Diskusi 10 Grammar Analysis
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Understanding conditional sentences for Indonesian students seem difficult since the grammatical rule in terms of the verb form of English and Indonesian language is totally different.
What do you understand of the difference between the verb form of conditional sentences in English and Indonesian?
Answer:
A conditional sentence typically consists of an if-clause (which presents a condition) and a result clause (Azar, 2022).
According to Baehaqi (2018), there are 4 types of conditional sentences, each of which uses a different form of tenses.
-
Conditional Sentence type 0
Conditional
sentence type 0 is used to state the cause and effect of a fact that is
generally known to be true. If thing A happens, it will cause thing B.
We
can use this formula:
1.
If + simple present
tense, simple present tense
2.
Simple present tense
+ if + simple present tense
Example: The ground gets wet if it rains
- Conditional sentence type 1
It is used to express something that is very likely to
happen in the future if we do something. We can use this formula:
1.
If + simple present
tense, simple future tense
2.
Simple future tense
+ if + simple present tense
Example: If you study hard you will pass the exam.
- Conditional sentence type 2
It is used to express something that is unrealistic or
very unlikely to happen. Therefore, this type is suitable for expressing our
wishes. We can use this formula:
1.
If + simple past,
present conditional
2.
Present conditional
+ if + simple past
Example: If I lived in Canada, tonight I would go to
Justin Bieber concert.
- Conditional sentence type 3
It is used to convey assumptions about events that have
occurred in the past. Because reality has already happened and cannot be
changed anymore, we can only express what suppositions will happen if the
incident goes differently from reality. We can use this formula:
1.
If + past perfect,
perfect conditional
2.
Perfect conditional
+ if + past perfect
Example: If she had phoned me yesterday, I would have
been happy.
In my opinion, the lack of
knowledge of verbs and sentence forms in English is the cause of the failure of
EFL students in making conditional sentences. Conditional sentences are one of
the things that must be learned in grammar to make good sentence composition.
If students do not have good knowledge of conditional sentences, they have
difficulty determining the verbs used in conditional sentences. In order to
infer meaning, students must have some pre-knowledge of the words or sentences
they are studying. However, their grammar is lacking, therefore they cannot get
the correct formula from conditional sentence types.
References:
Azar, B. C. 2022. Understanding and Using English Grammar, Third Edition. London. Longman Pearson Education
Baehaqi, I 2018. A
Handbook of English Grammar. Yogyakarta: Media Ilmu