if it will help you to sleep

[Boris Tatarenko]

Hello.

As far as I know we can say "if + will". Whould you mind taking a look at my sentence below and telling me whether you would say them or not?

1. If it will help you to sleep, open the window.
2. We can start our presentation if you will take your seats.
3.
Me: Honey, I'm tried.
My wifey: Sure, if you will go to bed so late, you will be!

To be honest, I'm used to avoiding using "if" and "will" together. That's why my sentences irritate my eyes! :-D I just want to be sure whether native speakers say so.

 

[Rover_KE]

Your sentences are all OK.

(You mean 'tired' — not 'tried'.)

 

[Boris Tatarenko]

Thank you for your correction. ;-)

Just out of curiousty, will it grate on your ears, if I avoid using "will and if" in the sentences above?

 

[Rover_KE]

That's curiosity.

If you remove 'will' and 'if', the sentences don't make sense. You need to rephrase them.

 

[Boris Tatarenko]

Oh, I misinterepted.

I mean if we leave out "will":

1. If it helps you to sleep, open the window.
2. We can start our presentation if you take your seats.
3.
Me: Honey, I'm tried.
My wifey: Sure, if you go to bed so late, you will be!

Will it grate on your ears?

 

[Eckaslike]

I know you have just reorganised your sentences to try to not use "will". However, if you want to know how to use them this might help. Forum members from other regions will probably have their own views on this. This is how I feel about them:

1. My natural instinct is to think it is not wrong, but just the wrong way round. I think it's because, "If it will help you to sleep, open the window.", although probably correct sounds rather old fashioned. I would naturally say, "Open the window if it will help you to sleep". I think it's sounds more direct.

2. The same for me is true of this sentence. I'm not a grammar expert but I think it's because in these sort of sentences we start by asking or telling someone to do something and then the consequences follow after that. So to me, it works better as, "If you will take your seats [i.e. what you want them to do] + we can start our presentation [the thing that will or can happen once they've done what you've asked]".

3. N.B. This sentence seems to be phrased slightly in AmE and so it could be prefectly fine in AmE. I still completely understand it very easily and feel it works a bit better than sentences 1) & 2).

In BrE it would work as something like:
Me: "I'm really tired."
My wife: "Well, if you will go to bed so late [i.e. what you have done] + you will be! [the consequences of doing so]". (So what you have wriiten here seems to work and is more natural to me).


Other examples:
If you jump up and down [action] + you will exhaust yourself [consequences of jumping up and down].
If we swim the channel in record time [action] + we will win the cup [consequences of that action].
(negative form) If they don't read books [inaction] + of course they won't learn anything [negative consequences of that inaction].
If I saw wood too fast [action] + I will cut my fingers [consequences]
If you would all sit down [action] + we will begin [consequences]


There may be other ways to use this form, but if this helps you get to grips with structure initially [action] + you will be able to build upon what you know [consequences].

Others may have a shorter, or better way to explain it, but as a speaker this is how I think about it.

Does that help your optical irritation to dissipate at all? :lol:

 

[Eckaslike]

Ignore me.....Rover_KE has commented that they are ok.

 

[Rover_KE]

Your comments are as valid as mine; I'm not a grammar expert either.