my @COLORS = qw( white red blue green yellow );
return exists $COLORS[$i] ? $COLORS[$i] : $COLORS[0];

##</code><code>##

return $i < 5    ? 'red'
     : $i < 20   ? 'blue'
     : $i%3 == 0 ? 'green'
     : $i%5 == 0 ? 'yellow'
     :             'white';

##</code><code>##

print "This is my very long string that I wish to print out to display my message on the screen but only when I want it too!" 
    if $i == 1;

# the very common 'or die' idiom with a big brutish open()
open ( 
    my $filehandlewithalongname,
    $modevariablewithalongname, 
    $pathvariablewithalongname
) or die "Unable to open file $pathvariablewithalongname: $!\n";

# 'or die' again with a smaller, kinder open:
open ( my $fh, $mode, $path )
  or die "Unable to open $path: $!\n";

# is equivalent to this 'die unless'
# which I have never seen used with open().
die "Unable to open $path: $!\n" 
    unless open ( my $fh, $mode, $path )

# however, 'die unless' is common with value checks.
die "Illegal value: $rotifer\n"
  unless $rotifer =~ /^is ok$/;

# as is 'die if'
die "Illegal value: $rotifer\n"
  if $rotifer =~ /^is not ok$/;