Teddy Wira Hadi: ACTIVE SENTENCES, PASSIVE SENTENCES, RELATIVE CLAUSES, AND CONDITIONAL SENTENCES

1. ACTIVE SENTENCE AND PASSIVE SENTENCE

Definition

In Active sentences, the thing doing the action is the subject of the sentence and the thing receiving the action is the object. Most sentences are active.

[Thing Doingaction] + [verb] + [thing receiving action]

In Passive sentences, the thing receiving the action is the subject of the sentence and the thing doing the action is optionally included near the end of the sentence. You can use the passive form if you think that the thing receiving the action is more important or should be emphasized. You can also use the passive form if you do not know who is doing the action or if you do not want to mention who is doing the action.

[Thing receiving action] + [be] + [past participle of verb] + [by] + [thing doing action]

Examples

1. Beautiful giraffes roam the savannah. (ACTIVE)

The savannah is roamed by beautiful giraffes. (PASSIVE)

2. We are going to watch a movie tonight. (ACTIVE)

A movie is going to be watched by us tonight. (PASSIVE)

3. The teacher always answers the students’ questions. (ACTIVE)

The students’ questions are always answered by the teacher. (PASSIVE)

4. Who taught you to ski? (ACTIVE)

By whom were you taught to ski? (PASSIVE)

5. Thousands of tourists view the Grand Canyon every year. (ACTIVE)

The Grand Canyon is viewed by thousands of tourists every year. (PASSIVE)

2. RELATIVE CLAUSE

Definition

A relative clause is a kind of subordinate clause that contains an element whose interpretation is provided by anantecedent on which the subordinate clause is grammatically dependent; that is, there is an anaphoric relation between the relativized element in the relative clause, and the antecedent on which it depends. Typically, a relative clause modifies a noun or noun phrase, and uses some grammatical device to indicate that one of the arguments within the relative clause has the same referent as that noun or noun phrase.

SUBJECT	OBJECT	POSSESSIVE
Who	Whom, Who	Whose
Which	Which	Whose
That	That

Notes : We use who and whom for people, and which for things.

We use that for people or things.

Example :

“A lot of people believe that cities should have more parks. Citizens should be able enjoy the natural environment better. Currently, many city dwellers have no opportunity to see trees, plants and birds and have no space to exercise. It is important because they would improve the quality of their life. For example, both old people and children would benefit from a place to exercise safely and breathe clean air at the same time.”

Defining relative clauses

ü In the first one the which explains precisely why cities should have more parks.

“A lot of people believe that cities should have more parks which would allow citizens to enjoy the natural environment better.”

ü The second one does the same job. The who explains precisely which people I am thinking of. I have added detail in. I just asked myself the question “which people?”.

“Both of these are important because they would improve the quality of life for people who often suffer from not having a pleasant environment.”

ü These are used differently and have slightly different grammar. The idea with these is that you are just adding more detail in.

“Currently, many city dwellers have no opportunity to see trees, plants and birds and have no space to exercise, which is another benefit of open spaces in urban areas.”

“A lot of people believe that cities should have more parks which would allow citizens to enjoy the natural environment better. Currently, many city dwellers have no opportunity to see trees, plants and birds and have no space to exercise, which is another benefit of open spaces in urban areas. Both of these are important because they would improve the quality of life for people who often suffer from not having a pleasant environment. For example, both old people and children would benefit from a place to exercise safely and breathe clean air at the same time.”

Warning!

Don’t overuse relative clauses! You can have too much of a good thing. Don’t use loads of relatives. They make your writing more complex, but also harder to read. Here are two general guidelines:

1. only one relative clause per sentence

2. don’t use relative clauses in every sentence

The perfect paragraph should combine the simple with the complex. In IELTS writing you are aiming for a range of grammar, not the same bit of grammar all the time – even if it is useful as relative clauses.

3. CONDITIONAL SENTENCE

Definition

Conditional tenses are used to speculate about what could happen, what might have happened, and what we wish would happen. In English, most sentences using the conditional contain the word if. Many conditional forms in English are used in sentences that include verbs in one of the past tenses. This usage is referred to as "the unreal past" because we use a past tense but we are not actually referring to something that happened in the past. There are five main ways of constructing conditional sentences in English. In all cases, these sentences are made up of an if clause and a main clause. In many negative conditional sentences, there is an equivalent sentence construction using "unless" instead of "if".

Types of Conditional Sentence

1. The Zero Conditional

In zero conditional sentences, the tense in both parts of the sentence is the simple present. As in all conditional sentences, the order of the clauses is not fixed. You may have to rearrange the pronouns and adjust punctuation when you change the order of the clauses, but the meaning is identical. In zero conditional sentences, you can replace "if" with "when", because both express general truths. The meaning will be unchanged.

The zero conditional is used to make statements about the real world, and often refers to general truths, such as scientific facts. In these sentences, the time is now or always and the situation is real and possible. The zero conditional is also often used to give instructions, using the imperative in the main clause.

If Clause (Condition)	Main Clause (result)
If + Simple Present	Simple Present
If this thing happens	That thing happens

Examples :

· When you heat ice, it melts.

· Ice melts when you heat it.

· Plants die if they don’t get enough water.

· Meet me here if we get separated.

