This is Everyday Grammar. I'm Lucija and I'm Kaveh. I just found out something that will blow your mind. What is it? Did you know that you can make conditionals without the if clause? Well, it's true that you don't need the word if to make conditionals. But you do need a conditional clause along with the main clause or it won't make much sense. But you don't always need if.
That's what I said. Actually, that's what I said. So conditional sentences have two parts, the conditional clause and the main clause. Yes, you already said that, unless you forgot. Using unless is one way to make conditionals. It has a similar meaning to if not.
With unless, usually you use the present tense in the conditional clause. Unless you study, you won't understand grammar. Otherwise, can also be used with conditionals. And it means if this does not happen or if this were not the case. We need to hurry. Otherwise, we'll miss the train.
You might have noticed how otherwise was not used to show the condition. Instead, it's often used in the sentence that shows the result of the condition. And then we have as long as. When you start a conditional clause with as long as, it has a stronger meaning than if. Using as long as is common in informal situations and when speaking.