Everyday Grammar: Second Conditional - Progressive Form

See the First conditional here:    • Everyday Grammar: First Conditional  


Jill: Are you busy today, John? I was wondering if you could help me teach another conditional.
John: I am busy – I’m still unpacking my home office.
Jill: That’s right – I heard you moved last week. Are you finding a place for everything?
John: If I had a bigger office, I would be finding a place for everything. As you can see, I’m not!
Jill: But you just helped me anyway!
John: How’s that?
Jill: That’s a perfect example – the first part is not real – you don’t have a bigger office. So you used the past tense – had - to make a conditional sentence with would.
John: Aha! So I said, “If I had a bigger office…”
Jill: And in the second part, you used a modal - would - with the continuous form: “I would be finding a place for everything.”
John: I get it – I think they call that the second conditional with the continuous. I’m still stuck with too many books here.
Jill: I do have some advice, John. If I were you, I would get a bigger bookshelf. Like mine.
John: There’s another good example – you used the subjunctive – were – to set up an unreal condition. You are NOT me.
Jill: But I can help you. I know where you can buy really cheap bookshelves. Let me give you the address.
John: Thanks! And that’s Everyday Grammar!
Originally published at - https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a...