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 🙂

Browse other materials recommended for you

Title separator
stative and active verbs
B1 / Intermediate
Standard Lesson 60 min
Loading

The things we want and the things we need (stative verbs)

General Grammar

In this lesson, students dive into the world of self-expression, watch an ad for a trading website and practise stative and active verbs. They also talk about their preferences and use the target vocabulary to describe people’s personalities.

question tags lesson
B1 / Intermediate | B2 / Upper Intermediate
Standard Lesson 60 min
Loading

Do you enjoy quiz shows? (question tags)

General Grammar

Teach your students how to express uncertainty about facts. They will practise using question tags and apply general knowledge to answer quiz questions!

uses of gerund
B1 / Intermediate
Standard Lesson 60 min
Loading

Being unproductive (uses of gerund)

Grammar Lifestyle

Is productivity the best policy when it comes to days off? Encourage your students to tell you how they chill at weekends using gerunds.

suffixes ‘-ful’ and ‘-less’
B1 / Intermediate | B2 / Upper Intermediate
Standard Lesson 60 min
Loading

Ready to go paperless?

Business Grammar

In this lesson, students learn some vocabulary related to document management, talk about going paperless, watch a video, and work on word building learning suffixes ‘-ful’ and ‘-less’.

talking about hypothetical situations
B1 / Intermediate | B2 / Upper Intermediate
Standard Lesson 60 min
Loading

What if cars could fly? (hypothetical situations)

Grammar Technology

In this lesson students get a lot of practice with two videos and speaking tasks designed to help them master the use of Second Conditional.

non-defining relative clauses
B1 / Intermediate | B2 / Upper Intermediate
Flipped Lesson 60 min
Loading

Famous people (non-defining relative clauses)

Grammar

With this flipped lesson plan, students learn and practise using defining and non-defining relative clauses. They also watch two videos and talk about famous people. 

how to use articles
A2 / Pre‐Intermediate | B1 / Intermediate
Standard Lesson 60 min
Loading

Renting a flat (articles)

General Grammar

In this grammar lesson students learn how to use articles (‘a/an’, ‘the’, no article). They listen to recordings, discuss renting a flat, and do grammar exercises. Students also have a role play. 

reported statements lesson plan
B1 / Intermediate
Standard Lesson 60 min
Loading

You said it was OK (reported speech)

Grammar

In this reported statements lesson plan, intermediate students watch a video, talk about misunderstandings and learn and practise reported speech.

lesson about passive voice
B1 / Intermediate | B2 / Upper Intermediate
Standard Lesson 60 min
Loading

They did it for money (passive voice)

General Grammar

In this lesson about passive voice, students practise using passive voice. They also watch a video and discuss different types of crime. 

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