16. The Second Conditional

Learning Outcomes

After completing this chapter, students will know how to:

  • use the function of the Second Conditional.
  • form the Second Conditional.
  • apply the Second Conditional.

Function of the Second Conditional

The Second Conditional is used to show the consequence for hypothetical, unlikely or impossible situations.

Some example sentences are:

  • If I had a million dollars, I would sail around the world.
  • If Jessica weren’t single, she probably wouldn’t spend so much time on dating apps.
  • The EAP students at Georgian College would be happy if they didn’t have any final exams.
  • Alison wouldn’t work 3 jobs if she had enough money to pay for university.

 

Form of the Second Conditional

It doesn’t matter when we switch the clauses; the meaning will still stay the same. However, let us explore how the Second Conditional is formed:

2nd Conditional – If clause by Virginia McHardy, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
2nd Conditional – Main clause by Virginia McHardy, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

 

Some Tips:

  • A comma is used after the “if” clause when it starts the sentence. There is no comma when the main clause is at the beginning.
  • The condition is in the “if” clause and the impossible/unlikely outcome is in the main clause.
  • The negative form can be used in either of the clauses, or both of them, as long as the meaning makes sense.
  • The contraction for would is ‘d. Example: She’d cry if he died.
  • **The verb “to be” is always used in the “were” form, even using he/she/it. This is commonly used incorrectly in speaking.
    • Incorrect: If he was younger, he could run faster.
    • Correct: If he were younger, he could run faster.

 

Watch the short video below to review and practice the second conditional.

Watch Second conditional – Grammar & verb tenses (6 mins.)

Video source: Ellii (formerly ESL Library). (2021, August 18). Second conditional – Grammar & verb tenses [Video].  https://youtu.be/iZnL2cb_w20?si=3p4RCjeZ-0b08NYA

Second Conditional Verb Practice

Second conditional practice (Text version)

Fill in the blanks with the word indicated, in the right form.

  1. If I __________[Blank 1 – be] a musician, I __________[Blank 2- perform] at the Rogers Stadium.
  2. Lisa __________[Blank 1 – help] if she __________[Blank 2 – have] time.
  3. Stephen __________[Blank 1 – give/not] us money if he __________[Blank 2 – win]the lottery.
  4. If Georgian College __________[Blank 1 – have] a music industry program, we __________[Blank 2 – join] it.
  5. Sandra  _______ [Blank 1 – go] to Thailand if her father  _______ [Blank 2 – allow]her.
  6. If Zayed  _______ [Blank 1 – lose] his passport, he  _______ [Blank 2 – have to] go to his embassy.
  7. If Reham  _______ [Blank 1 – take/not] vitamins, she  _______ [Blank 2 – have/not] so much energy.
  8. I  _______ [Blank 1 – be] extremely nervous if I _______ [Blank 2 – see]a bear on our hiking trail.
  9. If Shengbo _______ [Blank 1 – have] a car, he (drive) _______ [Blank 2 – drive] us to buy groceries.
  10. Murat _______[Blank 1 – film] us if he _______ [Blank 1 – bring] his equipment today.

Check your answers[1]

Activity source: “Second Conditional Practice” by Virginia McHardy, licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Second Conditional Practice 2

Second conditional practice 2 (Text version)Fill in the blanks using the following words/phrases:

  • saw
  • would climb
  • had
  • would take
  • would have
  • knew
  • would see
  • climbed
  • would allow
  • bought
  • could have
  • tried
  • would know
  • could reach
  • were
  • gathered
  • could buy
  • would buy
  • would allow
  • bought
  1. If I _______[Blank 1] a polar bear coming at me, I _______[Blank 2] the nearest tree.
  2. If John _______ [Blank 1] a dog, he _______ [Blank 2] it for a walk every day.
  3. Your father _______ [Blank 1] a fit if he _______ [Blank 2] you were on your cell phone while driving.
  4. I _______ [Blank 1] a doctor if I “needed” to.
  5. If my father _______ [Blank 1] the stairs of the CN Tower, he _______ [Blank 2] a heart attack.
  6. If your friends _______ [Blank 1] to trick you, I think you _______ [Blank 2] right away.
  7. I _______ [Blank 1] the top shelf if I _______[Blank 2] taller.
  8. If the students _______ [Blank 1] enough money, they _______[Blank 2] their teacher a new book bag.
  9. The teacher _______[Blank 1] his students donuts if the school policy _______[Blank 2] him.
  10. If we _______[Blank 1] new tools this fall, we _______[Blank 2] the fallen leaves quicker.

