{"id":3010,"date":"2016-03-30T09:30:14","date_gmt":"2016-03-30T16:30:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/?p=3010"},"modified":"2020-12-10T13:43:51","modified_gmt":"2020-12-10T21:43:51","slug":"learn-the-second-conditional-through-popular-music","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/learn-the-second-conditional-through-popular-music\/","title":{"rendered":"Learn the Second Conditional Through Popular Music"},"content":{"rendered":"

As Kate outlines in an earlier post, there are four grammar constructions<\/a> for conditional statements<\/em>\u2014statements that use \u201cif\u201d to describe something that is possible or could be possible under certain conditions. These conditional forms are known as the zero, first, second, and third conditionals.<\/p>\n

\"LearningTheSecondConditionalWithPopularMusic\"<\/p>\n

Photo by\u00a0Luo Sen<\/a><\/p>\n

Many ESL students find the last two conditionals to be the most challenging. The third conditional describes conditions for events that are unlikely or impossible. The Magoosh TOEFL Blog has already done a special lesson on the third conditional<\/a>, the most complicated of the conditional forms. In this post we\u2019ll focus on the second conditional, which isn\u2019t quite as complicated, but can still be tricky.<\/p>\n

To review, the second conditional has the following pattern:<\/p>\n

If\u00a0<\/strong>+ simple past,\u00a0then<\/strong>\u00a0+ modal + verb<\/p>\n

Recall that a modal<\/em>\u00a0is a \u201chelp verb\u201d<\/a> that appears before a main verb in a sentence and adds an extra sense of meaning to the verb phrase. While just about any modal can be used in a second conditional statement, the conditionals would<\/em> and could<\/em><\/a> are used the most often in the second conditional. This is because these modals suggest possibility and are well suited to the possible events described in these kinds of conditional statement.<\/p>\n

The second conditional deals with events that are possible, but not likely to happen. \u201cIf I got a huge scholarship, I could go to Harvard for free\u201d would be one example of an unlikely event that\u2019s described using the second conditional. An event like this is only somewhat unlikely\u2014ordinary people do get full scholarships to Harvard every year, but it\u2019s not very common. In other cases, a second conditional event can be so unlikely that it may as well be impossible. An example of this would be a statement like \u201cIf I had an invisibility cloak, I could really surprise my friends.\u201d<\/p>\n

When it comes to learning the second conditional\u2014or any other grammar form\u2014repetition is an important tool. It really helps to hear the second conditional over and over again in different contexts. And it helps to be able to imitate what you hear. This where English-language pop music can be very useful.<\/p>\n

Popular singers in the English-speaking world love<\/em> to use the second conditional in their songs. This is because popular music is dramatic and often sad\u2014songs are full of lyrics where singers hope for some amazing event, or desperately wish that something unlikely will happen.<\/p>\n

Taylor Swift uses the second conditional in many of her songs, including hits such as \u201cI\u2019d Lie<\/a>,\u201d where she sings about not wanting to admit that she is attracted to a boy. Taylor discusses the unlikely event that someone might confront her about how she feels with the lyrics \u201cIf you asked me if I loved him, I\u2019d lie.\u201d Justin Bieber has similar lyrics in his songs as well. He even has a song that contains part of a second conditional statement right in the title. In his hit \u201cI Would,\u201d the opening lyrics make the full second conditional statement as Justin sings \u201cIf I could take away the pain and put a smile on your face\u2026 I would.\u201d<\/p>\n

And this use of second conditional isn\u2019t limited just to modern pop stars who are popular with teens. Bands and singers that play to older audiences love the second conditional too. Adam Duritz of the Counting Crows sings out second conditional statements in hit songs of his such as \u201cIf I Could Give All my Love to You<\/a>.\u201d And Steven Page fantasizes about being rich in\u00a0his popular song \u201cIf I Had a Million Dollars<\/a>.\u201d Cher expresses regret for past mistakes when she sings<\/a> \u201cIf I could turn back time\u2026 I\u2019d take back those words\u2026.\u201d And the classic American folk group Peter, Mary, and Paul sings about making the world a better place through hard work in his song \u201cIf I Had a Hammer<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

