It worked fairly well in my class, although the last question, number 10, confused my students slightly. The answer was: If public transport is good, people stop using cars.
My students thought it was "will stop using cars."
I explained to my students that it's a zero conditional if you are talking about world-wide trends. It's a first conditional if you are talking about a specific future in a specific city.
So, my wife (L1 Vietnamese) continues to find problems with conditional sentences in children's books. (For the previous one she spotted, see HERE).
According to the rules of the first conditional, (as presented in textbooks for students of English as a second language) the form is "if+ present simple, will + base form" e.g. "If it's nice tomorrow, I'll go to the beach." In other words, the present simple should be used in the if-clause, and the will future in the result clause. (See my worksheets on the first conditional, and on conditionals). (Other future forms like "going to" can also be used in the result clause).
However, in the nursery rhyme "Hush Little Baby", there are two examples of won't being used in the if-clause. See below.
Hush, little baby, don't say a word. Papa's going to buy you a mockingbird And if that mockingbird won't sing, Papa's going to buy you a diamond ring And if that diamond ring turns brass, Papa's going to buy you a looking glass And if that looking glass gets broke, Papa's going to buy you a billy goat And if that billy goat won't pull, Papa's going to buy you a cart and bull And if that cart and bull turn over, Papa's going to buy you a dog named Rover. And if that dog named Rover won't bark, Papa's going to buy you a horse and cart. And if that cart and bull fall down, You'll still be the sweetest little baby in town
I've read in some grammar books that the ESL textbooks are actually over-simplifying the conditionals, and in reality a lot of different structures are possible. So this was my first response to my wife.
Upon looking at this poem more carefully, my second response is that "will" here is not being used as a future marker, but as a marker of intentionality.
And that's my best guess at it. Anyone else have further thoughts?
We've been reading a lot of Green Eggs and Ham to our daughter, and my wife (L1 Vietnamese) thinks she found a grammar mistake in the book.
" 'If you will let me be, I will try them.' It should be 'If you let me be, I will try them', right?"
Indeed, this is what we teach when we teach English as a foreign language. When teaching the first conditional for possible futures, we teach it as "if+ present simple, will + base form" e.g. "If it's nice tomorrow, I'll go to the beach." (See my worksheets on the first conditional, and on conditionals).
But I've read in some grammar books that the ESL textbooks are actually over-simplifying the conditionals, and in reality a lot of different structures are possible. So this was my first response to my wife.
...but then I thought about it a while longer, and I wondered if there might be a better reason why "will" was in the if-clause in this sentence. Was it because this was not just a condition, but an offer?
I'm not 100% sure, so I thought I'd throw it out to the Internet to see if anyone else had opinions.
[This is designed to work as a memory game. Just like in the normal memory card game, all the cards are face down on the desk, and the students take turn turning over cards to try and make a matching pair.
Because my students were getting confused during this game, I found it useful to write the structure of 1st and 2nd conditionals on the board before playing, and then monitoring to make sure they weren't mixing the two forms up.
These cards could also be used for a "find your partner" game.]
[Divide students into small groups. Give each group one die and have each student roll the die to move along the board. They must answer the question on each space that they land on.]
Which answer is correct? Why?
If
you have money, what will you do?
I
will buy a new game.
I
would buy a new game.
If
you met a ghost, what would you do?
I
will run away.
I
would run away.
Start
→
If you have money, what will you do?
→
If you had $1,000,000,000, what would you do?
→
If you met a ghost, what would you do?
→
You must lose a turn
↓
If you have free time tonight, what will you do?
↓
If you see a dog in the street, what will you do?
←
If you were invisible, what would you do?
←
If you have homework tonight, what will you do?
←
If it rains, what will you do?
←
If you could fly, what would you do?
→
If your teacher gets sick, what will you do?
→
You must move 10 spaces
backwards
→
If you don't do your
homework, what will happen?
→
If you eat too much ice-cream, what will happen?
↓
If you go to karaoke, what song will you sing?
↓
If your parents take you to the zoo, what will you do there?
←
If you were the prime minister, what would you do?
←
If you met the prime minister, what would you do?
←
If mice had wings, what would happen?
←
If a giant came to your house, what would you do?
→
If you were the teacher, what would you do?
→
If you were a giant, what would you do?
→
If you were famous, what would you do?
→
If you find $5 on the ground, what will you do?
↓
If you saw a flying mouse, what would you do?
↓
If you see a mouse, what will you do?
←
Lose a turn
←
If you forget your school books, what will you do?
←
If you were a horse, what would you do?
←
If you fall asleep during class, what will happen?
[This is the text from the children's book, "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" (A) which I have re-worded to emphasize the first conditional. I use this in several stages:
1. Cut up the story into separate strips, and give them to the students to work on in groups. The students have to arrange the strips in the correct order to make a story.
2. After students have struggled with it for an appropriate amount of time, give them the correct text on a separate sheet of paper so they can check their answers.
3. Take away all the sheets, and give students a new sheet where they have to write in the missing verbs in the sentence.
4. After students have completed this, give them back the full text sheet so they can check their answer.
5. Possibly at this point, insert worksheet on the formation of 1st Conditionals--see separate sheet.
6. Give students worksheet to write their own story with the prompt: "If you give a mouse a motorcycle..."
7. Possibly finish with the 1st conditional brainstorm game--see separate sheet.
I found these 7 steps filled up quite nicely a 90 minute lesson with younger students. My students really seemed to enjoy this lesson, but I should add that I have some mixed feelings as to how well this introduces the meaning of the first conditional. The playful use the book makes of the first conditional might confuse students if you are trying to introduce the first conditional as something that is real or likely to occur. ]
Update:
As a lead-in, I've started showing a video for this story first. I pull up the title of the Video--If you Give a Mouse a Cookie, and then ask the students to predict what will happen. Then I play the video, and check their predictions. Then I have them re-arrange the strips into a story. (The language on the strips is different than the original story, since I re-wrote this story to emphasize the first conditional. But the video still works nicely to give the students the main idea of the story, as an advance organizer.)