Check your answer[2]

Activity source: “Second Conditional Practice 2” by Virginia McHardy, licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Second Conditional Comprehension Practice

Second conditional comprehension practice (Text version)
  1. If Mary had a cat, she would feed it a fish as a treat.
  2. If I won a million dollars, I would donate a lot to charity.
  3. If the students had time, they would go to a movie on discount Tuesdays every week.
  4. Olivia would drive to the college if she had a car.
  5. Lisa would go on holiday a couple times a year if she didn’t have to work.
  6. The EAP office would be bigger if it were in the C building.
  7. If Stephen were rich, he would quit his job.
  8. If Mariam had a roommate, she could share the expenses of the house.
  9. If Tamara spoke Spanish, she could get around Mexico very easily.
  10. If Kwame stopped smoking, he would probably be healthier.

Check your answer [3]

Activity source: “Second Conditional Comprehension Practice” by Virginia McHardy, licensed under CC BY 4.0.

 

 

Second Conditional Meaning Practice

For discussion practice, talk with a classmate and ask these questions:

  1. If you had all the money in the world, where would you travel to first?
  2. If you could talk to anyone in the world for 1 hour, dead or alive, who would it be, and why?
  3. If you could donate a lot of money to one organization, what organization would it be and why?
  4. What would you change about your appearance if you could?
  5. What would you change about your personality if you could?
Image by GDJ,  Pixabay License

Verb Tenses in Music

For a fun activity, search the web and find the following songs:

  • If I Were a Boy by Beyonce
  • If I Had a Million Dollars by Barenaked Ladies

Can you hear the Second Conditional in the lyrics?

2nd Conditional Joke by Virginia McHardy, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Attribution & References

Except where otherwise noted, “The Second Conditional” by Virginia McHardy is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.

    1. If I were a musician, I would perform/'d perform at the Rogers Stadium.
    2. Lisa would help/'d help if she had time.
    3. Stephen wouldn't give/would not give us money if he won the lottery.
    4. If Georgian College had a music industry program, we would join/'d join it.
    5. Sandra would go/'d go to Thailand if her father allowed her.
    6. If Zayed lost his passport, he would have to/'d have to go to his embassy.
    7. If Reham didn't take vitamins, she wouldn't have/would not have so much energy.
    8. I would be/'d be extremely nervous if I saw a bear on our hiking trail.
    9. If Shengbo had a car, he could drive/would drive/'d drive us to buy groceries.
    10. Murat would film us if he brought his equipment today.
    ↵
    1. If I saw a polar bear coming at me, I would climb the nearest tree.
    2. If John had a dog, he would take it for a walk every day.
    3. Your father would have a fit if he knew you were on your cell phone while driving.
    4. I would see a doctor if I "needed" to.
    5. If my father climbed the stairs of the CN Tower, he could have a heart attack.
    6. If your friends tried to trick you, I think you would know right away.
    7. I could reach the top shelf if I were taller.
    8. If the students gathered enough money, they could buy their teacher a new book bag.
    9. The teacher would buy his students donuts if the school policy would allow him.
    10. If we bought new tools this fall, we could gather the fallen leaves quicker.
    ↵
    1. Mary doesn't have a cat.
    2. I like to donate money when I can.
    3. The students usually have a lot of work, so they don't go to the movies on Tuesdays.
    4. Olivia gets to the college by other means.
    5. Lisa has to work.
    6. The EAP office is not in the C building.
    7. Stephen doesn't have enough money to quit his job.
    8. Electricity, gas and water bills are probably expensive for Mariam.
    9. Tamara doesn't speak Spanish.
    10. Kwame smokes.
    ↵

License

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Verb Tenses for English for Academic Purposes Copyright © 2019 by Sari Martin and Virginia McHardy is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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