Don’t Put Your Bag on the Floor! — First Conditional (A2)

A2 · FIRST CONDITIONAL

Don’t Put Your Bag on the Floor!

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“If you understand a culture’s superstitions, you’ll understand its people.”

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First conditional: if + present, will / won’t

Reading

Speaking

STAGE 1 · WARM-UP

Are you superstitious?

Hands up if you have EVER…

• worried about a broken mirror

• avoided walking under a ladder

• crossed your fingers before results

• touched wood after saying something optimistic

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Count the hands. Is your class a class of scientists… or not?

STAGE 2 · BEFORE YOU READ

Luck around the world

You’re going to read about superstitions from around the world — beliefs about luck.

PREDICT

One superstition is about money and bags, one about numbers, one about cake. Can you guess any of them?

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Read and check. Which superstition is the title about?

STAGE 3 · READING

Read — which is the title about?

If you do this, you’ll be sorry: luck around the world

Money & bags. In Brazil, if you put your bag on the floor, you’ll lose money — so bags go on chairs, tables, knees, anywhere but the floor.

Numbers. In many East Asian buildings there’s no fourth floor, because “four” sounds like “death” — the lift jumps from three to five. In Italy the unlucky number is seventeen; in the West, thirteen.

Birthday cake. If you blow out all the candles in one breath, your wish will come true — but if you tell somebody your wish, it won’t!

New Year. In Spain, if you eat twelve grapes at midnight, you’ll have good luck for the year. If you laugh, you’ll never finish in time!

Advice. If your friend moves your bag off the floor, just say thank you. If you understand a culture’s superstitions, you’ll understand its people.

STAGE 4 · COMPREHENSION

Complete the rules of luck

Complete each superstition — from memory first, then check.

1. If you put your bag on the floor, ______.

2. If a hotel doesn’t have a fourth floor, guests ______.

3. If you blow out all the candles in one breath, ______.

4. But if you tell somebody your wish, ______.

5. If you eat twelve grapes at midnight, ______.

Then: which numbers are unlucky where? Why is the grape tradition “harder than it sounds”? What are superstitions really about?

STAGE 5 · TALK ABOUT IT

What do you think?

Discuss with a partner.

Which superstition do you like best? Which ones exist in your culture — and do you follow any, “just in case”?

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The article says: be kind about other people’s superstitions. Do you agree, or should we correct them?

STAGE 6 · GRAMMAR — NOTICE

The first conditional

If you put your bag on the floor, you’ll lose money.

1. Which tense is after “if”? 2. Which form is in the other half? 3. Past, or a possible future?

Find and copy from the article:

• a first conditional with won’t: ______

• a first conditional where the if-half comes SECOND: ______

• a first conditional with an imperative instead of will (last paragraph): ______

Punctuation: when does the sentence need a comma — when “if” comes first, or second?

STAGE 7 · THE RULES

First conditional

if + present , will / won’t + infinitive

If you eat twelve grapes, you’ll have good luck. · If you tell your wish, it won’t come true.

REMEMBER

• Use it for a possible future situation and its result.

• The if-half uses the present, even though the meaning is future (not if you will put).

• The if-clause can come first or second; use a comma when “if” comes first.

• Instead of will, use an imperative or can: If your friend moves your bag, just say thank you.

STAGE 8 · PRACTICE

Match the halves

Match, then write the full sentences with correct punctuation.

START

FINISH

1. If it rains on Saturday

2. You’ll miss the bus

3. If she doesn’t study

4. If you need a dictionary

5. If anybody feels ill on the trip

• if you don’t hurry

• you can borrow mine

• we’ll move the barbecue inside

• tell the teacher immediately

• she won’t pass the exam

STAGE 8 · PRACTICE

Put the verbs in the correct form

1. If you (touch) that plate, you (burn) your fingers — it’s hot!

2. She (be) angry if we (arrive) late again.

3. If I (find) your keys, I (call) you immediately.

4. If he (not / sleep) now, he (be) exhausted tomorrow.

5. What (you / do) if the shop (be) closed?

6. If you (laugh), you (never finish) the grapes in time!

STAGE 9 · SPEAKING

The chain of consequences

STEP 1 — THE CHAIN GAME (whole class)

“If I get up late tomorrow…” → “…I’ll miss the bus. If I miss the bus, I’ll be late for work. If I’m late for work, my boss will…” Keep the chain alive around the class!

STEPS 2–3 — NEW SUPERSTITIONS

In pairs, invent three brand-new superstitions for life today, first-conditional style:

“If you drop your phone on a Friday, you’ll get good news.” “If your battery dies at exactly 13%, don’t answer the next call…”

Read them to the class. Everybody votes for the one they’ll pretend to believe — it becomes a class rule for a week!

TEACHER'S REFERENCE

Answer key

2 The title is about the money-and-bags superstition (Brazil).

4a 1 …you’ll lose money 2 …will feel more comfortable 3 …your wish will come true 4 …it won’t come true 5 …you’ll have good luck for twelve months

4b Four (East Asia), seventeen (Italy), thirteen (West). If you laugh, you’ll never finish in time. They’re about culture, not luck.

6 1 present 2 will (’ll) + infinitive 3 a possible future. Comma when “if” comes first.

8a 1→c If it rains on Saturday, we’ll move the barbecue inside. 2→a You’ll miss the bus if you don’t hurry. 3→e If she doesn’t study, she won’t pass the exam. 4→b If you need a dictionary, you can borrow mine. 5→d If anybody feels ill on the trip, tell the teacher immediately.

8b 1 touch / ’ll burn 2 ’ll be / arrive 3 find / ’ll call 4 doesn’t sleep / ’ll be 5 will you do / is 6 laugh / ’ll never finish