Conditionals compared: real or imagined? Conditional exercises: facts, real plans and dreams

This B1 drill lesson gives zero, first and second conditional exercises side by side: telling facts from real plans and from dreams, matching the tenses in both parts, and using unless.

Grammar: Zero (if + present, present), first (if + present, will) and second (if + past, would), the clues that decide between them, negatives and questions, and unless for if … not.
Topic: A climate town hall in Grayford, an invented town: a news story, the mayor's opening words, residents' questions, a student's post and a chat with Clementine, a neighbor.
Activities: Sorting, choices, gap-fills with clues, matching, drag-and-drop, word order, tables, quizzes, a memory game, true or false and a chat.

What's inside

Chapter 1The rule
- PictureUnlock
- Study the scheme: zero, first and second conditionalsGrammar schemeTry it
- Is the sentence correct? Mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
- Sort the sentences: always true, real future or imagined?Sort into columnsTry it
- Choose the right form: match the two partsChoose the optionUnlock
- Fill in the gaps: the if partFill in the gapsUnlock
Chapter 2Always true or just this time?
- Choose the right form: always true or just this time?Choose the optionTry it
- Fill in the gaps: always true or a real future plan?Fill in the gapsUnlock
- Match the beginnings and the endingsMatchUnlock
- Read the bakery's card and drag the words into the gapsDrag and dropUnlock
- Put the words in the right order: questionsUnjumbleUnlock
- Find the mistake and choose the right wordsQuizUnlock
- Read Oskar's note and fill in the gaps: facts and real plansFill in the gapsUnlock
Chapter 3Real or imagined?
- Choose the right form: real or imagined?Choose the optionUnlock
- Fill in the gaps: real or imagined? Read the clueFill in the gapsTry it
- Fill in the table: real and imaginedFill in the tableUnlock
- Match the situations and the sentencesMatchUnlock
- Read Anouk and Dragan's chat and drag the words into the gapsDrag and dropUnlock
- Choose the right sentence for the situationQuizUnlock
- Read Mireille's message and fill in the gapsFill in the gapsUnlock
Chapter 4Unless = if … not
- Choose the right words: unlessChoose the optionUnlock
- Write the sentences again with unlessFill in the gapsUnlock
- Choose if or unlessChoose the optionUnlock
- Find the matching pairs: if … not and unlessMemory gameUnlock
- Put the words in the right order: sentences with unlessUnjumbleUnlock
- Find the mistake and choose the right words: if and unlessQuizUnlock
- Read the camp's notes and drag the words into the gapsDrag and dropTry it
Chapter 5Real life: The climate town hall
- Read the news storyReal-life documentUnlock
- Read the news story again: true or false?True or falseUnlock
- Read the mayor's opening words and fill in the gapsFill in the gapsUnlock
- Read the questions and answers and drag the words into the gapsDrag and dropUnlock
- Read Lazlo's post and choose the right wordsChoose the optionUnlock
- Choose the right replies: Clementine texts youChatTry it
- Test yourself: choose the right answerQuizUnlock
Chapter 6Homework
- Choose the right form: everyday situationsChoose the optionUnlock
- Fill in the gaps: read the clue firstFill in the gapsUnlock
- Sort the sentences: fact, real plan or dream?Sort into columnsUnlock
- Put the words in the right order: if sentencesUnjumbleUnlock
- Fill in the table: the truth and the dreamFill in the tableUnlock
- Match the questions and the answersMatchUnlock
- Find the matching pairs: the if part and the resultMemory gameUnlock
- Find the mistake and choose the right words: everyday EnglishQuizUnlock
- Choose if or unless: travel tipsChoose the optionUnlock
- Write the sentences again with unless: at workFill in the gapsUnlock
- Is it correct English? Mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
- Choose the right answer: mixed practiceQuizUnlock
- Read Esme's advice and drag the words into the gapsDrag and dropUnlock
- Read the Snugwell FAQ and choose the right wordsChoose the optionUnlock
- Read Ferdinand's email and fill in the gapsFill in the gapsUnlock

Grammar: zero, first and second conditionals compared

All three conditionals have an if part and a result, and the meaning decides the tenses. Something always true takes the zero, a real future situation takes the first, and something imagined, untrue now or very unlikely, takes the second. Unless means if … not.

Conditionals compared: real or imagined?

Always true, a real future situation, or just imagined? The meaning decides the tenses. Unless = if … not.

Three conditionals, three pairs of tenses

Zero: present + present (If you heat ice, it melts.). First: present + will (If it rains tomorrow, we'll stay home.). Second: past simple + would (If I had a boat, I'd live on it.).

Conditional	If part	Result	Example
zero: always true	if / when + present simple	present simple	If you heat ice, it melts.
first: real future	if + present simple	will / won't + verb	If it rains tomorrow, we'll stay home.
second: imagined	if + past simple	would / wouldn't + verb	If I had a boat, I'd live on it.

