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VOA慢速英语2018--以防万一你不使用“如果”

时间:2018-03-31 19:11:55

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(单词翻译)

Just in Case You Don't Use 'If'

It is no surprise that many popular love songs use conditionals2. Conditional1 sentences show that something is true only when something else is true. So, they help us talk about wishes, hopes and even regrets.

In her song “All the Way,” classic3 American jazz singer Billie Holiday sings about love. She uses the word “unless” to show a condition.

When somebody loves you

It’s no good unless he loves you all the way

The word unless means “if not.” When Holiday says, “It’s no good unless they love you all the way,” she means a romance4 is not good if the person does not love you completely.

On a past Everyday Grammar program, we told you about conditionals that use the word if. For example, “If I practice enough, I can speak English.”

But, in today’s program, we will tell you about other words and phrases we use to make conditionals in spoken English.

First, let’s quickly go over how conditionals work:

Conditional sentences have two parts: the conditional clause5, which shows the condition, and the main clause, which shows the result. For example, “If I practice enough” is a conditional clause and “I can speak English” is the main clause.

Conditional clauses6 are not complete sentences. They need a main clause to be complete.

There are a few types of conditionals. Some show possible situations, like the sentence about speaking English. Some show improbable situations. And, others show situations that are impossible or very unrealistic. You can learn more about this in our past program.

Unless

Now, let’s continue with unless.

In our Billie Holiday example, “unless they love you all the way” is the conditional clause. It shows the condition. And “It’s no good” is the main clause. It shows the result of the condition.

Some English learners have a habit of putting the words “unless” and “if” together as “unless if” but these words should not be used together.

Otherwise and or

Two more words that express the same idea as unless are otherwise and or. Each word means if not. So, unless, or, otherwise and if not have the same basic meaning.

Keep in mind that or and otherwise also have other meanings. But in conditional statements, they mean “if not.”

In his song “Trouble Loves Me,” British singer Morrissey uses the word otherwise to talk about unreturned love.

So, console7 me

Otherwise hold me

Just when it seems like…

The conditional clause is “otherwise hold me” and the main clause is “So, console me.”

Notice that his conditional and main clauses use the imperative8 form, so the subject “you” is not stated but is understood.

The word otherwise sometimes uses a different sentence structure in conditionals. Here’s an example:

The plane must be delayed. Otherwise, she would have called.

In this example, the clauses are separate sentences. More importantly, even though the clause “otherwise, she would have called” contains the conditional word, it does not state the condition. The condition is “the plane must be late.”

Having the condition appear in a separate sentence or clause is common with otherwise and or.

Listen to an example using or:

Finish your lunch or you can’t play outside.

Here, the condition is “finish your lunch” and the result is “You can’t play outside.” You’ll notice that the result clause – not the conditional clause – contains the conditional word or.

In case

Let’s move on to the phrase in case.

We use in case to talk about things we should do to prepare for other things that may happen.

For example:

I’ll bring an umbrella in case it rains.

In this sentence, I don’t know if it will rain or not. But it’s possible.

Now, listen to same sentence with if.

I’ll bring an umbrella if it rains.

Did you get the difference in meaning? In the if sentence, I’ll wait to see if it rains first. Then, I’ll bring an umbrella.

Another usage9 for in case is mainly for signs about what to do if danger occurs. The structure of the conditional clause is in case of + noun10. For example:

In case of emergency, break glass.

As long as

Our last conditional phrase for today is as long as. When we begin a conditional clause with as long as, the statement is a little stronger than using if. As long as essentially11 means “only if.”

In his song called “As Long as You Love Me,” American pop singer Justin Bieber says that his love can survive any difficulty.

As long as you love me

We could be starving

we could be homeless

we could be broke

As long as you love me

Because this is a song, it doesn’t follow standard sentence structure. Here, the conditional clause is “as long as you love me.” And, the other lines are main clauses.

One important note about conditionals is that you can often switch the placement of main and conditional clauses and get the same meaning.

For example: I’ll bring an umbrella in case it rains means the same as In case it rains, I’ll bring an umbrella.

And, if you learn conditionals, you’ll have a lot more freedom to express yourself in English.

I’m Alice Bryant.

Words in This Story

phrase – n. group of two or more words that express a single idea but do not form a complete sentence

clause – n. a part of a sentence that has its own subject and verb

habit – n. a usual way of behaving

console – v. to try to make (someone) feel less sadness or

imperative – adj. having the form that expresses a command rather than a statement or a question

essential – adj. in a way that is very basic

starving – adj. suffering from lack of food

switch – v. to make a change from one thing to another


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1 conditional BYvyn     
adj.条件的,带有条件的
参考例句:
  • My agreement is conditional on your help.你肯帮助我才同意。
  • There are two forms of most-favored-nation treatment:conditional and unconditional.最惠国待遇有两种形式:有条件的和无条件的。
2 conditionals 83ad05a5f1438e68406b285d1d4a49d9     
n.条件句,从句,条件式( conditional的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Conditionals are used to about possible, imaginary or impossible conditions. 条件句用于谈论有可能的、想像的或不可能的状况。 来自互联网
  • Macros containing conditionals will automatically update their visual feedback as appropriate during play. 宏中若有条件式存在时,会依照条件式自动更新该宏的技能、物品描述。 来自互联网
3 classic gVpyK     
n.经典作品;adj.经典的,一流的;古典的
参考例句:
  • The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。
  • The football match was a classic.那场足球比赛堪称典范。
4 romance KXGx1     
n.恋爱关系,浪漫气氛,爱情小说,传奇
参考例句:
  • She wrote a romance about an artist's life in Tokyo.她写了一个关于一位艺术家在东京生活的浪漫故事。
  • They tried to rekindle the flames of romance.他们试图重燃爱火。
5 clause QVuyO     
n.(正式文件或法律文件的)条款,从句,分句
参考例句:
  • The sentence consists of a main clause and a subordinate clause.这句中有一个主句和一个从句。
  • What clause do you require in the contract?你要求在合同中订上什么条款?
6 clauses 3d77f6277deb3abd1d274bedeade6932     
从句( clause的名词复数 ); (法律文件等的)条款
参考例句:
  • Relative pronouns and adverbs introduce attributive clauses. 关系代词和关系副词引导定语从句。
  • Please underline the noun clauses in the passage. 请用线画出短文中的名词性从句。
7 console ApYzD     
n.控制台,仪表板,落地柜;vt.安慰,慰问
参考例句:
  • We tried to console her when her dog died.她的狗死后,我们尽力安慰她。
  • The console is just like a typewriter.控制台就像一台打字机。
8 imperative BcdzC     
n.命令,需要;规则;祈使语气;adj.强制的;紧急的
参考例句:
  • He always speaks in an imperative tone of voice.他老是用命令的口吻讲话。
  • The events of the past few days make it imperative for her to act.过去这几天发生的事迫使她不得不立即行动。
9 usage 2jawU     
n.惯用法,使用,用法
参考例句:
  • I am clear about the usage of this word at last.这个词的用法我算是弄明白了。
  • The usage is now firmly established.这种用法现已得到确认。
10 noun JHux3     
n.名词
参考例句:
  • What kind of noun is this?这是哪类名词?
  • This word is a collective noun.这个词是个集体名词。
11 essentially nntxw     
adv.本质上,实质上,基本上
参考例句:
  • Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
  • She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

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