If he hadn’t pressed the button, nothing would have happened

Title separator

Grammar - Third Conditional

third conditional

LESSON OVERVIEW

In this lesson about hypothetical situations in the past, students learn the Third Conditional in English and practise its structure through a variety of written and oral activities.

B1 / Intermediate75 minStandard LessonPremium Plan

WARM-UP & INTRODUCING THE THIRD CONDITIONAL

The lesson starts with three pictures showing buttons, pyramids and a remote control. Students look at them, say where they can find them and what they are used for. Then, they read three sentences including the Third Conditional structure and decide which of the things in the pictures they refer to. The next task is meant to help students understand the meaning of the Third Conditional by asking them further questions about the three sentences. Then, students focus on its form and complete the rules for creating Third Conditional sentences.

PRACTISING THE THIRD CONDITIONAL

Once the meaning and form have been explained, students get the opportunity to practise the Third Conditional. At first, they read three pairs of sentences including the new structure and have to choose the one in each pair that makes the most sense, explaining their choice. Then, they focus on six gapped sentences and complete them with the correct Third Conditional forms of the verbs given in brackets (affirmative and negative). 

VIDEO & DISCUSSION

The following task involves an animated video. Students watch it and complete the list of the events from the story with one word each. Then, they need to use the events and the Third Conditional form to create four sentences about the story. To personalise the use of the new form, in the next task students are encouraged to finish six sentences, so they’re true for them. Students then work in pairs, read their sentences to each other and ask follow-up questions about them. The lesson finishes with a discussion about the possible past consequences of some hypothetical situations (e.g. dinosaurs didn’t die out). Students talk about them using the Third Conditional and justify their opinions.

WORKSHEETS

Comments

Title separator

Leave a Reply

  1. Safi

    Great

    1. Ewa

      Thank you 🙂

  2. Lydia goold verschoyle

    A fun lesson! Thank you.

  3. Magdoula07

    Super fun lesson to teach 3rd conditional

    1. Ewa

      That’s great to hear! Thanks!

  4. Jina Kim

    Amazing lesson with fun!!

    1. Ewa

      I’m glad you enjoyed it 🙂

  5. Gehad. H.Mohamed

    a lovely lesson. thanks!

  6. mccaiano

    That’s great when you and your student have fun! Thank you! <3

    1. Ewa

      Yes! Fun is a must in the English classroom 🙂

  7. Татьяна Ларченко

    Great lesson! Thank you a lot!

    I just have one question: “The camel chewed on the remote”. Why do we use “chew on” instead of “chew”? “Chew on something” means “think about something” if I am right. Thank you for the answer.

    1. Ewa

      Thanks for your comment 🙂 You can use both ‘chew’ and ‘chew on’ when you want to say that someone is breaking food into smaller pieces with their theeth to swallow it (see some examples here). ‘Chew on’ also means to think about something but this meaning is not used in the lesson.

  8. jamesb439

    you guys need to stop adding videos to all the lessons. I think it is not appropriate for adults.

  9. EN_ACTION онлайн-школа

    Love this lesson! Used it a couple of times with individuals and groups. Worked perfectly well every time.

    1. Ewa

      Thank you! That is fantastic to hear 🙂

  10. Тетяна Канєвська

    Hi!
    Can’t understand what had happened with this lesson((
    Yesterday I could open the pdf file of the student’s version and today I can’t do that. Only teacher’s version or e-lesson…

    1. Stan

      OK, that’s the first we here about a case like that. Please try accessing the website in Incognito mode to see if the same happens there. If not and you can access that lesson in Incognito mode, I’d recommend clearing your cookies/cache as this should bring a permanent fix.

  11. Anastasiia Volkivska

    I really like the lesson, as well as my student! It’s perfect for revision

    1. Ewa

      That’s great to hear, thank you!

Browse other materials recommended for you

Title separator
using so and neither
B1 / Intermediate
Standard Lesson 60 min

Do you buy second-hand? So do I!

Grammar Lifestyle

Explore second-hand fashion with this lesson! Students watch a video about the second-hand clothing business, discuss their experiences and practise structures for agreeing with so, neither and auxiliary verbs.

have/get something done
B1 / Intermediate | B2 / Upper Intermediate
Standard Lesson 60 min

I will get it checked!

Grammar Lifestyle

Discuss everyday problems and ways to get them fixed! In this lesson, students practise the structure have/get something done. They watch a video about a repair café, describe photos and share their own experiences.

ESL lesson on the first conditional
B1 / Intermediate | B2 / Upper Intermediate
Standard Lesson 60 min

Driverless buses (First Conditional)

Grammar Technology

Students discuss driverless buses in this ESL lesson on the first conditional. They watch a video about autonomous buses, share opinions and practise different First Conditional structures. 

ESL lesson on reflexive pronouns
B1 / Intermediate
Standard Lesson 60 min

Do it yourself!

Grammar Lifestyle

Practise reflexive and reciprocal pronouns with this lesson! Students watch a video segment about a man eating alone in public, share their opinions and discuss solo activities and shared experiences.

used to and would
B1 / Intermediate | B2 / Upper Intermediate
Standard Lesson 60 min

Back in the day… (used to vs would)

General Grammar

Practise the use of used to and would with this lesson! Students talk about their childhood and past times, watch a video about people’s memories and discuss life changes by sharing personal stories.

passive voice practice
B1 / Intermediate | B2 / Upper Intermediate
Standard Lesson 60 min

Passive voice practice

Grammar

This lesson provides tons of passive voice practice! Students describe processes, talk about news reports and discuss facts about the world. They also explore customer support and work with rules and sign messages.

ESL lesson on Past Perfect
B1 / Intermediate
Standard Lesson 60 min

Pieces of the past (Past Perfect)

General Grammar

In this ESL lesson on Past Perfect, students talk about memories and time capsules! They also watch a video about a 63-year-old lost purse and learn and practise using Past Perfect with Past Simple.

practise passive forms
B1 / Intermediate | B2 / Upper Intermediate
Standard Lesson 60 min

Preventing identity theft (passive voice)

Grammar Technology

Practise passive forms with this lesson on identity theft! Students discuss online protection and share opinions about online safety. They also watch a video about identity theft and read texts on how technology impacts digital crime.

ESL lesson on passive structures
B1 / Intermediate
Standard Lesson 60 min

A new website will be created soon (passive voice)

Business Grammar Technology

Talk about websites while practising the passive voice! With this lesson, students watch a video about website creation, share their opinions and work with passive structures in different scenarios.

Show more lessons

Questions

Title separator

Is there a minimum subscription period if I choose a monthly subscription?

No, there's no minimum required number of subscription months. You can cancel any time you want. Basically, you can sign up and then cancel your subscription the next day, which will mean you have access for 1 month and won't be charged again.

What currencies can I pay in for my subscription?

Our default currency is USD (American dollar), but you can also pay in EUR (euro), GBP (British pound sterling) or PLN (Polish zloty). You can change the currency you want to pay in at the Pricing page before selecting a subscription plan.

How can I edit an e-lesson plan?

You can get your own editable copy of an e-lesson plan and make changes to it. To do so, either (1) make a copy of it on your Google Drive (preferable method) or (2) download it in a Powerpoint format (but formatting might be a bit off so we can’t guarantee that it will work well).
Read more FAQ
Title separator

ESL Brains

Forgot password?
or continue with
Title separator
Title separator
Close icon
Looking for the perfect gift? Give the gift of ESL Brains access!
Gift of ESL Brains access