Lesson 3
Ministry of Education
English
Impact 3
Grade 9
Semester 2
Unit 6
Lesson 3: Grammar(1): Present & Past Conditionals
Lesson Objectives
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
• Identify the form, meaning, and use of present and past conditionals.
• Listen for specific information.
• Write sentences associated with two of Saturn’s moons.
Getting Started
Exercise 1: Determine the Situation
Read the sentences and classify them based on their likelihood:
Sentences:
If I had been alive in the 1950s, I would have trained to become an astronaut.
If I were a scientist, I would focus my research on Saturn.
Classification:
Impossible to happen:
(Sentence 1) If I had been alive in the 1950s, I would have trained to become an astronaut.
Unlikely but possible to happen:
(Sentence 2) If I were a scientist, I would focus my research on Saturn.
Exercise 2: Match Questions to Answers
Match the questions with their respective answers:
What are conditionals in English?
How many types of conditional are there in English?
What does second conditional describe?
Answers:
a. Conditionals are "if" clauses: they express a situation or condition and its possible result.
b. There are four types of conditionals: zero, first, second, and third.
c. Describes possible and imagined situations rather than real or true.
Types of Conditionals
Overview of Conditionals
Conditionals are "if" clauses that express a situation or condition and its possible outcome.
Examples of Conditionals:
If we had known they were coming, we would have prepared a nice meal.
If I focus more on grammar, I will enhance my writing.
Ice melts if you heat it.
If she had a chance to meet him, she could explain what happened.
Classification of Conditionals
Zero Conditional: General truths and scientific facts.
Example: Ice melts if you heat it.
First Conditional: Real and possible situations in the future.
Example: If I focus more on grammar, I will enhance my writing.
Second Conditional: Unreal or hypothetical situations in the present or future.
Example: If I were a billionaire, I would build free houses for the poor.
Third Conditional: Unreal situations in the past.
Example: If we had gotten to the airport on time, we would have caught our flight.
Detailed Explanation of Each Conditional Type
Second Conditional
Usage: Used to discuss situations that are unlikely but possible to happen in the present or future.
Structure:
If clause (condition): Past simple
Main clause (result): would, could, might + verb (infinitive)
Example: If you drank lots of water, you wouldn't be so tired.
Third Conditional
Usage: Used to discuss impossible situations in the past (since they have already happened).
Structure:
If clause (condition): Past perfect
Main clause (result): would, could, might + have + past participle
Example: If we had gotten to the airport on time, we would have caught our flight.
Practice Tasks
Task 1: Sentence Completion
Match two halves to form complete sentences:
I would have loved to have flown on an Apollo mission; if I had been an astronaut in the 1960s.
If she hadn’t attended Space Camp; she wouldn’t have ridden in a space-flight simulator.
If they hadn’t been so determined to succeed; they would never have landed on the moon.
If he had studied more languages; he could have been an astronaut.
We would invest in more space programs; if the cost wasn’t so high.
Task 2: Complete Sentences
Complete the sentences using type 2 conditional verbs:
Examples:
If I were good at math, I would become an astronaut.
If you spent more time in France, you would learn French more quickly.
His father would be very angry if he knew what he’d done.
If I lived near the sea, I would want to own a boat.
I wouldn’t go into space even if I had the chance.
If she had so many training sessions, she would be in the team.
If they had left earlier, they wouldn’t be late for school.
Task 3: Verb Form Completion
Read the text about Saturn and fill in the blanks with the correct verb forms:
If they had studied it the way we are able to today, they would have been amazed.
They would have discovered that its rings consist of billions of icy particles.
If you studied Saturn's moons today, you would observe that some of its 62 moons orbit in opposite directions.
Task 4: Reflective Writing
Write sentences describing your experience living on Titan and Enceladus using present and past conditionals:
Examples:
If I had the right equipment, I would discover life on Titan.
If I were on Titan today, I would try to take photos of the storms.
If I went to Enceladus, I would study the geysers.
If Enceladus were habitable by humans, I would go there next year.
Vocabulary Development
Terms Related to Saturn:
Habitability: Scientists believe that some of Saturn’s moons could potentially be habitable.
Diameter: The diameter of a circle is equal at all points; it is the longest distance from one side of the circle to the other through its center.
Geyser: A geyser is a hole in the ground that erupts with water and steam.
Hazy: A hazy sky is obscured by clouds and dust.
Seasonal: Seasonal changes involve variations in temperature and sunlight.
Listening Exercise
Listen to information about Saturn’s planet and its moons and fill in the blanks according to the information provided:
Saturn has 62 moons.
Titan and Enceladus are very different from each other.
Titan is the second largest moon in our solar system.
The atmosphere on Titan is thick and hazy.
The atmosphere on Enceladus is very thin.
Titan is the only other place known in our solar system with liquid.
Conclusion
This lesson covered the present and past conditionals, including their forms, meanings, usages, and applications in both spoken and written contexts. Keep practicing to enhance your understanding of these grammatical structures!