Grammar help for job application

sunnysingh

sunnysingh

sunnysingh

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Hi all

I have applied for a job and it involves taking a grammar test. The employer has sent me some sample questions which involves zero conditionals and first conditionals. I am struggling with 6 question and need some help.

Q1. Put the following sentence in the zero conditional using the verbs: "leave" and "not have"

Unless Jack leave home before 7am, he not have time to cycle to work.

Q2. put the following sentence in the zero conditional using the verbs: "be" and "go"

If be sunny, Ollie always go to the beach.

q3. put the following sentence in the first conditional using the verbs: "finish" and "go"

If Alicja finsh work early, she go to the gym on her way home.

q4. Put the following sentence in the first conditional using the verbs: "not go" and "not feel"

Jack not go to work tomorrow if he not feel well.

q5. Put the following sentence in the first conditional using the verbs: "go" and "go"

If Ollie go on holiday this year, he go to Morocco.

q6. Put the following sentence in the first conditional using the verbs: "get" and "choose"

If Alicja get another dog, she choose a labrador.


Any help would be grateful
 
See, the trouble is no one was taught grammar in this country for like 20 years. Hence I can write excellent English, mainly on account of reading a lot, and I could easily make those sentences work, but I haven’t the slightest clue what a zero or first conditional is. I doubt your prospective boss knows either.

You need to change the verbs so the sentences make sense, is literally all I can say. So the first one is “Unless Jack leaves home before 7am, he will not have time to cycle to work,” and the second is “If it is sunny, Ollie always goes to the beach.”

I know how to do it, I just don’t have the slightest idea what I’m doing or how to explain it.
 
sunnysingh said:
Q1. Put the following sentence in the zero conditional using the verbs: "leave" and "not have"

Unless Jack leaves home before 7am, he will not have time to cycle to work.

Q2. put the following sentence in the zero conditional using the verbs: "be" and "go"

If be it is sunny, Ollie always goes to the beach.

q3. put the following sentence in the first conditional using the verbs: "finish" and "go"

If Alicja finishes work early, she goes to the gym on her way home.

q4. Put the following sentence in the first conditional using the verbs: "not go" and "not feel"

Jack will not go to work tomorrow if he does not feel well.

q5. Put the following sentence in the first conditional using the verbs: "go" and "go"

If Ollie goes on holiday this year, he will go to Morocco.

q6. Put the following sentence in the first conditional using the verbs: "get" and "choose"

If Alicja gets another dog, she will choose a labrador.


Any help would be grateful
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Without knowing much about conditionals whether zero or first this is how I'd answer them. Although as Vonhelmet says this probably isn't that useful in terms of explaining how it works, it's just me making the sentences work in English.

//edit so first conditionals are describing a specific situation apparently while zero conditionals are about what happens in general.
 
Tomsk said:
If you can't do the test own your own, how will you manage should you get the job?
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Maybe he can do it, but is thrown by the question, given the unfamiliar terminology? My 11 year old would destroy me in a grammar test that involved any knowledge of what all these systems we use are actually called because, you know, she’s actually been taught them properly.

Besides, unless he’s going for a job as a copy editor I can’t imagine how technical grammar like this will actually be an issue.
 
and here is the stupidity of teaching formal grammar, the question should simply be write these again so they make sense job done I have no idea on the first what ever but I've managed so far fine without it!
 
Zero conditional is used to state facts. You use if + present simple. For example, If you heat water, it boils.
First conditional is used for something that you're likely to do/will probably happen, and for something you've just decided now. You use if + will. For example, If it rains tonight, I'll stay inside.

