Why learn another language: reading with if-sentences
If-sentences are useful in a text because they show a reason and a result. When the writer says If you speak a little every day, you will soon feel more confident, the if-clause gives the reason and the main clause gives the result. Read the three kinds in the text. The zero conditional (if + present, present) talks about general facts: If you learn a language, you meet new people. The first conditional (if + present, will) talks about real future possibilities. The second conditional (if + past, would) talks about an unlikely or unreal situation: If I spoke only one language, I would miss many stories. To answer a question about an if-sentence, ask: What is the condition? What is the result? Is it real, general or unreal? Then answer in your own words. In your book, pages 70 and 71 have a text with if-sentences about learning a foreign language. Read it after this lesson and find the condition and the result in each sentence.
| Type | Condition and result | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Zero | If you learn a language, you meet new people. | general fact |
| First | If you speak daily, you will feel confident. | real possibility |
| Second | If I spoke one language, I would miss many stories. | unreal or unlikely |
| Question | What is the condition? What is the result? | use to answer |
If you learn a new language, you meet people from other places. If you join our school language club, you will practise speaking twice a week with students who also want to improve. Nobody laughs at mistakes: if you make one, someone helps you at once. Our teacher says that fluency does not come from a book alone; if you speak a little every day, you will soon feel more confident. If I spoke only one language, I would miss many stories and other perspectives. And if we write to a class in another country, we will learn about their daily life. The world is global, and the club gives you an opportunity to be part of it.
If-sentence hunt. Find three if-sentences in a text, a poster or a conversation at home. For each one, write the condition, the result and the type (zero, first or second). Then write your own: “If I could speak …, I would …”.