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Unit 6
If only and Wish Sentences
We use
Subject + wish + somebody + Past Simple or Past Continuous or
If only + somebody + Past Simple or Past Continuous
to talk about things we would like to be different in the present/future (but which are impossible or unlikely)
Kudjo wishes he knew the truth. (= He doesn’t know it and he regrets this)
If only Kudjo knew the truth!
After wish and if only, you can use were instead of was (I wish it were etc.). It sounds more formal.
I wish it was is also possible. So you can say:
Kudjo wishes Luna were (was) here now.
There is no big substantial difference between wish and if only, apart from the fact that if only gives more emphasis to what we are saying.
EXERCISE 1
What do they wish? Write sentences with I wish or If only:
For example,
Kudjo: I love horses but I can’t ride. — If only I could ride horses!
1 Luna: I love dancing but I don’t have anybody to dance with.
2 Kudjo: I love spending time with Luna. I enjoy doing puzzles. But Luna isn’t allowed to do jigsaw puzzles.
3 Luna’s parents: We know that we must tell Luna all our family secrets but we don’t know how to do it.
4 Luna: I have fallen in love with Chilly and am looking forward to his coming.
5 Kudjo: I’d like to live in the country all year round but we have to live in the city almost all the time.
6 Kudjo: I’m fed up with dry food. Why can’t I eat raw meat instead?
7 Kudjo: I hate washing paws after every walk. If I lived in the country, I wouldn’t do it.
8 Luna’s parents: We should spend more time with Luna but we are so busy.
9 Luna: I hate learning but Kudjo wants me to read more and learn something useful.
10 Kudjo: I don’t know how to open this box but it is very important.
We use
Subject + wish + somebody + Past Perfect
or
if only + somebody + Past Perfect
to talk about things that happened or didn’t happen in the past and which we now regret.
Kudjo and Luna wish they had come home in time. (but they didn’t)
EXERCISE 2
Rewrite the sentences beginning with I wish (or If only) + Past Perfect:
For example,
Kudjo regrets having a row with Lina. – If only they hadn’t had a row.
1 Luna regrets not telling her parents that they might be late.
2 Luna’s parents regret taking Kudjo and Luna to the country.
3 They also believe that it was a bad idea to agree to help the pup.
4 They shouldn’t have let Kudjo and Luna follow the bats.
5 They should have started looking for them a long ago.
6 They regret not telling Luna the family skeleton.
7 Kudjo regrets that Chilly hasn’t come yet.
8 Kudjo regrets that he couldn’t open the box.
9 Luna regrets that the parents have bought her an old-fashioned collar.
10 Kudjo regrets that he hasn’t learnt the Battish language.
EXERCISE 3
Put the verb in brackets in the correct form of unreal wish of the past or unreal wish of the present:
1 Kudjo wishes he /can/ do his favourite jigsaw puzzles together with Luna.
2 Luna wishes her parents /not ground/ her for a month.
3 Luna’s parents wish their distant relatives /not come/ with a visit next weekend.
4 Luna’s parents wish they /can/ spend weekends without any guests.
5 Luna wishes she /choose/ a new collar herself yesterday.
6 Luna wishes her parents /not punish/ them for coming home so late.
7 Kudjo and Luna wish they /find/ out the secret of the new box.
8 Kudjo and Luna wish the bats /explain/ to them what to do with this box.
9 Kudjo wishes Chilly and he /can/ go to the boarding house again.
10 Kudjo wishes Luna /not join/ them in their trip to the boarding house.
We often use
Subject + wish + somebody + would or
if only + somebody + would
to complain, to talk about things we want to happen or stop happening, because they are annoying us.
Luna wishes her parents wouldn’t be so strict.
You can’t use this structure for a wish about yourself, i.e. NOT
EXERCISE 4
Put the verbs in brackets in the correct form and guess who is saying it: Kudjo (K), Luna (L), Luna’s parents (P) or Chilly (C):
1 Oh no! You have turned over my bowl with food. I wish you /not be/ so clumsy! (K)
2 You are always asking us a lot of stupid questions! We wish you /not be/ such a chatter-box! (P)
3 You are so bossy! If only you /stop/ telling me what to do every time! (L)
4 They have had so many adventures without me. I wish I /be/ with them. (C)
