful,
he might have noticed his
wallet was missing.

7. Practice 1
Look at the chart and complete
the conditionals with your own
ideas.
Real Unreal Past Unreal
If + simple present
AND
simple present
If + simple present
AND
will + base form verb
If + simple past
AND
would/could/might
+ base form verb
If + past perfect
AND
would/could/might
+ have
+ past participle verb
Examples:
If I had enough money, …
If I have enough money, …
If I had had a lot of money,…
I would travel to Asia.
I will travel to Asia.
I would have traveled to Asia.
1. If I visit Europe, …
2. … , I might not have gotten sick.
3. If we took an airplane,…
4. If we had made reservations, …
5. … , I would learn Russian.

8. Wish 1
Use wish + could / would + base form to
express a wish about the future.
I wish that baby
would stop crying.
This is what he wants, but
he is not sure if the baby
will change his behavior.

9. Wish 2
Use wish + the simple past to express a
wish about the present.
I wish I
caught an
earlier flight. I wish I had
more leg
room.

10. Wish 3
I wish I hadn’t
eaten that
airplane food.
The man ate the
airplane food.
Use wish + the past perfect to express a
wish about the past.

11. Hope and Wish
Don’t confuse hope and wish.
I hope I get
to the plane
on time.
I wish (that) I
didn’t have so
much luggage.
Use hope to
express a desire
about events that
are possible or
probable.
Use wish to express
regrets about things
that are unlikely or
impossible to change.

12. If Only
If only can also be used to express wishes.
If only they wouldn’t
leave me here for the
rest of my life.
If only they
could see me.
Present
Future

13. Practice 2
Use the pictures to make
statements using wish and if only.
Make statements about the
present, future, and past.
I wish I could take
the bus.
Example:
If only I’d make
my flight.
1. 2. 3.

14. Copyright © 2006 Pearson Education and
its licensors. All rights reserved.
References