When do we Use ‘Unless’ and ‘If not’? - FREE Printables

When do we Use ‘Unless’ and ‘If not’? – FREE Printables

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The conjunction unless means if not, for example:

I will talk to you on Monday     unless     my meeting runs late.

I will talk to you on Monday     if     my meeting doesn’t run late.

1. The unless clause becomes the ‘if’ clause; the tense remains the same

2. If positive, the main verb becomes negative; if negative, it becomes positive

3. The result clause remains the same; note: ‘if’ can be replaced by ‘as long as’

Unless can be in first or mid position in a sentence, and the clauses can be reversed. It often represents the idea:

UNLESS STH POSITIVE HAPPENS (+)   >   STH NEGATIVE WILL HAPPEN (-)

We can use unless to:

A. threaten / warn      Unless you lose weight, you risk developing diabetes.

B. justify      I can’t work any harder, unless I work 24 hours a day!

C. advise      Unless you enjoy being penniless, you should get a job.

D. change your mind      I’ll wear the blue jumper, unless this looks better?

E. add a last-minute thought      Clint and Danni aren’t coming – unless they find a babysitter.

Practice using UNLESS and IF NOT with our two free printable worksheets:


When do we Use ‘Unless’ and ‘If not’? 1

Direct download: https://purlandtraining.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/when-do-we-use-unless-1.pdf


When do we Use ‘Unless’ and ‘If not’? 2

Direct download: https://purlandtraining.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/when-do-we-use-unless-2.pdf


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