So the next time you hear an English-language song, listen for the second conditional. Practice listening to the many conditional statements that signers make. And then sing along<\/a>\u2026 or make up your own second conditional statements about your own regrets and dreams.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As Kate outlines in an earlier post, there are four grammar constructions for conditional statements\u2014statements that use \u201cif\u201d to describe something that is possible or could be possible under certain conditions. These conditional forms are known as the zero, first, second, and third conditionals. Photo by\u00a0Luo Sen Many ESL students find the last two conditionals […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":80,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13603],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[13630],"class_list":["post-3010","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-grammar"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nLearn the Second Conditional Through Popular Music - Magoosh Blog \u2013 TOEFL\u00ae\ufe0f Test<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/learn-the-second-conditional-through-popular-music\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Learn the Second Conditional Through Popular Music\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As Kate outlines in an earlier post, there are four grammar constructions for conditional statements\u2014statements that use \u201cif\u201d to describe something that is possible or could be possible under certain conditions. These conditional forms are known as the zero, first, second, and third conditionals. Photo by\u00a0Luo Sen Many ESL students find the last two conditionals […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/learn-the-second-conditional-through-popular-music\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Magoosh Blog \u2013 TOEFL\u00ae\ufe0f Test\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/facebook.com\/MagooshTOEFL\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MagooshEnglishLearning\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-03-30T16:30:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-12-10T21:43:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/files\/2016\/03\/LearningTheSecondConditionalWithPopularMusic-e1478773690565-600x338.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"David Recine\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@MagooshTOEFL\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@MagooshTOEFL\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"David Recine\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/learn-the-second-conditional-through-popular-music\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/learn-the-second-conditional-through-popular-music\/\",\"name\":\"Learn the Second Conditional Through Popular Music - Magoosh Blog \u2013 TOEFL\u00ae\ufe0f Test\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2016-03-30T16:30:14+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/#\/schema\/person\/fa2be5405a605e37f4199c90e2236768\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/learn-the-second-conditional-through-popular-music\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/learn-the-second-conditional-through-popular-music\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/learn-the-second-conditional-through-popular-music\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Learn the Second Conditional Through Popular Music\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/\",\"name\":\"Magoosh Blog \u2013 TOEFL\u00ae\ufe0f Test\",\"description\":\"Online TOEFL Preparation\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/#\/schema\/person\/fa2be5405a605e37f4199c90e2236768\",\"name\":\"David Recine\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/de262e64bb4e3e488753d8c58ff3cc70\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b70c17ee6f3ef87dc4cc5dbdebda911d6dd30dfe15845e4b1d459a3e1b33ef98?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b70c17ee6f3ef87dc4cc5dbdebda911d6dd30dfe15845e4b1d459a3e1b33ef98?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"David Recine\"},\"description\":\"David is a Test Prep Expert for Magoosh TOEFL and IELTS. Additionally, he's helped students with TOEIC, PET, FCE, BULATS, Eiken, SAT, ACT, GRE, and GMAT. David has a BS and MA from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and an MA from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MagooshEnglishLearning\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/david-recine\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCra3KQoJlOP7RYwaCyH2qew\"],\"knowsAbout\":[\"TOEFL\",\"IELTS\",\"TOEIC\",\"PET\",\"FCE\",\"BULATS\",\"Eiken\",\"SAT\",\"ACT\",\"GRE\",\"GMAT\"],\"knowsLanguage\":[\"English\",\"Italian\"],\"jobTitle\":\"Content Creator\",\"worksFor\":\"Magoosh\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/author\/davidr\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Learn the Second Conditional Through Popular Music - Magoosh Blog \u2013 TOEFL\u00ae\ufe0f Test","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/learn-the-second-conditional-through-popular-music\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Learn the Second Conditional Through Popular Music","og_description":"As Kate outlines in an earlier post, there are four grammar constructions for conditional statements\u2014statements that use \u201cif\u201d to describe something that is possible or could be possible under certain conditions. These conditional forms are known as the zero, first, second, and third conditionals. Photo by\u00a0Luo Sen Many ESL students find the last two conditionals […]","og_url":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/learn-the-second-conditional-through-popular-music\/","og_site_name":"Magoosh