Another name for the conditional sentence is the ‘if clause’ or the ‘conditional clause’
The conditional sentence describes the relationship between two events or activities.
It is a complex sentence in which the relationship between the action in the main clause and that of the subordinate depend on each other. For example:
If you leave the book (situation 1) on the table, Sheila (situation 2) will easily find it.
In the above sentence, situation 1 must occur before situation 2 can occur
We can say that the ‘if’ (subordinate) clause shows the possibility while the second (main) clause conveys the result.
NOTE: The subordinate clause can be in the beginning or the second part of the complex sentence and must be separated by a comma.
Types of Conditional Sentence
Open Conditional Sentences
If I eat pounded yam at night (if clause), I don’t sleep well (present tense/main clause)
The first sentence is used for future real possibility. The condition may be fulfilled, so the result is possible.
The second conditional sentence expresses an unreal or unlikely situation in the future or a wish for the future.