Unit 2: Health and Fitness

2.1. Grammar Focus: Conditionals

Conditionals can be expressed by three main types based on the time and intended meaning:

2.1.1. Probable Condition (likely or real condition) (Type one)

2.1.2. Improbable (Unlikely or unlikely condition) (Type Two)
2.1.3. Impossible Condition (Type Three)

1.1.1. Probable Condition

The Probable Condition is formed from simple present tense in the if clause and future tense in
the main clause. It tells us about future or present time. It also shows that there is a fifty percent
possibility of actions or events to be take place in the future or at the present time. Look at the
following examples:

1. If you work hard, you will be successful for the first year of freshman course program.
2. If you use your time properly during four years of staying in University, you will be
graduated with great distinction point.
3. If we clean our surroundings, there will not be any diseases.
4. If teachers praise their students for the work, the students will be motivated.
5. If I meet Darartu Tullu, I will ask her how she won the women’s 10,000 meters race in the
Barcelona Olympics in 1992.
1.1.1.1. Probable Condition for expressing Zero Conditional

In addition to the above explanation, the probable condition is used for expressing zero
conditional, which means things which are always true. Here, present simple tense should always
be used in both if clause and main clause respectively. Look at the following example:

1. If a dog hears a strange sound, it barks.

2. The risk of infection is virtually eliminated if we follow simple precautions.
2.1.1.2. Probable Condition for Giving Instruction

Probable condition also can be used for giving instruction for someone. Look at the following
example:

1. If you feel any symptoms of malaria, go to hospital for checkup.

2. If your teacher gives you any assignments, finish it at home.

As you can understand from the above examples, we use simple present tense in the if clause
and imperative in the main clause respectively.

1.1.2. Improbable Condition

The improbable condition shows a difference concept (meaning) from the first type conditional
sentence. In the improbable condition, we learn that the occurrence of an event is improbable or
unlikely. So we simply express the condition and the desired idea about the present and future
time. We use simple past in the if clause and present conditional in the main clause. Look at the
following sentences carefully:

1. If you worked hard, you would be successful for the first year of freshman course
program
2. If you used your time properly during four years of staying in University, you would be
graduated with great distinction point.
3. If we cleaned our surroundings, there would not be any diseases.
4. If teachers praised their students for the work, the students would be motivated.
5. If I met Darartu Tullu, I would ask her how she won the women’s 10,000 meters race in
the Barcelona Olympics in 1992.

Note: The difference between probable and improbable conditionals is that they differ in
structure and meaning, but the time about which they are concerned is the same i.e. they
express about the present and/or future time.

1.1.3. Impossible Condition

Unlike Probable and improbable condition, the impossible Condition is used for expressing
about the event or action that happened in the past. The grammatical structure of Impossible
condition is formed by past perfect tense (had +v3) in the if clause and perfect conditional
(would have +v3) in the main clause. Look at the following example:

1. If you had worked hard, you would have been successful for the first year of freshman
course program.
2. If you had used your time properly during four years of staying in University, you would
have been graduated with great distinction point.
3. If we had cleaned our surroundings, there wouldn’t have been any diseases.
4. If teachers had praised their students for the work, the students would have been
motivated.
5. If I had met Darartu Tullu, I would have asked her how she won the women’s 10,000
meters race in the Barcelona Olympics in 1992.

Activity 1

Complete the following sentences by using the correct forms of verbs in brackets based on the
structure of the three types of conditional sentences.

1. If she ___ (pass) University Entrance Exam, I hope that she will join Borana University.
2. If our teacher ___________(see) you doing that, he would have been very angry.
3. If we ate balanced food, we _________ (be) healthier and stronger.
4. If we do not get up early, we _________ (not catch) the first bus.
5. If you boil water at 1000c, it changes into vapor.
6. If you want to study at silent place, please, _____________ (go) the library.
7. If you ____________ (do) carry our passport with you, the police will arrest us.
8. If you ______ (mix) sodium and chlorine, you _________ (get) salt.
9. If there _______ (be) anything wrong, call me quickly.
10. We will not develop our country if we _____ (do) use our resources wisely.
11. We wouldn’t have worried about irrigation systems if we (have) enough rain.
12. She would have drowned if she (fall) into the river.
13. They ______ (be) very pleased if she had invited them to her party.
Activity 2

The following dialogues are taken from the Module of Communicative English Language
Skills I prepared for freshman course program Students. Read each dialogue and write the
correct verbs based on the three types of conditional sentences you studied earlier.

Dialogue 1

Tigist: What’s wrong? You look really stressed out about something.
Kedir: It’s this research paper I’m writing. The outline is due tomorrow, and I’m still working
on it. If I don’t finish it tonight, I (get, will get, would get) an F!
Tigist: Well, I can help you if you (need, will need, would need) it.
Kedir: Really? That would be great! I get off work at 4:30. Man, I feel better already.

