Should, were and had instead of if
Make conditionals more formal by dropping if and inverting: Should you need help…, Were I to…, Had I known…
In this lesson you will
- Form inverted first, second and third conditionals
- Recognise them in formal writing
- Use them appropriately
Learn
First conditional → Should: If you need any help → Should you need* any help, please contact us.* (Common in formal letters and notices.)
Second conditional → Were … to / Were: If I were in your position → Were I* in your position, …; If the company moved → Were the company to move, …*
Third conditional → Had: If I had known → Had I known, I would have told you. Negative: *Had it not been for her help, …* (not Hadn’t it been).
Inverted conditionals are formal. In everyday speech, if is more natural.
| Standard | Inverted (formal) |
|---|---|
| If you have any questions, … | Should you have any questions, … |
| If I were you, … | Were I you, … |
| If they raised prices, … | Were they to raise prices, … |
| If we had known, … | Had we known, … |
Examples
- Should you require further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.
- Were the government to raise taxes, there would be protests.
- Had I known about the problem, I would have acted sooner.
- Had it not been for the rain, the event would have been a success.
Vocabulary
require
need (formal)
hesitate
pause before doing something
formal
suitable for official situations
act
do something to deal with a situation
inversion
putting the verb before the subject
Practice
Complete the sentence.
Speaking
Rewrite and read aloud five sentences from a formal letter using inverted conditionals (Should…, Were…, Had…).
Writing
Write a formal email to a client (100–120 words) using at least two inverted conditionals.
Lesson quiz
___ we left earlier, we’d have caught the train.
Review
Key points
- Should you… (first).
- Were I… / Were X to… (second).
- Had I… / Had it not been for… (third).
- Formal register.
What you learned
- ✓ I can form inverted conditionals.
- ✓ I recognise them in formal texts.
- ✓ I use them appropriately.
Grammar reference: Conditionals: zero, first, second and third, Inversion for emphasis