What are Adverbs of Condition?
They refer to the situations that may happen when specific conditions are met. We will learn how to use “if” and “unless”.
1. Describing the possibility of something happening when the condition is met
We use “if” when someone is likely to happen. Let’s look at some examples.
“If you study hard, you will pass the test.”
In this case, should the condition of studying hard is met, the subject is likely to pass the test.
“If you are late for school, you will be punished by Mr Tan.”
For this example, should the subject be late for school, he or she is likely to be punished by Mr Tan.
2. Describing the possibility of something happening when the condition is not met
“Unless” is used to describe a condition that something may happen if the condition is not met. “Unless” can be used at the start or middle part of a sentence. Here’s two examples to explain how it is used:
“You will fall sick unless you sleep early.
In this case, the subject will fall sick if he or she does not sleep early.
“Unless Nancy goes to the party, her best friend will not be there.”
In this example, we put “unless” at the start of the sentence. If Nancy goes to the party, her best friend will go as well.
