Page 117 - IELTS Preparation band 5.0-6.5

First conditional
• When talking about actions which happen at the same
If/Unless+ present tense, future tense I modal verb time, use a simple tense:
(can, should, must, etc.):
He wears very smart clothes when he goes to work!
We can go to the park tomorrow if it doesn't rain. (Not: when he's goiff[J to work)
If I get high enough marks in my exams, /'II study biology
• If you are talking about two actions which happen at the
at university
same time but one takes longer than the other. use a
It expresses a future condition which the speaker thinks continuous tense for the action which takes longer:
is possible or likely. I hope to pass my driving test when I'm studving in New
Zealand.
Second conditional (Not: when f st:uefy in NewZeBftmff)
If/Unless+ past tense, would/could/might+ infinitive: • When talking about the future, use a present tense with
If my parents weren't so busy, I'd spend more time with when, after, before, until, etc.:
them. I won't travel to Canada until/ pass mv fELTS test.
It expresses an imaginary, impossible or improbable present (Not: tffltH f ~~ill pt!ss my I£LTS test)
or future condition: /'II visit Russia when I've saved enough monev.
If !lived in California, I'd eat ice cream every day. (imaginary - (Not: when f will st~~·e enough money)
she doesn't live in California)
If they offered me fifty thousand dollars a year; I'd accept the
job. (improbable that they'll offer fifty thousand dollars)

Unit 8

Time conjunctions
You can use time conjunctions (when, after; before, until,
etc.) to join phrases which say the time something happens
with the main part of the sentence:
I'm going to do a postgraduate course after I've graduated.
(after I've graduated says when I will do a postgraduate
course).
Depending on the context and the tenses of the verbs (see
below), when can mean:
• after:
Few people continue to dress like students when they
have graduated.
• at about the same time:
When students graduate, often the hardest thing is to find
a job which meets their expectations.
• at the same time:
Workers should be forbidden to smoke when they are
working.
Until means 'up to the time that':
Many young people live with their parents untH they get
married.

Tenses with time conjunctions
• When talking about something which finishes before
something in the main part of the sentence, use either a
simple or a perfect form (underlined):
Most people hope to find a well-paid job when thev
graduate from universitv (at about the same time as they
graduate).
Most people hope to find a well-paid job after thev have
graduated from universitv (after they graduate).
Language reference @