Tourism and the Environment in Rwanda
Senior 3 · English
Tourism and the Environment in Rwanda
Lesson 3 of 5
25 min
Let's begin
In unit 1 you met three types of if-clause in a letter of application. Here you go further into the two that describe things that are not real: the second conditional, for an imagined present or an unlikely future, and the third conditional, for a past that did not happen. Both are powerful in an argument about the environment, because they let you show what would happen, or would have happened, if people acted differently.
Written for this lesson. The writer is imagined; the facts about Akagera come from African Parks.
WHAT IF THE VISITORS STOPPED COMING?
posted by Ishimwe, S3, environment club
Last week our club asked a strange question: what would happen if no tourist ever came to Rwanda's parks again? Here is what we decided.
If the visitors stopped coming, the parks would lose most of their income. If there were no income, the parks could not pay their rangers, and if there were no rangers, poachers would return within months. The villages would suffer too: no more park money for schools and health centres, and no jobs for guides, drivers, cooks or weavers.
We also looked back. Twenty years ago Akagera had lost its lions and its rhinos. If nobody had built a fence and trained rangers, the lions could not have been brought back in 2015. If the park had not been protected, my little brother would never have heard a lion roar on our school trip last year.
So what would I do if I were the Minister of Tourism for a day? I'd ask every visitor to plant one tree before going home. And if I were you, I'd join our club. We meet on Thursdays.
Definition
second conditional: if + past simple, would / could / might + verb. It describes an imagined situation in the present, or one that is unlikely in the future. If the visitors stopped coming, the parks would lose their income.
third conditional: if + past perfect, would / could / might have + past participle. It describes an imagined past: something that did not happen, and its imagined result. If the park had not been protected, he would never have heard a lion.
| Second conditional | Third conditional | |
|---|---|---|
| Time | now or the future, imagined | the past, imagined |
| If-clause | past simple: if they stopped; if I were | past perfect: if they had stopped |
| Main clause | would / could / might + verb | would / could / might have + past participle |
| Uses | imagining; unlikely plans; advice with If I were you | regret; criticism; explaining what caused a past result |
| Example | If I were the minister, I would ask every visitor to plant a tree. | If the fire had been reported, it would not have burned for two days. |
| Question | What would you do if you saw a snare? | What would you have done if you had seen the fire? |
Were for all persons. In the second conditional, formal English uses were with every subject: If I were, if she were, if there were. If I was is common in speech, but write were in examinations.
The order can change. The main clause can come first; then you need no comma: The parks would lose their income if the visitors stopped coming.
Worked example
From a fact to a second conditional
Fact: Many tourists don't know that snares kill chimpanzees, so they don't support the anti-poaching patrols.
Worked example
From a past story to a third conditional
Facts: Mr Sebahire's fire got out of control. He had not cleared the dry grass around it. The forest burned for two days.
Tip
Step back once, or twice. For an unreal present, step the verb back once: know → knew. For an unreal past, step it back again: knew → had known, and add have after would. And remember that I'd can hide two words: in If I'd known, I'd have come, the first 'd is had and the second is would.
Warning
The second conditional, 6 Minute Grammar, from BBC Learning English (about 6 minutes). Write down two of the presenters' examples, and for each one say what the real situation is.
Practice
Sources and credits
Written by Ganzaa.
