# If (preposition)

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For the subordinator, see [If (subordinator)](/source/If_(subordinator)).

***If*** is an [English preposition](/source/English_prepositions), as seen in ***If** it's sunny tomorrow,*(*then*)*we'll have a picnic*.

As a preposition, *if* normally takes a clausal complement (e.g., *it's sunny tomorrow* in *if it's sunny tomorrow*). That clause is, within the conditional construction, the condition (or protasis) on which the main clause (or apodosis) is contingent.[1]: 599–600, 738 In such cases, *if* can be paraphrased as "in case" or "contingent on the case that".

*If it's sunny tomorrow* is a [preposition phrase](/source/Preposition_phrase), and within a conditional construction it functions as an [adjunct](/source/Adjunct_(grammar)).

Where *if* takes a [noun phrase](/source/Noun_phrase) (NP) or [adjective phrase](/source/Adjective_phrase) (AdjP) complement, the construction is concessive rather than conditional: *The ascent was exhilarating, if*NP[*a challenge*]/AdjP[*challenging*]).[1]: 737–738

Traditional grammar books commonly treat *if*, often understood as a single word encompassing both this preposition and [the homonymous subordinator](/source/If_(subordinator)), as a "[subordinating conjunction](/source/Conjunction_(grammar))", a category covering a broad range of clause-connecting words.[1]: 599–600, 738, 1011–1014

## See also

- [Material conditional §Discrepancies with natural language](/source/Material_conditional#Discrepancies_with_natural_language)

## References

1. Huddleston, Rodney & Pullum, Geoffrey K. (2002). *The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language*. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-43146-0.

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