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| First Conditional _ will/may/might/should/can |
First Conditional
There are many types of conditionals such as zero conditional, first conditional third conditional and mixed conditional but in this post you will be exploring in detail the first conditional for the following points:
Table of Content
- Usages
- Structures
- Examples
- Modal Verbs
- Practices
Usages
First conditional is used to talk about future possibilities and promises. If the possibility is high or if you are sure about the result, use modal verbs "will' but if the possibility is low or you are unsure then use these modal verbs : could, may, might.
Structures
If + present simple, Sub + will + base verb......
Or
Sub + will + base verb + if + present simple.
There are two main clauses in the first conditional which are the conditional clause and the main clause. Conditional clause can also be called reason or if-clause since the clause begins with "if". Main clause on the other hand can also be called the result clause and it contains modal verbs "will". When the reason clause is placed at the beginning, there is a comma"," but when it is moved to the end, comma is not needed. See the examples below:
- If I see an alien, I will say hi.
- I will say hi if I see an alien.
Example
- I will go with you if I am free tomorrow.
- She will fail in the exam if she doesn't work harder.
- If you tell her the truth, she will forgive you.
- If aliens invade us, all countries will come together as one to fight back.
- Do you run if you see a ghost?
Modal verbs
There are some modal verbs that can be used in the first conditional which are will, could, may, might, can, must.
Will : if the possibility is certain.
- If you try to study hard, you will pass the exam easily.
- If you eat a lot of sugary food, your teeth will decay faster.
- We will get sick if we go to bed late very often.
- She gets mad if you don't tell her.
May/Might : if the possibility is less certain or low.
- If I have time, I may join your trip.
- She might get angry if you don't invite her.
- It might be late if we go by car.
- Teacher may not accept our your assignment if you submit after the deadline.
Can : Give permission
- If you finish your test, you can leave.
- If you don't mind, you can sit there.
Should : Give advice
- If you catch a cold, you should drink warm water.
- You should take time to relax if you feel stressed very often.
- If you want to get fit, you should do exercise regularly.
- If you want to speak English fast, you should practice speaking as much as you can.
Must : Give strong advice
- You must stop smoking if you don't want to die soon.
- You must water the plants regularly if you don't want them to wither.
First Conditional Practice Exercises
Exercise 1: Gap Filling
Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verb in brackets.
Exercise 2: Sentence Unscramble
Click on the words to arrange them in the correct order.
Exercise 3: Sentence Identification
Identify the type of first conditional in each sentence.