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I've been looking at conditional sentences (conditional clauses).

Every example I've see is along the lines of, "if [x] then [y]."

I've seen alternatives/substitutes for the if part:

  • were I you (instead of "if I were you")
  • on condition that
  • unless
  • were

Yet, these still follow the same pattern: "condition [x] then [y]."

Is that the only way to have a conditional?
Is it not possible to invert/switch around the structure?
Would it still be a conditional clause (or conditional sentence) if I put the condition after the occurance?

  • If he eats that, he'll be sick.
  • He'll be sick if he eats that.
  • Unless you win this round, you are out.
  • You are out unless you win this round.

If those are not conditionals, what are they?
Would they be considered as "acceptable" if I were to be editing/rewriting something, or would it be seen as bad/improper/incorrect/having a sufficiently different implication?

tchrist
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theclueless1
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    A conditional clause is still a conditional clause regardless of where you put it within the sentence, which is largely a stylistic choice. – FumbleFingers Nov 18 '11 at 16:47
  • @FumbleFingers - So "He'll be sick if he eats that." is still conditional? Fantastic. Thank you very much. (What do I need to click on to approve/acknowledge the answer?) – theclueless1 Nov 18 '11 at 17:14
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    I agree with Fumble. Putting the condition after the main clause (protasis after apodosis) as in your examples is absolutely fine and normal. It is just a bit more difficult if the condition does not start with a conjunction: I would have asked her, had she been there: here I would prefer to either add if or put the condition first. // These here are not full answers, but just comments on your question; neither of us apparently has the courage to post a full answer. But don't worry, it will come. – Cerberus - Reinstate Monica Nov 18 '11 at 17:24
  • @theclueless1: The more you post here, the more reputation points you get, which incrementally increases your options. Being a new user, you maybe can't upvote comments yet, but hopefully that will come soon (when you can do this, hovering the mouse to the left of a comment shows an uparror you can click to show approval). But already you should be able to click the uparrow on Irene's actual answer saying the same thing, to show approval. And I know you can already click on the tick mark under it, to "accept" the answer. – FumbleFingers Nov 18 '11 at 18:01
  • Aw, @Cerberus, I don't think it's always "lack of courage"! I'm happy to assume Irene is a person suitable for me to say I'm just inverting the standard saying Age before beauty – FumbleFingers Nov 18 '11 at 18:06
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    @FumbleFingers: If you put it that way, I'll just assume that the answer section is accessed through revolving doors. Or a staircase. Or that this here is a puddle, and you, for lack of a coat to drop, went down on all fours so that she might walk over you. Wait, now I messed it up. At any rate, I plead laziness. – Cerberus - Reinstate Monica Nov 19 '11 at 01:35
  • @Cerberus: ha ha I'll have some of what you're smoking/drinking! Actually, I did partly have it in mind that one could expand on the subtleties of the stylistic choices (which feasibly I might have been too lazy to identify and set down). But Jay has done this perfectly well, and I commend his answer to your gracious upvote, if it so please you. – FumbleFingers Nov 19 '11 at 02:05
  • @FumbleFingers: I would, but I not entirely convinced late position always gives emphasis to conditionals. In Jay's example, the ellipsis (...) ensures this emphasis; but I think I could pronounce it such that it has little or no emphasis, as an afterthought or side note. Bob would have asked Sally on a date (if he'd had the courage), but he was a coward. – Cerberus - Reinstate Monica Nov 19 '11 at 03:50
  • let us continue this discussion in chat – FumbleFingers Nov 19 '11 at 03:55
  • @FumbleFingers: Thank you for your chivalry, I'm flattered that I hold the place of beauty. But I don't understand something I see in many experienced users of this site: When you have an answer to a question, why don't you post it as such? Comments are what you and Cerberus have written here after your comment/answer. As a relatively new user, I'd like to see the answers given in their proper place. The answers (not the comments, although many of them are great, too) I got to the questions I had when I first visited this site made me want to register and be an active user. – Irene Nov 19 '11 at 20:53
  • @Irene: I expect we all have different motivations. Cerberus might have partly been diffident in case there was more to it than just "style", but probably also a bit lazy, as was I (it's quicker to dash off a quick comment). I also wanted a "newer" user to post an answer (draw them in, get more active users on the site). I still think there is more to this question anyway - you've answered the basics, but Jay's point seems relevant and I'd like to see it kicked around a bit more. – FumbleFingers Nov 20 '11 at 13:37
  • Thanks for explaining. There's no need to explain why you prefer Jay's answer over mine, by the way. – Irene Nov 20 '11 at 15:10

2 Answers2

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Just as Fumblefingers comments, as long as there is a conditional clause (ie a subject-verb combination beginning with if, unless, etc) in a sentence, whether it follows the main clause or precedes it, it is always a conditional sentence.

Irene
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Whether you put the condition before or after is a matter of style and emphasis. Typically a sentence builds up to some sort of conclusion, so we put the thing we want to emphasize last. This is especially true if you are trying to make a point.

Compare:

If he had the courage, Bob would have asked Sally on a date.

Bob would have asked Sally on a date ... if he had the courage.

The second is more emphatic. It leaves the reader wondering for just a fraction of a second why Bob didn't ask Sally, building up a little tension. The first sentence gives the reason away immediately and so does not build any tension. This kind of subtle difference in wording and emphasis can be the difference between a simple statement of fact and an hysterically funny joke.

Jay
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