IF-clauses in english and how to teach them

Abstract EN

This paper aims to study the Conditional Constructions(if- clauses) in English.

It includes different definitions, classifications as well as syntactic and semantic analyses and taxonomies in addition to their functions depending on their position in the English sentence.

It also aims to shed light on the difficulties Iraqi students encounter when dealing with If- clauses due to the numerous forms they appear in as well as the variability of their meanings and functions.

It is hypothesized that the complex structures of If-clauses as well as the variety of their meanings pose serious problems for Iraqi students.