Youtube video here:
If you give a mouse a
cookie, he will ask for a glass of milk.
If you give him the milk,
he will probably ask you for a straw.
When he is finished, he
will ask you for a napkin.
If you give him a napkin,
then he will want to look in a mirror to make sure he doesn't have a milk
moustache.
If he looks in the mirror,
he will notice his hair needs a cut.
If he notices his hair
needs a cut, he will probably ask for a pair of nail scissors.
When he is finished giving
himself a haircut, he will want a broom to sweep it up.
If he starts sweeping, he
will get carried away and sweep every room in the house. He may even end up
washing the floors as well!
When he is done, he will
probably want to take a nap.
If he wants to take a nap,
you will have to fix up a little box for him with a blanket and a pillow.
If you fix up a little box
for him, he will crawl in, make himself comfortable and fluff the pillow a
few times.
If he makes himself
comfortable, he will probably ask you to read him a story.
If you read to him from one of your
books, he will ask to see the
pictures.
If he looks at the
pictures, he will get so excited that
he will want to draw one of his own.
If he wants to draw one on
his own, he will ask for paper and crayons.
If you give him paper and
crayons, he will draw a picture.
If he finishes the picture,
he will want to sign his name with a pen.
If he signs his name with a
pen, then he will want to hang his picture on your refrigerator.
If he wants to hang his
picture on your refrigerator, you will need scotch tape.
If you give him scotch
tape, he will hang up his drawing and
stand back to look at it.
If he looks at the
refrigerator, it will remind him that he is thirsty.
If he is thirsty, he will ask for a glass of milk.
And chances are if he asks
you for a glass of milk, he will want
a cookie to go with it.
If you give a mouse a cookie, he will ask
for a glass of milk.
If you give him the milk, he will probably
ask you for a straw.
When he is finished, he will ask you for a
napkin.
If you give him a napkin, then he will want
to look in a mirror to make sure he doesn't have a milk moustache.
If he looks in the mirror, he will notice
his hair needs a cut.
If he notices his hair needs a cut, he will
probably ask for a pair of nail scissors.
When he is finished giving himself a haircut,
he will want a broom to sweep it up.
If he starts sweeping, he will get carried
away and sweep every room in the house. He may even end up washing the floors
as well!
When he is done, he will probably want to
take a nap.
If he wants to take a nap, you will have to
fix up a little box for him with a blanket and a pillow.
If you fix up a little box for him, he will
crawl in, make himself comfortable and fluff the pillow a few times.
If he makes himself comfortable, he will
probably ask you to read him a story.
If
you read to him from one of your books,
he will ask to see the pictures.
If he looks at the pictures, he will get so
excited that he will want to draw one of
his own.
If he wants to draw one on his own, he will
ask for paper and crayons.
If you give him paper and crayons, he will
draw a picture.
If he finishes the picture, he will want to
sign his name with a pen.
If he signs his name with a pen, then he
will want to hang his picture on your refrigerator.
If he wants to hang his picture on your
refrigerator, you will need scotch tape.
If you give him scotch tape, he will hang up his drawing and stand back to
look at it.
If he looks at the refrigerator, it will
remind him that he is thirsty.
If he is thirsty, he will ask for a glass of milk.
And chances
are if he asks you for a glass of milk, he will
want a cookie to go with it.
If
you _______ a mouse a cookie, he ___
______ for a glass of milk.
If
you ____ him the milk, he ______ probably ______ you for a straw.
When
he is finished, he will ask you for a napkin.
If
you _______ him a napkin, then he _____ _______ to look in a mirror to make
sure he doesn't have a milk moustache.
If
he _______ in the mirror, he _____ ________ his hair needs a cut.
If
he ________ his hair needs a cut, he _____probably _____ for a pair of nail
scissors.
When
he is finished giving himself a haircut, he will want a broom to sweep it up.
If
he _________ sweeping, he _____ _____
carried away and sweep every room in the house. He may even end up washing the
floors as well!
When
he is done, he will probably want to take a nap.
If
he ______ to take a nap, you _____
_______ to fix up a little box for him with a blanket and a pillow.
If
you _____ up a little box for him, he _____ _____ in, make himself comfortable
and fluff the pillow a few times.
If
he _______ himself comfortable, he ____ probably ______ you to read him a
story.
If you _______ to him from one of your
books, he _____ _______ to see the
pictures.
If
he ________ at the pictures, he _____ _____ so excited that he will want to draw one of his own.
If
he ______to draw one on his own, he ____ ______ for paper and crayons.
If
you _____ him paper and crayons, he ____ ______ a picture.
If
he _________ the picture, he ______ _______ to sign his name with a pen.
If
he ________ his name with a pen, then he _____ ________ to hang his picture on
your refrigerator.
If
he _______ to hang his picture on your refrigerator, you _____ ______ scotch
tape.
If
you _____ him scotch tape, he _____
_______ up his drawing and stand back to look at it.
If
he _____ at the refrigerator, it _____ _________ him that he is thirsty.
If
he ___ thirsty, he ___ _______ for a
glass of milk.
And chances are if he _______ you for
a glass of milk, he ____ ______ a cookie to go with it.
Now,
make your own story here:
If you give a mouse a motorcycle_________________________