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?
Best Answer
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.