· If public transport is efficient, people stop using their cars.

2. Type 1 Conditional

In a Type 1 conditional sentence, the tense in the 'if' clause is the simple present, and the tense in the main clause is the simple future. As in all conditional sentences, the order of the clauses is not fixed. You may have to rearrange the pronouns and adjust punctuation when you change the order of the clauses, but the meaning is identical.

The type 1 conditional refers to a possible condition and its probable result. These sentences are based on facts, and they are used to make statements about the real world, and about particular situations. We often use such sentences to give warnings. In type 1 conditional sentences, the time is the present or future and the situation is real.

In type 1 conditional sentences, you can also use modals in the main clause instead of the future tense to express the degree of certainty, permission, or a recommendation about the outcome.

If Clause (Condition)	Main Clause (Result)
If + Simple Present	Simple Future
If this thing happens	That thing will happen

Examples :

· If Sally is late again I will be mad.

· I will be mad if Sally is late again.

· What will you do if you miss the plane?

· I may finish that letter if I have a time.

· If he calls you, you should go.

3. Type 2 Conditional

In a Type 2 conditional sentence, the tense in the 'if' clause is the simple past, and the tense in the main clause is the present conditional or the present continuous conditional. The type 2 conditional refers to an unlikely or hypothetical condition and its probable result. These sentences are not based on the actual situation. In type 2 conditional sentences, the time is now or any time and the situation is hypothetical.

In type 2 conditional sentences, you can also use modals in the main clause instead of "would" to express the degree of certainty, permission, or a recommendation about the outcome.

If Clause (Condition)	Main Clause (Result)
If + Simple Past	Present Conditional or Present Continuous Conditional
If this thing happened	That thing would happen

Examples :

· If you went to bed earlier you wouldn’t be so tired.

· You wouldn’t be so tired if you went to bed earlier.

· If you really loved me, you would buy me a diamond ring.

· If I were a plant, I would love the rain.

· We might buy a larger house if we had more money.

4. Type 3 Conditional

In a Type 3 conditional sentence, the tense in the 'if' clause is the past perfect, and the tense in the main clause is the perfect conditional or the perfect continuous conditional. As in all conditional sentences, the order of the clauses is not fixed. You may have to rearrange the pronouns and adjust punctuation when you change the order of the clauses, but the meaning is identical.

The type 3 conditional refers to an impossible condition in the past and its probable result in the past. These sentences are truly hypothetical and unreal, because it is now too late for the condition or its result to exist. There is always some implication of regret with type 3 conditional sentences. The reality is the opposite of, or contrary to, what the sentence expresses. In type 3 conditional sentences, the time is the past and the situation is hypothetical.

In type 3 conditional sentences, you can also use modals in the main clause instead of "would" to express the degree of certainty, permission, or a recommendation about the outcome. Both would and had can be contracted to’d, which can be confusing if you are not confident with type 3 conditional sentences.

If Clause (Condition)	Main Clause (Result)
If + Past Perfect	Perfect Conditional or Perfect Continuous Conditional
If this thing had happened	That thing would have happened

Examples :

· You would have passed your exam if you had worked harder.

· If you had worked harder, you would have passed your exam.

· If I had known you were coming I would have baked a cake.

· You could have been on time if you had caught the bus.

· If I’d known you were in hospital, I’d have visited you.

5. Mixed Conditional

It is possible for the two parts of a conditional sentence to refer to different times, and the resulting sentence is a "mixed conditional" sentence. There are two types of mixed conditional sentence :

a. PRESENT RESULT OF A PAST CONDITION

In this type of mixed conditional sentence, the tense in the 'if' clause is the past perfect, and the tense in the main clause is the present conditional. As in all conditional sentences, the order of the clauses is not fixed. You may have to rearrange the pronouns and adjust punctuation when you change the order of the clauses, but the meaning is identical.

This type of mixed conditional refers to an unreal past condition and its probable result in the present. These sentences express a situation which is contrary to reality both in the past and in the present. In these mixed conditional sentences, the time is the past in the "if" clause and in the present in the main clause.

In these mixed conditional sentences, you can also use modals in the main clause instead of would to express the degree of certainty, permission, or a recommendation about the outcome.

If Clause (Condition)	Main Clause (Result)
If + Past Perfect	Present Conditional
If this thing had happened	That thing would happen

Examples :

· If we had looked at the map we wouldn’t be lost.

· We wouldn’t be lost if we had looked at the map.

· I would be a millionaire now if I had taken that job.

· If you had crashed the car, you might be in trouble.

· If I had learned to ski, I might be on the slopes right now.

b. PAST RESULT OF PRESENT OR CONTINUING CONDITION

In this second type of mixed conditional sentence, the tense in the 'if' clause is the simple past, and the tense in the main clause is the perfect conditional. As in all conditional sentences, the order of the clauses is not fixed. You may have to rearrange the pronouns and adjust punctuation when you change the order of the clauses, but the meaning is identical.

These mixed conditional sentences refer to an unreal present situation and its probable (but unreal) pas result. In these mixed conditional sentences, the time in the if clause is now or always and the time in the main clause is before now. For example, "If I wasn't afraid of spiders" is contrary to present reality. I am afraid of spiders. "I would have picked it up" is contrary to past reality. I didn't pick it up.