Second Conditional
Pre-Intermediate level
Description
Materials
Main Aims
-
To provide clarification of second conditional in the context of imaginary and hypothetical present and future situations
Subsidiary Aims
-
To provide accuracy speaking practice in a second conditional in the context of imaginary situations
Procedure (44-54 minutes)
I will ask students several questions about imaginary situations without introducing the target grammar. For example: "Imagine you found €1,000 in the street. What would you do?", "Imagine you could live anywhere in the world. Where would you live?", and "Imagine you met your favourite actor. What would you say?" Students will discuss their answers in pairs and then share some ideas with the class.
I will write some of the students' ideas on the board and reformulate them using the target language. For example, if a student says, "Buy a new phone," I will write "If I found €1,000, I'd buy a new phone." I will repeat this process with two or three more examples. I will underline found and I'd buy and ask students: "What do you notice about these verbs?"
I will write the sentence "If I found €1,000, I'd buy a new phone." on the board and ask CCQs: Is this situation real? (No) Is it imaginary? (Yes) Is it likely to happen? (No) Is it unlikely to happen? (Yes) I will then draw a simple timeline and ask: Does this sentence talk about the past or the present/future? (Present/Future) I will keep the example sentence on the board and elicit the form by asking: Is found present, past or future? (Past) Is it Past Simple or Past Continuous? (Past Simple) What word comes before buy? (Would) What form of the verb comes after would? (Base form) I will write the structure on the board: If + Past Simple, would + base verb I will then write: If I found €1,000, I would travel. If I found €1,000, I could travel. and ask: Is the second sentence correct? (Yes) Students will notice that could can also be used instead of would. Next, I will write: I'd buy a new phone if I found €1,000. and ask: Are both sentences correct? (Yes) Which sentence needs a comma? (The first one.) Finally, I will write: If I were you, I'd study harder. and ask: Is this sentence correct? (Yes) Which word is used different in this sentence? (Were) I will also explain that were is commonly used with all subjects in this expression. I will drill the contractions I'd, he'd, she'd, we'd and they'd chorally and individually. Then I will drill the sentence "If I found €1,000, I'd buy a new phone." focusing on sentence stress, weak forms and connected speech.
I will ask students to complete Exercise 9A(a) individually. After they finish, they will compare their answers in pairs before we check them together. Then I will ask students to complete Exercise 9A(b) individually. They will compare their answers with a partner before we check the answers as a whole class. During feedback, I will focus on correcting any errors related to the form of the second conditional.
Students will work in pairs. I will give them one imaginary situation: "Imagine you won €5 million." Each student will ask and answer the following connected questions: What would you buy first? Why would you buy that? Would you stay in your country or move somewhere else? Where would you live? What job would you do? Would you help anyone? Who would you help? Students will be encouraged to ask follow-up questions and continue the conversation naturally. While they are speaking, I will monitor, note good language and common mistakes, and provide delayed feedback at the end of the activity. I will assign the Workbook exercises for homework.
