English Lessons and Exercises
Conditionals - Unless
How to use "Unless" and "If"
Unless
simply means
"if
... not". We use it for
negative conditions.
Unless is used to
say that a specific action or situation will happen
only
if another action happens before.
We use
a
positive verb after unless,
but the meaning
is negative:
I won't go unless
you go.
= I won't go if
you don't
go
He won't sleep unless
you tell him a story.
= He won't
sleep if
you don't
tell him a story.
They can’t pass the exam unless
they study.
= They can’t pass the exam if they don't
study.
Unless you
are a member, you can't go in.
=
If
you are not
a member, you can't
go in.
Unless he
has a passport, he can't go abroad. = If
he doesn't
have a passport, he can't
go abroad.
I won't go to the party unless
I am invited.
= I won't go to the party if
I am
not invited.
We'll go swimming unless
it's cold.
= We'll go swimming if
it's
not cold.
Type 1: (Unless + present)
- Unless you leave now, you will be late.
- You can't get a good job unless you've got experience.
Type 2: (Unless + past)
- Unless I were sick, I would be at work.
- I wouldn't go there unless I had enough money.
Type 3: (Unless + past perfect)
- She would have come with us if she hadn't been so ill.
- The thieves would have killed her unless she'd
given them the money.
Listen to the lesson audio: