Use of English – English Grammar Exercises for B2
You are a corporate lawyer reviewing a draft partnership agreement with your business partner. To ensure there are no legal loopholes, you must select the precise conditional conjunction or linker (A, B, C, or D) to complete each clause. Choose the word or phrase that makes the legal condition clear and binding.
1 “We agree to apply the 15% wholesale discount ______ the payment is transferred within exactly 14 business days.”
(A) provided that
(B) unless
(C) in case
(D) otherwise
2 “The supplier shall not be held liable for any delivery delays ______ such delays are directly caused by severe weather conditions.”
(A) assuming
(B) provided that
(C) unless
(D) otherwise
3 “The service contract will automatically be renewed for another fiscal year ______ written notice of termination is provided 30 days in advance.”
(A) if not
(B) unless
(C) otherwise
(D) provided
4 “______ a sudden breach of the confidentiality clause, the injured party reserves the right to seek immediate legal damages.”
(A) In case of
(B) In the event that
(C) Provided that
(D) On condition of
5 “The materials must be delivered to the warehouse by Friday; ______, the buyer reserves the right to cancel the entire order without penalty.”
(A) unless
(B) provided
(C) otherwise
(D) in case
6 “We are willing to proceed with the corporate merger ______ condition that all internal financial disclosures are 100% accurate.”
(A) in
(B) on
(C) with
(D) under
7 “______ any unexpected disputes arise during the project, they shall be resolved through binding arbitration rather than court litigation.”
(A) Should
(B) If
(C) Unless
(D) Provided
8 “The hardware warranty remains fully valid for two years, ______ as the equipment is not opened or modified by an unauthorized third party.”
(A) as long
(B) so far
(C) as far
(D) so long
9 “______ we receive the digitally signed documents by 5 PM today, the software development phase will commence on Monday.”
(A) Assuming that
(B) Unless
(C) In the event
(D) Otherwise
10 “The parent company will cover all international travel expenses ______ you keep and submit all the original tax receipts.”
(A) unless
(B) only if
(C) in case
(D) otherwise
11 “The client agrees to pay the $5,000 monthly retainer, ______ to the agency meeting the agreed-upon performance metrics.”
(A) depending
(B) subject
(C) conditional
(D) provided
12 “Please ensure you keep a physical copy of the finalized agreement ______ there is a disagreement over the terms later.”
(A) in case
(B) if
(C) unless
(D) otherwise
13 “______ the sudden bankruptcy of our main distributor last month, we would have launched the new product nationwide by now.”
(A) But for
(B) Except for
(C) Unless
(D) Providing
14 “______ the payment deadline is missed, a 5% cumulative late fee will be automatically applied to the next invoice.”
(A) In the event that
(B) In case of
(C) Unless
(D) Provided
15 “All intellectual property rights belong exclusively to the creator, ______ explicitly stated otherwise in Appendix B of this document.”
(A) if not
(B) unless
(C) provided
(D) except
16 “You may use our registered trademark in your marketing materials ______ you obtain prior written approval from our branding team.”
(A) on condition
(B) providing that
(C) otherwise
(D) in case
17 “______ the board of directors approves the revised budget this afternoon, we will absolutely not be able to hire the new contractors.”
(A) Provided
(B) Unless
(C) As long as
(D) Supposing
18 “We must finalize this Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) today. ______, we cannot share the technical blueprints with your engineering team.”
(A) Unless
(B) Otherwise
(C) Provided
(D) In case
19 “______ you fail to meet the delivery deadline, what compensation will you offer us?”
(A) Supposing
(B) Provided
(C) Unless
(D) Should
20 “The contract is legally binding ______ both parties sign it in the presence of a certified public notary.”
(A) unless
(B) otherwise
(C) on the condition that
(D) in case
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (A) provided that
Explanation: “Provided that” is a formal B2/C1 conditional linker meaning “if, and only if”. It sets a strict condition for the discount to be applied.
