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Second
Conditional

Presentation / Objective

In this topic, you are going to practice the second conditional, which is used to talk about imaginary situations in the present, so you are going to be asked to imagine what you would do in a variety of unreal situations in the present.

Tree, woman, airplane, eye and car

Geralt (2014). Surreal. Retrieved 11/10/16 from https://pixabay.com/en/surreal-dream-face-woman-dreams-483012/

During this material, you are going to see a presentation with information on the topic. It's advisable to do all the activities in the suggested order because there's a logical sequence which will help you learn better.

At the end of the material, you will find a final evaluation. Answer it carefully because the result will give you information whether you need to review the topic again or not.




Objective

At the end of the topic you will be able to use the second conditional in order to exchange opinions and talk about unreal situations in present.

Content

Diagnostic evaluation

Do you know how to talk about unreal situations in the present? Sometimes we talk about imaginary situations, almost impossible things, but we wonder how our reaction would be in case they were real. In this activity, you will read some imaginary situations, which you have to complete correctly. Don't worry if you aren't sure about the way you must complete them, as that is what you are going to work throughout this material. This activity is just for you to remember something you might know about the topic.

Based on your prior knowledge, please answer the following exercise so that you recall the correct way of completing those ideas, in case you know something about it. You have to use the words in parenthesis to complete the ideas.

 

The previous activity was intended to give you a general idea about the topic you are working. Now, you are going to watch the video “Second conditional” in order to learn how hypothetical present situations are expressed. Watch the video in detail; you can watch it as many times as necessary. You can pause it when you consider necessary, in order to better understand the content.

Based on the video you have just watched, answer the following exercise so that you practice how to express unreal situations in present.

 

Reading

Activity 1

The importance of having a job

Having a job is very important. When a person doesn't have a job, they can't do many things, and they feel down all the time.

You are going to read a text about unemployed people who wonder about the way their life would be if they had a job. Read each story and complete the exercise below.

Now, based on the text, answer the following exercise. Identify which person each item refers to. Have always in mind the next question:

What would happen if these people weren't unemployed?

 

I'm Mark, and I've been unemployed for a long time, so long that I don't even remember when I last had a job. I guess it was when I was in junior high school, when I would hang out with my old buddies. Anyway, today I'm here because I've been thinking about the way my life would be if I had a job. First of all, my family wouldn't have so many problems. They wouldn't have to worry all the time about me having to spend the night on a bench in a park or a bus station. I even sleep on the bare floor because I don't have a place where to stay. The truth is that if I had a formal job I wouldn't be hungry all the time. Also, my family would be proud of me because I would be recognized and everybody would know I'm a good person. I'm a physician, so If I worked, I would be able to help many people. Now, I'm starting to forget about medicine. I wouldn't go with a physician whose last job was a decade ago because taking care of somebody's health is an important issue.
I'm sure that if I had a job, I would have my clinic and I would work in a well-known hospital. I would perform surgeries and I would save plenty of lives. I would have a profitable carrier and my patients (I would have patients) would call me all the time. If I were a real physician, I would have plenty of money so I would travel a lot. I would go to Brazil, Spain, Germany, USA, everywhere. My personal life would be different too. Alicia, my former wife, would keep on loving me and we would have more children. I could ask for a loan to any financial institution to get a house. That's completely different because right now nobody would lend me anything, not even my family because they know I wouldn't pay them back.
But I'm not here just to daydream about the way my life would be if I had a job. I'm here to get a job finally.

Hi everyone! I’m Lucy, and I’ve been unemployed for ten years. I’m a pilot, well, I used to be. If I weren’t unemployed, I would have a better life. To begin with, I wouldn’t sleep in the airport, and I wouldn’t scold my kids all the time. I love my children, but I can’t think straight because of the problems of being unemployed. I’m sure that If I got a job, my children would be better students. If I were a normal mother, I would help them with their homework, and I would take them to school every day. But I can’t do that because I am looking for a job all the time.
Also, I would have a better financial situation because If I had a job, I would receive a salary every fortnight. I would use that money to buy things like clothes, food or even an apartment. Maybe I would be able to travel to lovely places like the Netherlands, Greece, Norway or Sweden. I’ve always wanted to visit those places.
O Of course, you need to be skilled to work as a pilot, but that only comes with practice. If I have flown an aeroplane without enough practice, it would be hazardous because I would crash even before taking off.
I want to get a job because If I did, I would have a happier life.

