Alternatives to if

• In Upper-Intermediate English, we often replace standard 'if' clauses with more sophisticated linking words and prepositional phrases to make our speech and writing more varied and formal.
• Structure
• Meaning
• Example
• supposing / assuming (that)
• Imagine if / On the condition that
• Supposing your car insurance expired, what would you do?
• otherwise / or else
• If not / In other circumstances
• Read the small print carefully; otherwise, you might miss an exclusion.
• but for / if it weren't / hadn't been for
• Without / Except for
• If it hadn't been for the claim adjuster, we would have lost everything.
• Remember
• Use 'supposing' and 'assuming (that)' at the beginning of speculative questions or conditional statements.
• Use 'otherwise' and 'or else' to show the negative consequence of not doing the first action.
• Use 'but for' and 'if it weren't / hadn't been for' to introduce a person or thing that prevented a disaster.
• Examples
• Assuming that you are covered, the insurer will pay for the burst pipe.
• Or else you will have to pay the excess out of your own pocket.
• Common mistakes
• If it weren't for the storm, we didn't flood.
• If it weren't for the storm, we wouldn't have flooded.

Complete the sentences

• Read your policy details now; (otherwise) ____ you might be underinsuring your home in Boston.
• (assuming) ____ that your car insurance covers accidental damage, you can make a claim.
• If (hadn't been for) ____ the helpful claim adjuster in Chicago, our claim would have been rejected.
• (Supposing) ____ you lose your job in Seattle, how will you pay your life insurance premium?
• Check the exclusion list; (or else) ____ you will regret it.
• But (for) ____ the quick response of the London fire department, the house would have burned down.

Sources: photo by Vitaly Gariev on Pexels