Conditionals and comparatives

Conditionals

Conditionals are clauses that express the specific requirements that must be met by a claim. Conditional clauses usually begin with if, when or unless. They are used to describe conditions that have happened in the past or might happen in the future. The use of conditionals can indicate if a claim is true or can cast doubt over a claim – and, therefore indicate your critical position.

Examples of conditionals. Note the placement of a comma - the comma is placed after the conditional clause if it is first in the sentence.

• If this formula is approved for trial, we could evaluate its efficacy.
• Even if such research is costly, it will have many benefits in medical science.

Note that there is no comma if the conditional clause is placed second. For example:

• We could evaluate its efficacy if the formula is approved for trial.
• It will have many benefits for medical science even if such research is costly.

Comparatives

Comparatives indicate how similar or different a phenomenon or concept is to another. You can make objective comparisons, and favourable or unfavourable comparisons.

Using comparatives not only indicates your critical position but also your evaluation of the phenomenon or concept under scrutiny.

Taking it further

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