The components of a conditional are the two propositions related by its outer structure. Functioning as its sides does not itself independently affirm their contents, though an extracted declarative component can be evaluated on its own.
Each component can be categorical, connected, or disjunctive. For connected conditionals, three same-type plus six ordered mixed patterns give nine. For disjunctions, three same-type plus three unordered mixed pairs give six.
The method depends on complete component types and the outer connector, not just counting occurrences of “if” and “or.” The next textual section begins the separate study of contradiction and conversion.