I wish, If only.
Wishes about the present
We
use wish with past Tense forms (simple and continuous) to express regret about
present situations:
-
I wish I was taller = (I’m not very tall)
-
I wish I was going with you = (but I'm not)
I
wish you were more help. = (you are not) I wish I were can replace I wish I
was.
To
many people, I wish I were sounds more correct:
I
wish I were taller.
We
use wish with could to express a wish for a present situation to be different:
I wish I could use a computer well. (But I
can’t)
X
I wish I would tell her about it.
I
wish I could tell her about it.
Past
Simple è presentè I wish I knew the
answer. (= I don’t know)
Past
Simple èpresent è I wish I was /were
better at sports. (= I'm not)
Past
Continuousè present è I wish I was /were going
with you. (= I'm not)
Could
è present è I wish I could give you
an answer. (= I can't)
Would
è future è I wish you would be
quiet. (= Your talking irritates me.)- Always different subjects-
Past
Perfect è past è I wish I had known you
then. (= but I didn't)
Could
have è pastè I wish I could have
explained. (= I wasn't able to)
Wishes about the future
We use wish with would to
say how we would like somebody to behave in the future:
/I wish you would stop
talking.
/I wish they would stop
arguing.
• We can also use this
pattern in situations that do not involve people:
I wish this car would go
faster.
Wishes about the past
We use wish with the Past Perfect
when we have regrets about the past:
I wish I hadn't taken your
advice. (= but I did)
I wish she could have come.
(= but she didn't).
If only
If only can be more emphatic
than I wish. The verb forms after if only are the same as the patterns with
wish:
If only I had more money! (=
but I haven't)
If only I was going on
holiday with you!
If only you were here. (=
but you’re not)
If only the sun would come
out!
If only you could be here!
(= but you're not)
If only I'd listened to you!
(=but I didn't )
If only he could have
explained! (=but he wasn't able to)
A. Complete these sentences with the correct form of
the verb in brackets. Some sentences require a negation and use the
contractions in the negative form.
1. Bruce wishes he ___________(have)
more money so he could buy a new sweater.
2. I wish I ___________( (be) taller so that I could be in the basketball team.
3. I wish you ___________( (stop) watching television while I am talking to you.
4. I wish you ___________( (do) that. It annoys me.
5. I wish the holidays ___________( (come) so we could go off to the seaside.
6. Of course Tom wishes he ___________( (come) with us to Paris, but he has to stay here.
7. I wish we ___________( (go) to the match on Saturday but we're visiting my uncle.
8. I wish you ___________( (keep) your mouth shut yesterday. Now Mary knows.
9. If only I ___________( (lose) all my money. Now I'm broke.
10. Peter is always late. If only he ___________( (turn up) on time for a change!
B. Complete
the sentences in such a way that it means the same as the sentence before it.
Example: I haven’t a job at the moment ---- If only/I wish
I had a job
I’m not going to the party --------- If only/I
wish I were going to the party
I married Myrtle instead of Francis -------- If only/I wish I had married Francis
You won’t ever wait for me -----------If
only/I wish you would wait for me
We’ve run
out of petrol -------- If only/I wish ...............................................................
I’m taking a
test tomorrow -------- If only/I
wish
..........................................................
This holiday
has been a disaster -------- If only/I
wish
...................................................
It’s snowing
outside -------- If only/I
wish
....................................................................
People at
work always shout at me ----- If only/I
wish
...................................................
I acted very
rudely in front of the headmaster -------- If only/I
wish
................................
I don’t know
how to ride a bicycle -------- If only/I
wish
.................................................
She never
listens to me ---------- If only/I
wish............................................................
I can’t
speak Russian -------- If only/I
wish...................................................................
I’m not
tall, dark and handsome -------- If only/I
wish
...................................................
I was caught
robbing a bank -------- If only/I
wish
.........................................................
I crashed
the car when I was drunk -------- If only/I
wish
................................................
She’s making
beans again -------- If only/I wish
.............................................................
Stop
behaving like that!-------------- If only/I
wish
.........................................................
I failed my
exam because I didn’t study -------- If only/I
wish
............................................
I don’t want
to go to school, but I have to -------- If only/I
wish
........................................
My
girlfriend left me after we argued
-------- If only/I wish
..............................................
I lost a lot
of money at cards -------- If only/I
wish
..........................................................
Why don’t
you ever look at me?--------- If only/I
wish
......................................................
I want to go
to the Bahamas for a holiday -------- If only/I wish
........................................
I’m sorry I
haven’t got more friends -------- If only/I
wish
................................................
- MIXED TYPES. Complete the missing parts of these sentences. All
conditionals are included
If I
____________ (know) you were coming, I would have bought more food
As long as
you drive carefully, I____________ ( lend) my car
I´ll take
to you about it tomorrow If you _____________ ( arrive) early
If we had
left earlier, we ______________ ( miss) the train
If you
don´t light the fire, we________________ ( get) cold
If they
_______________ ( explain) how to get there, I would have got lost
Don´t give
them anything unless they ______________ ( pay) in cash
She would
have won the race easily if she ____________ ( run) faster
You´ll feel
much better, if you___________ ( take) an aspirin
If you
wrote more letters, your friends______________ ( reply)
If the
house______________ ( be) in better condition, I would buy it
Let me know
at once if you_______________ ( hear) any news
If you
hadn´t stayed behind, they_____________ ( catch) you
You can´t
take photographs here unless you____________ ( ask for) permission
I wouldn´t
have done it if he______________ ( ask) me to
- Put the verbs in brackets in the most suitable form ( use could...etc where appropriate)
- If I ___________ ( notice) that
you were waiting I __________ ( give) you a lift
- I_____________ (go) skiing
every year, if I _____________ ( know) how to ski properly
- If I____________ ( catch) that
plane which crashed, I___________ ( be) dead now!
- If we__________ (live) in South
America, we___________( speak) Spanish or Portuguese!
- I______________( not lose) the
Battle of Waterloo if I ____________( be) Napoleon
- I____________( give up)
smoking, If I ___________(be) you; it´s bad for you
- I______________( like) you more
if you____________( not laugh) all the time
- I_____________( buy) the house
before if the price ___________( be) a bit lower
- Do you think they___________(
like) this party if they ___________( come)?
- They____________( not get) lost
last night if they____________( see) the road-sign
- I_______________( phone) you
earlier, if I _____________( find) the right change
- If you_____________( not leave)
your car there, you___________( not get) this parking ticket
- If they______________( be)
friendly, we__________( not have) all that trouble
- If man _______________( not
visit) the moon, the world _____________( be) at all different?
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