Unless, as long as, provided/providing

These conjunctions introduce conditional clauses — they tell us under what circumstances something will or will not happen. They are essential for making agreements, rules and business arrangements.

• Unless = if not (negative condition).
• As long as = on the condition that; emphasizes duration or requirement.
• Provided / Providing (that) = formal 'if' meaning 'on condition that'.

All three introduce a dependent clause (condition) and are commonly used in professional and contractual language.

Remember the basic meanings and where the condition goes:

• Use 'unless' to give the negative condition: 'Unless X, Y' = 'If X does not happen, Y will occur.'
• 'As long as' and 'provided (that)' introduce positive conditions: they state requirements that must be met.
• Clause order: the conditional clause can come before or after the main clause. If it comes first, use a comma: 'Provided that you sign the form, we will proceed.'

In formal writing, prefer 'provided (that)' or 'provided' over 'providing' for clarity.

Watch out for these universal errors when using conditional conjunctions:

• Using a double negative with 'unless' (e.g., 'Unless you don't...' is incorrect).
• Confusing 'unless' and 'if' for negative conditions (use 'unless' = 'if not').
• Mixing tenses between the condition and the result (keep logical sequence: present → future; past → past).
• Omitting commas when the conditional clause comes first (use a comma if the condition precedes the main clause).
• Using 'providing' informally in formal contracts — prefer 'provided (that)' in legal/business writing.

Check polarity (positive vs negative) and maintain parallel tense and punctuation for clarity.