Conditionals: What if? 😧 How about if? 💡English Grammar with JenniferESL

20,301 views ・ 2018-06-21

English with Jennifer


Please double-click on the English subtitles below to play the video.

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Hi everyone! It's Jennifer here with
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another lesson on conditional sentences in English. If you're wondering when this playlist will ever end,
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well...let me tell you that this will be the last lesson for a while because
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we have covered all kinds of conditionals. We've looked at real and unreal conditionals in the past, present, and future.
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We also practiced mixed conditionals,
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inverted conditionals, and implied conditionals.
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We also looked at a number of useful expressions with IF. If you've had any doubts about
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using conditionals in English, I certainly hope that this series has erased all of them.
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You've put in a lot of work keeping up with all of my assignments, and as usual, you
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did wonderfully with the homework for Lesson 12.
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Take a look at these great examples with "if nothing else," which is used to emphasize the one good thing
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we see in a person or a situation.
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Let's start with Mollie's. She wrote:
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Zain talked about Japanese animation. Note my suggested edits.
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Ra'ed showed us a middle position with "if nothing else." Let's take a look
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and note one small change I'm going to make to what he wrote.
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Francoise's example shows us how easy and natural it is to pair "if nothing else" with "but."
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Thanks for those fantastic examples. In the bonus task, I challenged all of you to explain
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my use of "if only." I gave you these statements.
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There were a number of good explanations. Let's read some.
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Claire wrote:
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Great the key words here are "regrets" and "wishes." Very good.
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I like this one.
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Exactly.
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Mahmoud agrees, and he writes in a bit more detail.
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Looking at sentence A:
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Right. There's a contrast between what we did do... what we didn't. We didn't
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book the tour. If only we had booked the tour,
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the results would have been better. And as for sentence B:
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Right. So it's not possible to buy more. Ah if only they had two more tickets but they don't.
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In Susanna's explanation, she focuses on what exactly is implied. She gives us that implied result.
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Vijay nicely and concisely explains that "if only" is similar to "wish." Yes.
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Thank you to everyone who completed the homework task and the bonus challenge. These are the names of additional viewers
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who shared their ideas and their examples. Thank you.
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Now, let's turn our attention to two expressions that state a condition
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and ask the listener to consider the possible results.
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"What if" is basically used for two things: making suggestions and worrying.
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With "what if" we can make a
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suggestion that doesn't sound forceful in any way because we phrase it as an unreal condition.
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What if you tried a new hairstyle? What if I dyed my hair red? Do you think that would look good?
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Note the grammar.
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We use "what if" plus the simple past, and we're referring to the present or possible future.
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We're just imagining a condition, a possible situation.
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Hmm, what if?
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Do you know what a worrywart is?
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Besides a tongue twister.
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Try saying it three times fast.
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Worry wart worry wart, worry wart. It's difficult, isn't it?
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A worry wart is an informal expression for a person who constantly worries or just worries too much.
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I admit that I sometimes can be a worry wart, but I try to control it.
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If I worry too much, I start to have thoughts like these:
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Do you ever have thoughts like those?
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Obviously, it's not healthy to worry that much, so we should all try not to be worry warts.
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To express worries, we can use "What if" plus the simple present
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because we usually worry about the future. They're real concerns for us.
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But it's also possible to worry about the past and present.
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For example:
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Now how about if we talk about the other expression?
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We use "how about if" + the simple present to make suggestions -- real suggestions for the present and future.
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How about we take a break from grammar for a while? How about if I try live streaming more?
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The implied ending is: Is that okay? If I do this, is that okay with you?
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You can use "how about if" in informal exchanges about scheduling or other proposals.
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How about if you write your own example and I comment?
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So as this is the last lesson on conditionals for a while,
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I'm only, giving you one practice task. You can write in the comments.
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Create your own examples with "what if" and "how about if."
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I look forward to reading your ideas in the comments. Please remember to like this video and subscribe. I'll see you again
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soon for a new lesson on a new topic. As always, thanks for watching and happy studies!
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Note that sponsorships are not available in every country at this time.
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I'd like to say a very special thank you to my current sponsors. Hopefully, more of you will join us for the next live stream.
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