IF clause + imperative – English Grammar Profiler

Here are two English Grammar Profile points at A2 that overlap formally.

Point 9 in the category of CLAUSES/conditional is defined:

‘if’ + present simple, with an imperative in the main clause.

Point 22 in the category of CLAUSES/conditional is defined as:

HEDGING: ‘if-‘ clause (‘if you want’, ‘like’, ‘prefer’) to soften the directness of imperatives, offers or suggestions.

*This partly overlaps ‘a limited range of conjunctions’. 

A search in iWeb for:

If _P want|like|prefer , _V

1 IF YOU LIKE , ADD 142

2 IF YOU LIKE , IS 142

3 IF YOU PREFER , USE 105
4 IF YOU WANT , ADD 104 5 IF YOU WANT , GO 75

6 IF YOU PREFER , CALL 71

7 IF YOU WANT , USE 71

8 IF YOU WANT , TRY 55

9 IF YOU WANT , MAKE 50 10 IF YOU WANT , TAKE 49 11 IF YOU LIKE , USE 47 12 IF YOU WANT , FEEL 46 13 IF YOU LIKE , TAKE 44

14 IF YOU WANT , CHECK 44

15 IF YOU WANT , SEND 41 16 IF YOU WANT , SAY 41 17 IF YOU PREFER , IS 37 18 IF YOU WANT , HAVE 37 19 IF YOU WANT , GET 36

20 IF YOU LIKE , TRY 36

21 IF YOU LIKE , MAKE 36 22 IF YOU WANT , DO 36 23 IF YOU PREFER , SEND 29

24 IF YOU WANT , CLICK 29

25 IF YOU PREFER , TAKE 26 26 IF YOU WANT , GIVE 25

27 IF YOU WANT , LET 25

28 IF YOU PREFER , MAKE 25

29 IF YOU PREFER , ADD 25

30 IF YOU PREFER , CAN 23 31 IF YOU LIKE , HAVE 23 32 IF YOU LIKE , ARE 23 33 IF YOU LIKE , GO 22

34 IF YOU LIKE , BRING 21

35 IF YOU LIKE , HAS 21 36 IF YOU LIKE , WAS 20

37 IF YOU PREFER , TRY 20

38 IF YOU LIKE , SEND 20 39 IF YOU LIKE , FEEL 20 40 IF YOU LIKE , DO 19 41 IF YOU LIKE , GIVE 19 42 IF YOU LIKE , CHECK 19 43 IF YOU WANT , CHOOSE 18 44 IF YOU WANT , IS 17 45 IF YOU LIKE , SPRINKLE 17

46 IF YOU WANT , ENTER 17

47 IF YOU WANT , CREATE 16 48 IF YOU LIKE , USING 16 49 IF YOU LIKE , CHANGE 16

50 IF YOU WANT , TELL 15

A2 vocabulary:

add, bring, call, check, click, enter, let, try

(the following are not all going to match our grammar)

. _V if _P want|like|prefer

1 . DECIDE IF YOU WANT 204 2 . SEE IF YOU LIKE 87 3 . SELECT IF YOU WANT 66 4 . CHOOSE IF YOU WANT 59 5 . LIKE IF YOU WANT 55 6 . REMEMBER IF YOU WANT 39 7 . DETERMINE IF YOU WANT 29 8 . DEPENDS IF YOU WANT 25 9 . LAUGH IF YOU WANT 22

10 . LIKE IF I WANT 21