Page 269 - Practical English Usage 3ed - Michael Swan, Oxford

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. We use will with ifto talk about what will happen because of possible future actions - to mean 'if this will be the later result'. Compare:
- I'll give you £100 ifI win the lottery. (Winning the lottery is a condition - it
must happen first.)
I'll give you £100 ifit'U help you to go on holiday. (The holiday is a result - it
follows the gift of money.)
- We'll go home now ifyou get the car. (condition)
We'll go home now ifit will make you feel better. (result) 'Ifitistruenowthat...'
We use will with ifwhen we are saying 'if it is true now that .. .' or 'if we know now that .. .'.
IfAnn won't be here on Thursday, we'd better cancel the meeting.
If prices will really come down in a jew months, I'm not going to buy one
now.
indirect questions: I don't know if ...
We can use will after ifin indirect questions (see 276).
I don't know ifI'll be ready in time. (NOT ••• ifI'm ready in time.) polite requests
We can use if+ will in polite requests. In this case, will is not a future auxiliary; it means 'are willing to' (see 629.4).
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Ifyou will come this way, I'll show you your room.
Ifyour mother will fill in this form, I'll prepare her ticlcet. Would can be used to make a request even more polite.
Ifyou would come this way ... insistence
Stressed will can be used after ifto suggest insistence. Ifyou WlU eat so much, it's not surprising you feel ill.
if (6): other points
if ... should; if ... happen to
We can suggest that something is unlikely, or not particularly probable, by using should (not would) in the if-clause.
Ifyou should run into Peter, tell him he owes me a letter. If . .. happen to has a similar meaning.
Ifyou happen to pass a supermarket, perhaps you could get some eggs. Should and happen to can be used together.
Ifyou should happen to finish early, give me a ring.
Would is not common in the main clause in these structures.
Ifhe should be late, we'll have to start without him. (NOT ••• we'd httf1e trJ start ttlith6ttt him.)
..
if (6): other points 261
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