Understanding “if,” “only if,” and “unless”

Rules often describe conditions: what has to happen, what is enough to produce a result, or when an exception applies. A small change in wording can change the meaning. Misreading “if” as “only if” can lead us to approve something that fails a requirement or reject something that meets it.

Conditions appear in instructions, plans, eligibility rules, and ordinary explanations. This lesson explains their direction in words before introducing the terms used to discuss them. The purpose is to read a rule accurately and avoid adding promises it never made.