Page 263 - Oxford_English_Grammar_Course_Basic_2015

I
CM If I go ..., w i l l ...; If I we n t I would
0 0
0
Level

The difference between if I go and if I went (for example) is not a difference of time.
We can use both if I go/see etc and if I went/sow etc to talk about the present or future.
With if, a past tense does not mean'past time'; it means'not real'or'not probable'.

PROBABLE/POSSIBLE NOT REAL/NOT PROBABLE

If 1go to London, I'll visit Tony. Ifl went to the moon, 1would take a lot of photos.

Ifl see Ann, I'll give her your address. Ifl saw the Prime Minister, 1would say 'hello'.
^ Choose the best sentence-beginning.
► If I\ljve^/lived to be 75,...
1 If I live/lived to be 175,...

2 If dogs can/could talk,...
3 If I go/went shopping next week,...

4 If Switzerland starts/ started a war against Australia,...
5 If the government gives/gave everybody a month's holiday with pay,...
6 If you need/needed help one day,...
7 If everybody gives/gave 10% of their money to poor countries,...
8 If everybody thinks/thought the same as me,...
9 If I am/was the most intelligent person in the world,...
10 If prices go/went up next year,...

^ Choose the best way to continue the sentences.

► I'm not going to open the window. If I open/opened the window, it will/would be too noisy.
► Maybe I'll open a window. But if I open/opened a window, it will/would be very noisy.
1 I'm going to get up early tomorrow. If I have/ hod time, I'll/'d walk to work.
2 If I have/had time, I 'II/'d walk to work, but it's just not possible.
3 'I may get a job in Germany.' 'If you get/got it, what will /would your boyfriend say?'
4 'There's a job in Germany, but I don't think I'll get it.' 'If you get/got it, what will/would your
boyfriend say?'
5 We never leave food on the table. If we do/did, the cat will /would eat it.

6 'Shall I put this on the table?' 'If you do/did, the cat will/would eat it.'
7 I'll probably go to university. But if I go/went, I won't/wouldn't earn any money for three years.
8 I'm not going to go to university. If I go /went to university, I won't / wouldn't earn any money for
three years.
9 Maybe Jenny will marry Phil. But if she does / did, I'm afraid she won't / wouldn't be happy.
10 Phil isn't going to marry Jenny. Because if he does / did, he will / would have a terrible time with her.

Complete the sentences with your own ideas.
1 If I live to be 90,..................................................

2 If I lived to be 190,..............................................
3 If I learn more English,........................................

4 If I learnt 20 languages,......................................
5 If I go to New York,..............................................
6 If I went to the moon,.........................................

248 IF