if only I wish

USING WISH TO EXPRESS REGRET I wish + Subject + Past simple (I did) / Past continuous ( I was doing) • This form is used when you would like the present situation to be different.

I wish you were here now. (I regret the fact that the other person is NOT here) I wish I could speak Portuguese. (but you can’t and you regret that)

I wish it didn’t rain every day. • You can also use Past continuous if your regret refers to an action in progress:

I wish it weren’t raining: I could go for a walk. (you can’t go because it’s raining now)

I wish + Subject + Past perfect (I had done) • This pattern expresses deep regret about something that happened in the past; you would like to change the way things actually went, but you can’t: I wish my sister hadn’t told me that awful story. (but she did, and now I regret that)

I wish + Subject + would + Base form (I would do) • You use this pattern when you want to express irritation about somebody’s behaviour and you would like it to change from now on. I wish Fabrizio wouldn’t smoke so many cigarettes. (he does smoke in fact)

OTHER MEANINGS OF WISH • In formal situations you use wish with the meaning of ‘want’; ‘wish’ takes the same structure as

‘want’ when it is followed by a verb or a clause. Study the examples: I wish to inform you that your application is currently under review. (= I want to inform you)

I wish the manager to know what has just happened in his shop. (= I want the manager to know...) • Wish is also used to ‘offer good wishes’ on special occasions. In this case it is followed by a noun:

When there is a verb, you must use ‘hope’. We wish you a Merry Christmas! (but: I hope you have a Merry Christmas)

If only + Past simple (I did) / Past perfect (I had done) • If only expresses strong wish, when you would like a situation to be different: it is followed by either Past simple or Past perfect and, more rarely, would + Base form. If only I had more time, I’d see my brother. (I wish I had more time NOW, I regret not having any) If only I hadn’t lost my passport, I could be leaving now. (I wish I hadn’t lost my passport, but I did)

If only you would stop telling lies, I’d trust what you say. (= but you DO tell lies so I don’t trust you) • If only can also be used to begin exclamations:

If only I knew where I put the glasses! (I strongly wish I could find them)

Match the sentences (1-6) to the ones on the right (a-f), which express the same feelings about the situation. 1 I wish she wouldn’t talk so much. a Too bad we lost the game! 2 I wish I’d won the match. b I’m fed up with this rain. 3 I wish I weren’t here. c I’m not satisfied with the product. 4 I wish it were sunny. d I’d love to stay longer. 5 I wish to make a complaint. e I’d like her to stop talking. 6 I wish I wasn’t leaving. f I wish I hadn’t come.

58 2 Read the situations and complete the sentences with the missing parts using wish. 0 Tom left his smartphone at home and now he needs to call his wife. He wishes he hadn’t left it at home. 1 It’s raining but Anna doesn’t have an umbrella. She ______________________________________ umbrella. 2 Emma and her sister would like to go to a party but they have a lot of homework to do.

They ______________________________________ the party.

3

4 5

6

My brother keeps borrowing my pullovers without asking. I ______________________________________ before borrowing my pullovers. Elizabeth is scared because her husband is driving too fast. She ______________________________________. You’ve booked a table at the restaurant but you have a temperature. You ____________________________ __________ a table at the restaurant. You’re taking an important exam and you know very few answers. You ______________________________ ________ more answers.

Read the following letter of dismissal and complete the sentences that express Greg’s regrets. Look at the example.

Dear Mr Mason, As you know, effective teamwork is essential for success in the software industry. Although we have no doubts concerning your skills as a programmer, we have received countless complaints about your inability to work as part of a team. In addition to that you fail to meet deadlines, not to mention the fact that you are constantly late for work, although we have asked you to be more punctual several times. Though we had several discussions with you and your teammates in the past few months, we have seen no improvement in your attitude or actions. As a consequence, we have decided to release you from our employment. You are quite talented and may find some other job that is more suitable for you. We wish you all the best. Yours sincerely, Ralph Johnson Human Resources Manager

0 1 2 3 4 5 6

I / be late / often I / try / collaborate with / teammates I / complete / my tasks / in time I / change / my attitude after the warnings I / not argue / with my teammates / often I / take / so many days off I / can speak with the HR manager / now

If only I hadn’t been late so often! ____________________________________________________. ____________________________________________________. ____________________________________________________. ____________________________________________________. ____________________________________________________. ____________________________________________________.

First Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first using the word in brackets. You must use between 2 and 5 words. 1 He regrets not having a university degree. (graduated) He ______________ from university. 2 Is she ever going to stop talking? (would) If ______________ talking! 3 It’s a pity I don’t speak a word of Greek. (wish) I ______________ Greek. 4 My boss is always asking me to work overtime. (ask) I wish ______________ me to work overtime. 5 You can’t understand if I don’t explain this. (only) If ______________ this, you would understand. 6 They can’t afford to buy a house. (enough) They wish ______________ buy a house. 7 I regret coming to this boring party. (only) If ______________ to this boring party! 8 Will you ever get to school on time? (would) I ______________ not be late for school all the time.

25 First You will hear 5 people talking about their regrets. Choose from the list (A-H) what each speaker says. There are 3 extra letters you do not need to use.

A B

C D E

I wish I had asked her phone number. I wish I hadn’t spent all the time working back then. If only I had kept playing the violin. If only I could see her once again. I wish I had given up that unusual career earlier. Speaker 1 Speaker 2 Speaker 3

F

G H

If only I had chosen to pursue my aspirations as an artist. I wish I could spend more time on my hobby. I wish I could go back to being a stay-athome mom.