Look for the clue

Always, every time and when point to the zero; tomorrow, tonight and probably to the first. A sentence like I don't… points to the second: We live in a city. If we lived on a farm, we'd have goats.

Zero: always true

facts, rules, habits: if = every time
If I drink coffee at night, I can't sleep.
clues: always · usually · every time · when

First: real, it can happen

one real situation in the future
If the bus is late, I'll take a taxi.
an instruction works too: If you see Ana, say hi!
clues: tomorrow · tonight · probably · a real plan

Second: imagined

not true now, impossible or very unlikely
We live in a city. If we lived on a farm, we'd have goats.
clues: I don't… · I'm not… · a dream · advice

Negatives and questions

Each conditional keeps its own tenses in negatives and questions: If we don't hurry, we won't catch the bus. What happens if you mix oil and water? What would you do if you won a million dollars?

Conditional	Negative	Question
zero	If you don't water plants, they die.	What happens if you mix oil and water?
first	If we don't hurry, we won't catch the bus.	What will you do if it rains?
second	If I didn't have a job, I wouldn't stay here.	What would you do if you won a million dollars?

Unless = if … not

Unless takes a positive verb, because the not is already inside unless: Unless you hurry, you'll miss the bus means If you don't hurry… It works in zero sentences too: I never drink coffee unless I'm really tired.

unless+ a positive verb= if … not

Unless you hurry, you'll miss the bus. (= If you don't hurry…)

I never drink coffee unless I'm really tired.

We'll go hiking unless it snows. (= if it doesn't snow)

No will or would after if

After if and unless, the verb is present or past, never will or would: If you come, I'll cook dinner, not If you will come. Watch for a double negative too: Unless you don't study.

No will or would in the if part

After if and unless, no will or would: If it rains (not: If it will rain). If I had (not: If I would have). Unless already means if not: unless you hurry (not: unless you don't hurry). Comma: if part first → a comma (If it rains, we'll stay in.); result first → no comma (We'll stay in if it rains.).

Common mistakes

If you will come, I'll cook dinner.
If you come, I'll cook dinner.
no will in the if part
If I would have more money, I'd travel.
If I had more money, I'd travel.
second: if + past simple
Unless you don't study, you'll fail.
Unless you study, you'll fail.
unless = if not: no second not
We don't have a garden. If we have one, we'll grow tomatoes.
We don't have a garden. If we had one, we'd grow tomatoes.
not true now → second conditional

If I were you · could · short forms

Were is the standard form for every person in the second conditional: If I were you… If she were here… In everyday American English, was is fine too: If I was rich… can becomes could: If I could swim, I'd come with you. Short forms: I'll = I will, won't = will not, I'd = I would, wouldn't = would not.

Examples

If you don't sleep enough, you feel tired.zero: always true
If I finish early tonight, I'll call you.first: a real plan
If I were you, I'd take the job.second: advice
We live in a flat city. If we lived in the mountains, we'd ski every weekend.second: not true now
Unless it snows, we'll drive to Chicago on Friday.unless = if it doesn't snow
What would you do if you lost your phone?second: a question

More lessons on this grammar: Second conditional lessons and exercises · Zero and first conditional lessons and exercises

Try the zero, first and second conditional exercises

Try them yourself: these are the same exercises your students do in edio.

What's in the lesson

41 auto-checked exercises
5 games
1 real-life document
1 grammar scheme
1 picture

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

use the zero conditional for facts and habits: If you heat ice, it melts. When it gets dark, the streetlights come on.
use the first conditional for one real future situation: If it rains tomorrow, we'll stay home.
switch to the second when it isn't true now: I don't have a car. If I had one, I'd drive you to the airport.
keep will and would out of the if part: If it rains on Friday, not If it will rain on Friday
use unless with a positive verb: Unless you hurry, you'll miss the last train, not Unless you don't hurry

Grammar:: zero conditional · first conditional · second conditional · unless · if I were you
Topic:: grammar practice · climate · city life · town hall · plans and dreams

Teaching tips

Name the situation before the tense: for each gap, students first say always, real or imagined aloud, and only then choose the verb form.
Hold a mini town hall: give pairs a role from the Grayford story, such as the café owner or the climate officer, and let them argue with If the city…, we'll… and If I were mayor, I'd…
Trade if … not for unless: students write three house rules with if … not (If you don't save the file, you'll lose your work), swap, and rewrite their partner's with unless.

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The whole course: English Grammar Practice · B1

English Grammar Practice · B1 has 28 drill lessons, one grammar point each: the present perfect continuous, narrative tenses, future forms, modals of deduction, the second conditional, the passive, relative clauses, reported speech, question tags and linkers. Each has the rule as a scheme, 43 to 47 exercises that check themselves, 15 of them for homework, and no new words.See the course

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