Out of interest, what job are you applying for that stipulates knowledge of the zero and first conditionals? :confused:

Anyway, you can read up on conditionals everywhere, but EF gives some clear explanations.
https://www.ef.com/english-resources/english-grammar/conditional/
 
mjt said:
Zero conditional is used to state facts. You use if + present simple. For example, If you heat water, it boils.
First conditional is used for something that you're likely to do/will probably happen, and for something you've just decided now. You use if + will. For example, If it rains tonight, I'll stay inside.
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So for Q1 it should be "Unless Jack leaves home before 7am, he does not have time to cycle to work" rather than "he will not have"? It makes sense either way but "does" would make it factual and therefore a zero conditional statement if I'm understanding this?

a1ex2001 said:
and here is the stupidity of teaching formal grammar, the question should simply be write these again so they make sense job done I have no idea on the first what ever but I've managed so far fine without it!
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Formal grammar matters for many other languages, it seems that English is the odd one out with so many curiosities that don't follow rules and a lack of teaching so that many people (including me) struggle with articulating grammar rules. It's also perhaps a reason why native English speakers often struggle with learning other languages, we're not used to the formal structures around language and we hardly respect our own language a lot of the time so how will we manage to learn another?
 
semi-pro waster said:
Formal grammar matters for many other languages, it seems that English is the odd one out with so many curiosities that don't follow rules and a lack of teaching so that many people (including me) struggle with articulating grammar rules. It's also perhaps a reason why native English speakers often struggle with learning other languages, we're not used to the formal structures around language and we hardly respect our own language a lot of the time so how will we manage to learn another?
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It doesn't help when loads of the rules were made up by people just trying to make money out of teaching the working class to be posh! The language is so flexible and the exceptions to the rules so frequent that most of it is pointless drivel, the current grammar curriculum is probably the worse hangover from Gove's time as education secretary I know very few people who would pass the year 6 grammar test despite having very good university degrees and successful careers, I certainly wouldn't!
 
a1ex2001 said:
It doesn't help when loads of the rules were made up by people just trying to make money out of teaching the working class to be posh! The language is so flexible and the exceptions to the rules so frequent that most of it is pointless drivel, the current grammar curriculum is probably the worse hangover from Gove's time as education secretary I know very few people who would pass the year 6 grammar test despite having very good university degrees and successful careers, I certainly wouldn't!
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Surely that would mean that Gove’s curriculum is good, but our teaching twenty or so years ago was woeful? You can’t blame Gove for teaching people things that we weren’t taught back in the day. That makes no sense.
 
semi-pro waster said:
So for Q1 it should be "Unless Jack leaves home before 7am, he does not have time to cycle to work" rather than "he will not have"? It makes sense either way but "does" would make it factual and therefore a zero conditional statement if I'm understanding this?
Click to expand...
Correct.

The zero conditional makes it a fact, rather than a probable occurrence.
 
semi-pro waster said:
Thank you for confirming, interesting to know albeit probably something that I won't need to use again unless I start learning another language. :)
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:D

The problem is that we don't learn the rules when we learn English as English-speakers (in the UK). The focus is on writing and literature, but how can we be expected to speak and write properly if we don't understand the rules?
I teach in an IB school, the subject is called Language & Literature, not just Literature as it was when I was in KS3/GCSE/A level. Is it still called English Literature in the UK?

FWIW in the IB Diploma Programme, there is a choice between pure Literature and Language & Literature, but in primary and middle school, it's very much a balance.
 
mjt said:
I teach in an IB school, the subject is called Language & Literature, not just Literature as it was when I was in KS3/GCSE/A level. Is it still called English Literature in the UK?
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There are (or at least were) two English GCSEs: Language and literature. I assumed everyone took both?
 
dowie said:
There are (or at least were) two English GCSEs: Language and literature. I assumed everyone took both?
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Duh, I took the Double Award English GCSE as well :o

To be fair though, I don't recall much in the way of advanced grammar explanations.
 
dowie said:
There are (or at least were) two English GCSEs: Language and literature. I assumed everyone took both?
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I did, obtained a grade 6 pass in each, but 50 years later I have plenty of experience through reading and writing english but ask me about zero conditionals and I would not immediately understand the question.
 
It is funny.... whilst i am no expert I have a B and A in English language and literature -GCSE - (before we had A*s and such like)

But I find the questions make the answers more difficult than they should be. If it said rewrite these sentences to be grammatically correct it would be fine.

My lad is 6 and he brings English homework home and I am ashamed to admit some of the terms he used I was lost on. (I know now but only because he taught me)
 
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