Blog \u2013 TOEFL\u00ae\ufe0f Test","article_publisher":"https:\/\/facebook.com\/MagooshTOEFL","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MagooshEnglishLearning","article_published_time":"2016-03-30T16:30:14+00:00","article_modified_time":"2020-12-10T21:43:51+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/files\/2016\/03\/LearningTheSecondConditionalWithPopularMusic-e1478773690565-600x338.jpg"}],"author":"David Recine","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@MagooshTOEFL","twitter_site":"@MagooshTOEFL","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"David Recine","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/learn-the-second-conditional-through-popular-music\/","url":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/learn-the-second-conditional-through-popular-music\/","name":"Learn the Second Conditional Through Popular Music - Magoosh Blog \u2013 TOEFL\u00ae\ufe0f Test","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/#website"},"datePublished":"2016-03-30T16:30:14+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/#\/schema\/person\/fa2be5405a605e37f4199c90e2236768"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/learn-the-second-conditional-through-popular-music\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/learn-the-second-conditional-through-popular-music\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/learn-the-second-conditional-through-popular-music\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Learn the Second Conditional Through Popular Music"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/#website","url":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/","name":"Magoosh Blog \u2013 TOEFL\u00ae\ufe0f Test","description":"Online TOEFL Preparation","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/#\/schema\/person\/fa2be5405a605e37f4199c90e2236768","name":"David Recine","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/de262e64bb4e3e488753d8c58ff3cc70","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b70c17ee6f3ef87dc4cc5dbdebda911d6dd30dfe15845e4b1d459a3e1b33ef98?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b70c17ee6f3ef87dc4cc5dbdebda911d6dd30dfe15845e4b1d459a3e1b33ef98?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"David Recine"},"description":"David is a Test Prep Expert for Magoosh TOEFL and IELTS. Additionally, he's helped students with TOEIC, PET, FCE, BULATS, Eiken, SAT, ACT, GRE, and GMAT. David has a BS and MA from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and an MA from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MagooshEnglishLearning","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/david-recine\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCra3KQoJlOP7RYwaCyH2qew"],"knowsAbout":["TOEFL","IELTS","TOEIC","PET","FCE","BULATS","Eiken","SAT","ACT","GRE","GMAT"],"knowsLanguage":["English","Italian"],"jobTitle":"Content Creator","worksFor":"Magoosh","url":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/author\/davidr\/"}]}},"authors":[{"term_id":13630,"user_id":80,"is_guest":0,"slug":"davidr","display_name":"David Recine","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b70c17ee6f3ef87dc4cc5dbdebda911d6dd30dfe15845e4b1d459a3e1b33ef98?s=96&d=mm&r=g","user_url":"","last_name":"Recine","first_name":"David","description":"David is a Test Prep Expert for Magoosh TOEFL and IELTS. Additionally, he's helped students with TOEIC, PET, FCE, BULATS, Eiken, SAT, ACT, GRE, and GMAT.\r\n\r\nDavid has a BS from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and an MA from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. His work at Magoosh has been cited in<a href=\"https:\/\/scholar.google.com\/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C50&q=Recine+magoosh&btnG=\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> many scholarly articles<\/a>,<a href=\"https:\/\/minds.wisconsin.edu\/handle\/1793\/65479\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> his Master's Thesis<\/a> is featured on the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.readingwithpictures.org\/2013\/09\/research-highlight-teaching-english-language-learners-with-comics\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Reading with Pictures<\/a> website, and he's presented at the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.witesol.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/2014-WITESOL-Program-FINAL-10-28-14.pdf\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> WITESOL (link to PDF)<\/a> and<a href=\"https:\/\/issuu.com\/interoff\/docs\/nafsaregionv_2014conference\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> NAFSA<\/a> conferences. David has taught K-12 ESL in South Korea as well as undergraduate English and MBA-level business English at American universities. He has also trained English teachers in America, Italy, and Peru.\r\n\r\nCome join David and the Magoosh team on<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCra3KQoJlOP7RYwaCyH2qew\"> Youtube<\/a>,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MagooshEnglishLearning\"> Facebook<\/a>, and<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/magooshenglish\/?hl=en\"> Instagram<\/a>, or connect with him via<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/david-recine\/\"> LinkedIn<\/a>!"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3010","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/80"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3010"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3010\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3010"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3010"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3010"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=3010"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}