Today, I want to say that I am willing to get a job because if I weren’t unemployed, I would be a completely different person. For example, I’m always broke because I never get any money. If I had a job, I would buy a car or even a house. I would have money to get some food or also to go to a restaurant. If I had a job, I would help my parents with the expenses, and I would use some of the money to go out with my friends. Another problem of not having a job is that I have to ask my parents money all the time. If I earned my own money, I would be more independent, so I wouldn’t have to ask for permission all the time. My problem is worse than others because I didn’t finish school, so I don’t have a BA. If I had a BA, it would be easier to find a job because everybody wants well-qualified personnel. I think that if I weren’t unemployed, I would have a girlfriend. I remember that the last girlfriend I had dumped me because I was always broke. She would come back if I had a job.
Finally, I would make my dream come true. I want to take a trip like Che Guevara. I want to travel to Argentina by motorcycle. If I had money, I would go through Honduras, Costa Rica, Uruguay, Paraguay and all the countries he visited. I hope I can get a job soon.

Speaking

Activity 2

It’s your turn to talk

In the reading activity, some people described how their life would improve if they weren’t unemployed. You read about their problems and all the imaginary situations they would have if they had a job.

Just for a moment, imagine that you are one of them. Try to imagine that you are unemployed and you are talking about the way your life would be if you had a job.

Write down your speech taking into account the answers of the following questions.

Don’t read your answer. The purpose of the text is to guide your speech.
Record your speech and save your audio file on your computer. Your audio should last from 2-3 minutes.
Why are you here?
How would your relationship with your family improve if you weren’t unemployed?
What aspects of your life would be different/better?
Would you live in a different house?
Would you have a family?
Which countries would you visit if you had a job with a good salary.

Read the rubrics before you record your audio so that you know which aspects you need to pay attention to.

Listen to the example to check your performance.


Example

Listening

Activity 3

If I were you

As you saw in the topic presentation, one of the moments when we can use the second conditional is when we suggest something.


For this activity, imagine you are with someone who needs your help. You need to tell this person what you would do if you were him.

In the following conversations, you will listen to some people expressing their problems and their friend giving them some advice. Listen to the following audios and complete the exercise below.


Conversations

 


Writing

Activity 4

About politics or about vacation?

Writing is the last activity you are going to practice in this material.

It’s important that you keep in mind the objective you read at the beginning of the material, which is to use the second conditional to exchange opinions, talking about hypothetical situations in present.
For this activity, you have to write either about politics or about your perfect vacation. You only need to write about ONE of the topics.

We all feel tired of politics. It’s common for politicians to promise everything during their political campaigns and then disappoint everybody once they are elected.
How you ever thought of being a politician?
The INE has organized a writing contest with the title of: If you were a politician, How would you behave?
The INE has organized a writing contest with the title. If you were a politician, How would you behave?
Write a 200-250 word essay explaining what you would do if you were the president of Mexico. Cover the following topics:
Education, Health, Sport, Security, Taxes, Employment, Gender Equality.

Imagine there is a writing contest which is organized by TripAdvisor, an essential tourist website. In the competition, you need to answer:
How would your perfect vacation be?
So, you can think of different aspects you would like to include in your perfect vacation. Consider the following questions and start with “If I could have a perfect vacation…”

Write 200-250 word paragraph.

Where would you go?
How would you travel? (train, plane, etc.)
How long would you be on vacation?
Who would you like to spend your vacation with?
What would you eat/drink?
Where would you stay?

Before you start working, check the rubrics to be familiar with the aspects which will be evaluated.
If you need to look up any word in a dictionary, we suggest you visit the Cambridge Dictionary. There you can find a word you need.

Check this example before you start your piece of writing.

Self-assessment

Moral dilemmas

One of the moments in which we always talk about unreal situations in the present is when we refer to moral dilemmas. That is when you have to decide on the right thing to do. In this activity, you are going to think about yourself in stressful situations, and you have to write what you would do in each of them.

 

References

Basic references

Murphy, R. (1985). English grammar in use: A self-study reference and practice book for intermediate students: with answers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Alexander, L. (1999). Longman English grammar practice. New York: Longman.
Beaumont, D. and Granger, C. (1992). The Heinemann English grammar. Oxford: Heinemann.

Complementary references

A. Altenberg, E. and Vago, R. (2010). English grammar. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Azar, B. (2003). Fundamentals of English grammar. White Plains, NY: Longman.