Dave
29 giu 20212 min
zero conditional; first conditional: unless
Look at the picture. You are going to hear Edina talking to Mrs Scott. She wants a job in Mrs Scott’s shop. What kind of shop is it?
Listen and check if you were right and answer these questions.
Why does Edina want to earn some money?
What kind of shop has she worked in before?
When will Edina start work?
Listen again and complete the sentences below.
When I finish working here, I’ll probably travel abroad.
If you work here on Sundays, you...
Customers get annoyed if...
If the shop assistants aren’t friendly,...
You’ll start work on Monday...
If I don’t phone you tomorrow, you...
If I save two thousand pounds, I...
If I don’t save as much as that, I...
Look at your answers.
Which sentences are about things that are generally true?
Which sentences contain the will-future?
Look at sentence 5.
What does unless mean?
Look at sentences 1 and 2.
Does if mean the same as when?
Conditional sentences have two parts, a condition and a result:
The condition part usually starts with if.
When the if part comes second, there is no comma.
Different kinds of conditional sentences use different tenses.
NOTE!
When does not mean the same as if:
When I have £2000, I’ll go to South America.
(= I’ll certainly have £2000 one day and then I’ll go to South America.)
If I have £2000, I’ll go to South America.
(= Perhaps I’ll have £2000 one day and perhaps I’ll go to South America.)
We use this for things which are generally true:
If customers have to wait, they get annoyed.
Customers get annnoyed if they have to wait.
We use this to talk about possible situations:
If I save £2000, I’ll go to South America.
not If I’ll save...
I’ll go round Europe if I don’t save £2000.
If I save £1000, I won’t go to South America.
not If won't save...
I won’t go to South America if I save £1000.
Unless means ‘if not’.
We use it with zero and first conditionals:
First Conditional
Unless I phone you tomorrow, you’ll start at nine o’clock.
= If I don’t phone you tomorrow you’ll start at nine o’clock.
Zero Conditional
The shop loses customers if the assistants aren’t friendly.
= The shop loses customers unless the assistants are friendly.