The complex sentence time clauses

• Time clauses are introduced with the following time conjunctions:

When – as – no sooner… than – while – before – the moment that – since – after – hardly… when – till/until – by the time – whenever – as long as – as soon as, etc.

• Time clauses are subordinate clauses and usually go with the main clause. When the time clause precedes the main clause, a comma is used.

After I have cleaned my room, I will watch TV.

I will watch TV after I have cleaned my room.

• We never use future tenses after time conjunctions; we use the present simple or the present perfect instead when we are talking about the future.

Sharon will give us the money after she gets paid.

Conditionals

• Conditionals are clauses introduced with if. There are three types of conditionals clauses and common type.

Zero type

They are used to express something which is always true. We can use when (=whenever) instead of if.

If/When the sun shines, snow melts.

Type 1 Conditionals

They are used to express real or very probable situations in the present or future.

If he doesn’t study hard, he won’t pass his exam.

Exercise1. Match the items in column A with those in column B in order to make correct Common Type conditionals sentences, as in the example.

e.g. 1-c If you add sugar to a cup of coffee, the coffee tastes sweeter.

A

1. Add sugar to a cup of coffee

2. Throw salt onto snow

3. Put an apple in a bowl of water

4. Water plants regularly

5. Lie in the sun too long

6. Take regular exercise

B

1. The apple floats

2. Your skin turns red

3. The coffee tastes sweeter

4. You feel healthy

5. The plants grow

6. The snow milts

Exercise 2. Underline the correct tense.

1) When we go / will go shopping, I’ll buy you something nice.

2) I always will wake up / wake up when the alarm clock goes off.

3) When we go / went to the party, we took a gift with us.

4) After I have finished my homework, I watch / will watch a film on TV.

5) I will paint / painted the walls after I had covered all the furniture with old sheets.

6) The children are going to the park. They will have some ice cream while they will be / are there.

7) No sooner had she left the building than the fire broke / breaks out.

8) By the time Sam finishes / will finish work, it will be dark outside.

9) I usually read / will read a book before I go to sleep.

10) She will give us the money after he will get / gets paid.

Exercise 3. Make conditionals sentences as in the examples.

e.g. If we cut down all the forests, the world’s climate will change.

1) cut down / all the forests / the world’s climate / change.

2) not stop / use / aerosols / destroy / ozone layer

3) find / alternative sources of energy / solve / some of our environmental problems

4) temperatures / got up / by a few degrees / sea levels / rise

5) recycle / waste / save / natural resources

6) population / continue to increase / not be enough food for everyone

Exercise 4. Replace the words in bold with will / won’t or shall I / we, as in the example.

e.g.1) I’ve asked Paul to talk to the landlord, but he refuses to do it.