Zero Conditional Exercises

Look at “General fact: if you ___ ice above its melting point, it melts. (heat)”. For a general rule, use present simple in the if-clause; it is not a future promise. Complete sentence: “General fact: if you heat ice above its melting point, it melts. (heat)”.

Look at “This machine always works like this: if you press START, the light ___ on. (come)”. The result of a general rule also uses present simple. With he/she/it or a singular noun, check -s. Complete sentence: “This machine always works like this: if you press START, the light comes on. (come)”.

Look at “Plants die if they ___ get water for too long. (negative do)”. For a negative general condition or result, use do not/does not + base verb; be uses is not/are not. Complete sentence: “Plants die if they do not get water for too long. (negative do)”.

Reference completion: “General rule: if water cools below zero Celsius under normal conditions, it freezes. (cool)”. For a general rule, use present simple in the if-clause; it is not a future promise.

Look at “The shop’s usual rule is: if an item is damaged, we ___ it. (replace)”. The result of a general rule also uses present simple. With he/she/it or a singular noun, check -s. Complete sentence: “The shop’s usual rule is: if an item is damaged, we replace it. (replace)”.

Look at “This alarm sounds if the door ___ closed. (negative be)”. For a negative general condition or result, use do not/does not + base verb; be uses is not/are not. Complete sentence: “This alarm sounds if the door is not closed. (negative be)”.

Reference completion: “General fact: if a person has no air, they cannot breathe. (have)”. For a general rule, use present simple in the if-clause; it is not a future promise.

Look at “General rule: if you ___ red and white paint, you get pink. (mix)”. For a general rule, use present simple in the if-clause; it is not a future promise. Complete sentence: “General rule: if you mix red and white paint, you get pink. (mix)”.

Look at “The printer’s usual behaviour: if the paper runs out, it ___. (stop)”. The result of a general rule also uses present simple. With he/she/it or a singular noun, check -s. Complete sentence: “The printer’s usual behaviour: if the paper runs out, it stops. (stop)”.

Reference completion: “The scanner rejects a card if it does not have a valid code. (negative do)”. For a negative general condition or result, use do not/does not + base verb; be uses is not/are not.

Look at “General fact: if a metal bar gets hotter, it usually ___. (expand)”. The result of a general rule also uses present simple. With he/she/it or a singular noun, check -s. Complete sentence: “General fact: if a metal bar gets hotter, it usually expands. (expand)”.

Reference completion: “This automatic gate stays shut if the sensor does not detect a car. (negative do)”. For a negative general condition or result, use do not/does not + base verb; be uses is not/are not.