Adverbial clauses of condition
An adverbial clause of conditionindicates the conditions
under which something will be done.
If you finish your homework,you may go out.Finishing the homework is the condition which must be
fulfilled before the main clause ‘you may go out’ can take
effect.
Unless it stops raining,the repairs will not be completed.Including ‘then’
If the subordinate clause begins with ‘if’, the main clause
after the comma can sometimes begin with ‘then’. In this
case it does not need ‘and’ before it.
If fairy tales are entertainment, then explaining the
symbolism is a waste of time.The subjunctive
If the adverbial clause of condition suggests something that
cannot be fulfilled, thesubjunctivetense of the verb is used.
The clause usually starts with ‘if’ and applies to the first or
third persons. Instead of using ‘was’, ‘were’ is used.
If Iwere to tell you, you would not believe it.
If shewere taller, she could be a model.42 / IMPROVE YOUR PUNCTUATION & GRAMMAR