Practice Exercise for 2nd Conditional
Language to Test Ideas
Expressing strong opinions is easy, but that’s not a conversation.
Creatives, scientists academics, policymakers, managers and business owners all need language skills to test ideas.
Open language that invites discussion and conversation is crucial for collaboration and deal-making.
There are a few language structures to do this but the second conditional is valuable as it indicates a hypothetical situation.
This blog offers you practice exercises for the 2nd Conditional.
It also gives an example of conversations you would have on a Blue Noun English Language Holidays (with us, you practice them in REAL contexts by having conversations exploring Scotland).
Tips for Using this Content:
- English students: imagine/say out loud your part in these conversation.
- English teachers: you are welcome to integrate all or part of this in your lesson plan.
Here at Blue Noun Language Hub, we put English into REAL conversations and contexts, so you can improve your English through feeling you belong in our culture.
Introduction Text
Speaking for Fish
I had no reason to wake up thinking about fish, but I did.
In fact, I was thinking about a recent canoe trip, Kenmore to Aberfeldy.
I know this stretch of the river quite well, so I noticed the absence of fly fishers, I learned that in Scotland, no one is permitted to fly fish on a Sunday.
I also know that river fish stocks are decreasing due to environmental damage and overfishing, and that action needs to be taken.
Fish are less visible to humans, but I keenly look for local hare populations, and oystercatchers: wildlife that was abundant in my childhood and now rare.
Getting a break once a week isn’t enough to ensure fish stocks return to our rivers.
I woke up thinking about leap years, and salmon leaping, and just thought: leap years = no fly fishing. I could even imaging the graphic for the campaign – a leaping salmon.
Fallow years are used in farming, would this idea protect fish stocks?
Put this proposal into your own words
Reduce it down to a single sentence proposal to discuss.
Practice Exercise
Predict Objections
Use the 2nd Conditional with ‘if’ to predict all objections.
Hints:
- Fly fishing is a precious hobby to many people
- Fishing is a key attraction in Scottish tourism.
- Individual fishers and angling clubs are often good advocates for the health of our rivers.
Reminder: 2nd Conditional
The second conditional is used to talk about hypothetical or unlikely situations in the present or future.
Structure of the Second Conditional using ‘if’.
- If + past simple, would + base form of the verb
Group Work
The class could be divided into groups to research:
Does more radical action need to be taken to protect Scottish/UK fish?
What better ideas are out there? Make a list and present them to your group.
What is good about this idea?
Finding positives in the idea doesn’t mean accepting it, but it can help you build on it to create something new.
How is fishing currently managed on Scottish waters?
Make a list of the existing regulations and present them to your group.
Make a list of any emergent themes or language.
If fishing is part of a student’s own culture/personal history, follow this with interest.
Part 2 | Implementation
What decisions would need made?
Consider time scale (this idea gives 3 years to prepare legislation – is that enough?)
How could you calculate how to compensate legitimate businesses fairly?
Is there an alternative? (Like clay pigeon shooting is a substitute for bird shooting).
Use this conversation as a practice exercise for 2nd Conditional.
2nd Conditional without ‘if’
“If” is the most common way to introduce a second conditional sentence, there are alternative structures that do not use “if” but still convey the same hypothetical meaning.
These alternative forms often use an inversion of the subject and the auxiliary verb “were.”
Examples Without “If”:
-
“Were we to do this, we would need a larger budget.”
- This is a second conditional sentence without using “if.” It uses inversion (“Were we”) to introduce the hypothetical situation.
-
“Were she here, she would help us.”
- Instead of saying, “If she were here, she would help us,” the sentence uses inversion.
Part 3 | Reading
Pros and Cons
Read this letter to a newspaper on this proposal.
- Highlight the 4 expamples of the 2nd Conditional (answers at the foot of this blog).
- Make a list of pros and cons.
Dear Editor,
As someone who admires the passion anglers have for our rivers and respects their skill, I feel compelled to voice my concerns. I also acknowledge that consuming wild fish is generally less cruel than relying on farmed fish.
However, while each angler may believe they are taking only what they need, the collective impact of fishing without further regulation could pose a serious threat to our river ecosystems. If we didn’t introduce stronger regulations, we could risk destroying river biodiversity forever.
When traveling along our waterways by boat, it becomes clear just how many fishers are out there, one after another. The sheer number of anglers is a testament to the popularity of the sport, but it also highlights the pressure on fish populations.
I understand that stricter regulations might not be popular among anglers, but if we were to consider how to restore fish numbers in our rivers, we would realize that managing fishing more sustainably is essential. If we truly cared about preserving the sport of fishing in the long term, and ensuring our rivers remained vibrant and full of life, then we would take action now.
Were we to practice responsible stewardship, we could ensure that future generations would be able to enjoy the beauty and challenge of angling in thriving, biodiverse rivers.
Yours sincerely,
[Your Name]
Part 4
Other Issues
Start a think tank group to search for other objections/things that could go wrong with this proposal. What would happen in each situation?
Factoring in Mental Health
Fishing/time in nature has great health benefits, including men’s mental health.
What might be the cost (not just financial) of this policy.
Is penalising fishers the wrong solution?
Fishers are visible whereas water pollution often isn’t.
Does this policy penalise the wrong culprit? How could you find out?
Consider:
Climate change
Habitat Degradation
Raw Sewage Dumping
Overfishing (Seas)
Could the knee-jerk reaction be to overfish in interim years and negate the benefits?
How should this be tracked?
The Right to Roam
The national history of Scotland is that of wealthy people forcing poor, indigenous people from their land. As a result, the ‘Right to Roam‘ (the right of a walker to cross a person’s land) is fiercely defended, as is the right to (discretely) wild camp. Will this legislation tap into national hurt and indignation about top-down land management?
Use this as a practice exercise for 2nd Conditional. If not using ‘if’ notice how it sounds more formal, more official (more compelling?).
Part 4
Express Your Opinion
A practice exercise for 2nd Conditional.
You can use the 2nd Conditional to express your opinions – even strong opinions.
What do YOU think about this policy?
Try to use the 2nd Conditional without ‘if’ at least once to strengthen your argument.
About this Content
The idea to make leap years a no-fly fishing year is my own.
It’s based on observation and my skill for putting things that don’t belong, together.
It’s far from my field of expertise but I feel it is worthy of discussion.
Please use this idea and share it to help yourself or others learn English, by discussing fair actions that make the world a better place and preserve indigenous wildlife for future generations.
Who am I?
I’m an English language coach for 2nd language English users. I share Scotland with internationals wanting to practice their English in real contexts, enjoy Scottish landscapes and feel good within nature.
I’m an amateur canoeist, a trained artist and a creative thinker and I’m passionate about preserving nature.
See for Yourself, When You Learn English in Perthshire!
Like this blog?
You’ll Love our Talk of the Wee Town!
Further Information
Answers
The letter contains four examples of the second conditional.
- “If we didn’t introduce stronger regulations, we could risk destroying river biodiversity forever.”
- “If we were to consider how to restore fish numbers in our rivers, we would realize that managing fishing more sustainably is essential.”
- “If we truly cared about preserving the sport of fishing in the long term, and ensuring our rivers remained vibrant and full of life, then we would take action now.”
- “Were we to practice responsible stewardship, we could ensure that future generations would be able to enjoy the beauty and challenge of angling in thriving, biodiverse rivers
