Factual Conditionals

Ron Cowan, Ph.D.

PP slides: Yuri Vedrashko

November 2006

• If the gas is heated, it expends.

• If she plays bridge with him, they always lose big.

• If she wants to go skiing, that’s what they do.

• If Jim doesn’t find his passport, he may be deported.

• If he’s vacationing in Florida now, he’s probably getting a great tan.

• It must be Bill if that call is for me.

• If he has an IQ of 182, then I’m another Einstein!

• If anyone has a clue here, it must be Jane.

General types

Factual conditionals express a fact and can be

Timeless

Time-bound

Factual conditionals

Can be further broken down into

A Timeless• Generic• Habitual

B Time-bound• Implicit inference• Explicit inference

Factual conditionals

A Timeless• Generic

Factual / timeless / generic

• If the gas is heated, it expends. • If the temperature is below “0”, the water

freezes. • If the water is heated, it evaporates.

Meaning: a fact that holds for all time, such as a scientific truth

Form: The main verb is in Present tense in both clauses

Factual conditionals

A Timeless• Generic

• Habitual

Factual / timeless / habitual

• If she plays bridge with him, they always lose big. • If she wanted to go skiing, that’s what they did. • Whenever (if) he takes her on a trip, they always get

into a fight over where to stay.

Meaning: past or present relationships that are usually but not always true.

Form: The main verb is in Present or Past tense in both clauses. It also occurs with <whenever>.

Factual conditionals

A Timeless• Generic

• Habitual

B Time-bound• Implicit inference

Factual / time-bound / implicit inference• If we can save the bald eagle from extinction, we

can certainly ensure the survival of all endangered species.

• If we can eliminate air pollution in Deli, we can do it everywhere.

• If you can beat Federer, you can sweep all the rest of them.

Meaning: If-clause indicates an event that is bounded in time. The result clause refers to an action or event that can be logically inferred from this.

Form: The main verb is in Present tense in both clauses. Modal verbs <may and can> are often used too.

Factual conditionals

A Timeless• Generic

• Habitual

B Time-bound• Implicit inference

• Explicit inference

Factual / time-bound / explicit inference• If it’s still snowing out there, my car must be

covered. • If that call is for me, it should be Sam. • If the door was locked, then the thief must have

come through the window. • If he has a villa here, he must be rich.

Meaning: An explicit inference is made in the result-clause about some time-bound event, action or fact.

Form: Modal verbs <must, should>, along with <be… probably, likely>, are often used. Also a wider range of tenses can occur in both clauses.

More on explicit inference

Meaning: Sarcastic statements often take the form of explicit inference conditionals

Form: Present tense

Examples:

• If he has an IQ of 182, then I’m another Einstein!

• If this man is guilty, then who is not?

Factual conditionals

A Timeless• Generic

• Habitual

B Time-bound• Implicit inference

• Explicit inference

The end of Factual conditionals

What would you like to do now?

• Back to the Introduction

• Future conditionals

• Imaginative conditionals