Dialogue 2

Almaz: Are you ready? Let’s go. The movie starts in half an hour. We need to leave right now
if we (want, wanted, will want, would want) to get there in time.
Muhaba: I know, I know, but I can’t find my wallet.
Almaz: Can I do something to help you get ready?
Muhaba: Well, if you helped me look for it instead of telling me what time it was, that (is, was,
would be) a big help.
Almaz: Okay. But let me say just one more thing: I’d keep my wallet in the same place every
day if I (am, were, can be) you. That way I’d always know where it was.

Dialogue 3

Bontu: How was your Spanish exam, Hadas?

Hadas: Fine, I guess. I got a B. I could have got a better mark provided I (worked, work, had
worked, have worked) on the verbs. And you?
Bontu: I didn’t study and I failed, but I (would fail, will fail, would have failed) even if I had
studied; that’s why I decided not to do it.
Hadas: That’s not true. Nobody fails an exam as long as they (study, studied, had studied).
Dialogue 4

Mother: You can't go out. That's out of question.

Son: Please, mum. Can I go out on condition that I (did, do, have done, had done) all my
homework before leaving.
Mother: Well, if you (do, did, had done, have done) your homework when I asked you, you
would be allowed to go out now.
Son: But I didn't hear you. If I had heard you, I (would have done, will do, would do, will have
done) it.
Mother: That's the problem; you never listen. It (won’t, wouldn’t, wouldn’t have) hurt if you
listened to me once in a while. If you (did, do, had done, have done) it more often,
your life would be much easier.

2.2. Vocabulary: Guessing meaning from context

The meaning of words or unfamiliar vocabularies can be figured out mainly by four methods.
These typical methods are: contextual clue, word formation analysis, synonym context and
punctuation method can be mentioned.

2.2.1. Contextual clue

This method helps us to figure out the meaning of vocabularies from the context of the sentence
given to us. Here, we use the surrounding words and overall sense of the sentence.

Example: It is unlawful to enter school compound with weapons, because it is the place where
students are expected to get education, but these devices are allowed for the troops only at the
battle field. Here, there are some of the words or phrases that show the meaning of the word
weapons. For instance, the word unlawful and the phrase <these devices are allowed for the
troops at the battle field> are the best context for the meaning of the weapons. Therefore,
weapons mean an instrument to fight with.
2.2.2. Word Formation Analysis

Word formation analysis is the other method of figuring out the meaning of new words. The
small parts of word like prefix and suffix are mainly be used in word formation analysis
technique.

Example: The cheating you made on the exam is unpardonable. Suppose that unpardonable is
a new vocabulary for you that you probably haven’t ever heard of it. The affixes in the word
unpardonable can help you to find its meaning; this can be done by cutting down the word into
pieces. Here, the word unpardonable has a prefix, suffix and root of the main word. The prefix
‘un’ which means ‘not’, the suffix ‘able’ which means ‘can’ and the word which is root of the
word is pardon meaning ‘forgive’ are the small units of the underlined vocabulary in the above
sentence; therefore, the meaning of unpardonable is ‘something that cannot be forgiven’.

2.2.3. Synonym Method

Synonyms are the words that have the same or nearly the same meaning. Synonyms are the other
techniques of figuring out the meaning of unfamiliar vocabularies that found in some sentences.
This technique is most probably used for the sentences that contain new vocabulary with its
related word found in it; here, we mean that both new word and its meaning found in the same
sentences and therefore, they can replace each other without changing the meaning of one
another.

Example: Some students were penalized for not arriving on time at University for a first Year
academic registration. They were also punished for not to be with full academic certificate.

Suppose that you do not know what the word penalized mean in the above example. So, the
synonym method can be applied here as there is other word which directly replace the word
penalize. The word which is similarly appeared in the sentence with the same meaning is
punished. Hence, ‘penalized’ means ‘to be punished’.

2.2.4. Punctuation Method

AS that of aforementioned methods, punctuations are also the best way of finding the meaning of
new words or vocabularies. It does not mean that all punctuations are useful for such technique.
Among the punctuations, comma is the best way to be used here. For better understanding of the
above clarification, look at the following example given for you:

Example: I am going to buy a padlock, the device used for locking the door, from the shop near
to your house. The phrase between two commas in the above example tells us what we mean by
padlock. Therefore, padlock is the device used for locking the door.

Dear students we are very delightful from you that you have clearly understood the ways of
getting the meaning of unknown words or vocabularies that probably appeared in the reading
passage, paragraphs and a single sentence as being shown in the above examples. Now you are
going to do the related activities.

Activity

Read the following questions and find out the meaning of the underlined words based on the
above clues.

1. People of the town warned not to eat the tainted fish. The local newspaper published a
bulletin in which readers were clearly told that eating fish that had a disease could be
very dangerous.
2. The old man’s hair was sparse rather than thick and full like it was when he was young.
3. They were reluctant to accept the conclusion made on the meeting. They were also
unwilling to provide an acceptable reason for the conclusion made on the meeting.
4. The report is not sufficient enough to decide; we need some more accurate information
that can convince attendants of the meeting.