2 (B) provided that
Explanation: Read carefully: They are NOT liable if the delay is caused by severe weather (force majeure). Therefore, “provided that” (with the condition that) is correct. “Unless” would mean they are liable if there’s bad weather, which makes no sense.
3 (B) unless
Explanation: “Unless” means “if not”. The contract will renew if notice is not given.
4 (A) In case of
Explanation: “In case of” is followed by a noun phrase (“a sudden breach”). Option B (“In the event that”) is incorrect because “that” must be followed by a full clause (Subject + Verb), not a noun phrase.
5 (C) otherwise
Explanation: “Otherwise” is a conjunctive adverb meaning “if that does not happen”. It is placed after a semicolon (;) to show the negative consequence of failing the previous condition.
6 (B) on
Explanation: The fixed formal prepositional phrase is “on condition that” (với điều kiện là).
7 (A) Should
Explanation: This is an Inverted First Conditional. In formal business English, “If any disputes should arise” is inverted to “Should any disputes arise”. You cannot use “If” here without changing the verb structure or adding ‘should’.
8 (A) as long
Explanation: The correct conditional phrase is “as long as“. “So long as” is also correct but “so long” wasn’t paired with “as” in the options.
9 (A) Assuming that
Explanation: “Assuming that” means “accepting as true that”. It is a formal way to say “If we receive”.
10 (B) only if
Explanation: “Only if” emphasizes a strict, non-negotiable condition. The company will pay only on the condition that receipts are submitted.
11 (B) subject
Explanation: “Subject to” is a highly formal B2/C1 legal phrase meaning “dependent on” or “conditional upon”. (e.g., The agreement is subject to board approval).
12 (A) in case
Explanation: “In case” is used for precautions. It means “because there is a possibility of”. (Keep a copy because there might be a disagreement). Do not confuse it with “If”.
13 (A) But for
Explanation: “But for” is an advanced conditional phrase used in the 3rd Conditional meaning “If it hadn’t been for”.
14 (A) In the event that
Explanation: “In the event that” is the formal legal equivalent of “If”. Notice that it is followed by a full clause (“the payment deadline is missed”), which makes option B (“In case of”) incorrect.
15 (B) unless
Explanation: “Unless explicitly stated otherwise” is a classic legal boilerplate phrase. It means “if it is not stated differently”.
16 (B) providing that
Explanation: “Providing that” is interchangeable with “provided that”. Option A is missing “that”.
17 (B) Unless
Explanation: The logic of the sentence dictates “If the board does NOT approve”. Therefore, “Unless” (If not) is the only logical choice.
18 (B) Otherwise
Explanation: Once a requirement is stated in one sentence, we use “Otherwise” to start the next sentence to explain the consequence of failing that requirement.
19 (A) Supposing
Explanation: “Supposing (that)” is used to invite someone to imagine a hypothetical situation. (Imagine if you fail, what will you do?).
20 (C) on the condition that
Explanation: This is a strong, formal stipulation. The contract is binding only if it is signed in front of a notary.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
To write and review contracts (or pass the FCE Use of English section), you must differentiate between similar conditional linkers. They are not always interchangeable!
1 The “Strict Condition” Linkers (If, and only if):
Use these when a promise depends entirely on a specific requirement being met. They are stronger and more formal than “if”.
- Provided that / Providing that
- As long as / So long as
- On (the) condition that
- Example: “We will issue a refund provided that the receipt is shown.”
2 The “Precaution” Linker (In case):
Never confuse “In case” with “If”. “In case” means you are doing an action NOW to prepare for a possible future problem.
- Example: “Keep a copy in case there is a dispute.”
3 The “Alternative Consequence” Linker (Otherwise):
“Otherwise” means “if that condition is not met”. It usually comes after a semicolon (;) or starts a new sentence.
- Example: “You must sign today. Otherwise, the deal is off.”
4 The “Formal If” (In the event that / Should):
In legal English, we avoid “if” because it sounds casual.
- Use In the event that + Clause (In the event that a breach occurs).
- Use In case of / In the event of + Noun (In case of a breach).
- Use Should + Subject + Base Verb (Should a breach occur).