Expressing Conditional Statements

7) Expressing Conditional Statements

Construct conditional statements by composing two complete sentences and then placing the word “if” or “when” before the condition. This will turn the condition into a dependent clause, ready for pairing with the other sentence.

If the condition appears first (like in this sentence), a comma follows it. This punctuation tells the reader that the independent clause has begun.

For example—

If the heavy rains persist, Jack and Morgan will leave the beach.

If the condition appears second, however, the writer need not separate it with a comma.

For example—

Jack and Morgan will leave the beach if the heavy rains persist.

Notice the use of future tense in the independent clause. The action will happen, but it hasn’t happened yet—because the writer does not know if the specified condition will or will not come to fruition. This verb conjugation appears often among conditional statements because it often reflects the reality the writer wishes to express—but this does not mean conditional statements require this conjugation.

In cases where the conditional statement reflects an ongoing or habitual situation, using simple present tense makes more sense.

For example—

Jack and Morgan leave the beach if the heavy rains persist.

Or—

When the heavy rains persist, Jack and Morgan leave the beach.

Notice the verb leave, not will leave. This implies the situation has happened many times, will likely happen many more times, and the outcome will likely remain consistent.