The Second Conditional
The second conditional is like the first conditional. We are still thinking about the future. We are thinking about a particular condition in the future, and the result of this condition. But there is not a real possibility that this condition will happen. For example, you do not have a lottery ticket. Is it possible to win? No! No lottery ticket, no win! But maybe you will buy a lottery ticket in the future. So you can think about winning in the future, like a dream. It's not very real, but it's still possible.
IF | condition | result |
| past simple | WOULD + base verb |
If | I won the lottery | I would buy a car. |
Notice that we are thinking about a future condition. We use the past simple tense to talk about the future condition. We use WOULD + base verb to talk about the future result. The important thing about the second conditional is that there is an unreal possibility that the condition will happen.
Here are some more examples:
IF | condition | result |
| past simple | WOULD + base verb |
If | I married Mary | I would be happy. |
If | Ram became rich | she would marry him. |
If | it snowed next July | would you be surprised? |
If | it snowed next July | what would you do? |
result | IF | condition |
WOULD + base verb | | past simple |
I would be happy | if | I married Mary. |
She would marry Ram | if | he became rich. |
Would you be surprised | if | it snowed next July? |
What would you do | if | it snowed next July? |
Sometimes, we use should, could or might instead of would, for example: If I won a million dollars, I could stop working.
A continuous tense can be used in the if clause…
If I were working now, I’d have more money.
If you were looking for a cheap computer, where would you shop?
If you were walking down the street at night and you saw him, you would be scared!
…and in the result clause!
If I had a better job, I wouldn’t be living with my parents.
We wouldn’t be doing this if we didn’t care about you!
If I didn’t for work a German company, I wouldn’t be learning German.
practice:
http://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/second-conditional-exercise-1.html
http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/410/grammar/2cond1.htm
http://www.learnenglish-online.com/grammar/tests/2ndconditional.html
http://www.learnenglish-online.com/grammar/tests/2ndconditional2.html
http://www.englishgrammarsecrets.com/secondconditional/menu.php
http://www.englishexercises.org/makeagame/viewgame.asp?id=3227
http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/410/grammar/2cond2.htm
http://www.learnenglishfeelgood.com/grammar-secondconditional2.html
http://www.better-english.com/grammar/cond2.htm
http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/conditional-sentences/type-2/exercises?02