Style (2) I wish & unreal conditionals dwish You can use I wish to talk about unreal situations. After I wish, you backshift the tense. Note that after I, you can use were and werent instead of ts and sous, especially in writing, fact wish Vim ateacher. WAI | FRRSRKUAWEREHYE a teacher. ESH | wasleEES a doctor. five in New York EWS | @IMAMHLAWE in New York. ERWHRN 1 EY in Paris. ara NRTR ABN T WAGALARNNMNIN English. EWR 1 WRHSAAYAA Chinese. | fomgot my camera. 1a 7 Hae it ES 1 AGROAAT with me. Unreal conditionals When you use if for unreal conditionals, you use the same tense backshifting rules as you do with I wish. fact it 1G not a doctor E1 ABIWHE a doctor... 1 MORELWE in Paris. ‘1 V8 in Paris. "SRGROESHRE Chinese. HEI Chinese FOR RSE my camera. 181 BAaERORBEREEH my camera. In the second clause of the sentence you normally use twould. In speech you usually contract this to ‘d. You can also use might or maybe + would for possible results. Note that there is normally a comma after the ‘if’ clause C1 Wa a doctor, {EBESBIEGIKEID people, and HYLE IfaeAF more. 161 H¥@al in Paris, [REVIBHE the Louvre every day, and IRGENAWE croissants and coffee for breakfast in a pavement café. 1 HeRSHRAAg Chinese, IGAHAWE fewer problems with grammar. And | ij If Rg EFGEOAR my camera, | WOWENAWENERER some photos of the sunset. You can put the main clause before the “if” clause. When you do this, there is normally no comma between the two clauses. HAY in China for a year I'd be able to help people if I was a doctor. ‘Maybe I'd eam more if I were a doctor. Here are some useful conditional phrases. Te onLYEGHLA, I'd Aly to New York tomorrow. [pha wet, Pd learn a musical instrument. : Ie wouleineamepegeRElH I ran out of petrol before we get there. TELWEERYOE, I'd be more careful the next time. Ie Thadtheehaiies, Yd spend my whole life learning new things. TETKAAEEROHEY, Vd travel around the world.14 (2) Practice 1 Oliver doesn’t like some things in his life. Complete his wishes. a) [live in London, Lwih | didn't lve in London, b)_Lean't afford to move to a nicer area, ©) Thaven’t got a car. 4) don’t know many people more people. ©) Itrains all the time, Its ‘ing now. 8) [don’t have much money. h) My job is so boring, i) Is not the weekend, 2 Wiite four wishes of your own. For example, I wish Complete the dialogues using I wish I... and If F were you, Ya... and the verb pairs in the box. can/join can/talk _enjoy/think _ have/get a) _Livish Leould give up smoking. IF Lwere you, 'd talk to my brother — he’s stopped. by job a bit more. about looking for anew one. o bit more money. a part-time job. a) speak better English. ‘an English course. Here are some useful conditional phrases. Complete them so they are true for you. For example, Ifonly could, I'd go tothe beach this afternoon. It wouldn't surprise me if Brazil won the next World Cup. a) Ifonly Icould, rd b) IfThad the time, I'd Teould play the drums ©) Itwouldn’t surprise me if D) ») 4) UTwere you, ra a a 1) IF Thad the chance, Ya 3 Complete the sentences putting the verbs into an appropriate tense a) IfT_had_the money, I_‘dwear_expensive clothes all the time. ane wear 8) IfThad the money, I'd. Complete these famous quotations with the words in the box. Which quote do you like the best? b) only 1 work tomorrow. can give up didn't had had done a1 tonight, if 0 ; much workto do, goont wot hve a) There are a lot of things I wish I , au ip livein the Ui 3 tha. wenihier instead of just sitting around and complaining, belies ioe came about having a boring life (Kurt Cobain, rock musician) ) 11 ‘more money, I b) Twish 1 a twin, s0 I could know so poorall the time. earn not be what I'd look like without plastic surgery. (oan Rivers, comedienne) ©) Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we (Brica Jong, author)Age (1) I wish & if only wish and if only are two ways of talking about unreal situations. You can use them to express regrets about the present or past. When you use / wish and ifonly to talk about unreal situations, you normally backshift the tense of the verb that follows. Present changes to past I live in Oxford I don't know the answer. fm going to the cinema with Pete I feel so tired, He's a very difficult person to like Past changes to past perfect | sttidied economics. | went to Scotland for my holidays. ‘There wasit't enough time. I started smoking as a teenager. 1 didn’t know you were coming today. He told her a lot of lies. wish Ilived in Rome. [wish 1 knew it I wish I was/were going with Miguel If only I didn’t feel so tired If only he wasn't/weten’t so difficult 1 wish I'd studied Italian literature | wish I'd gone to Spain | wish there'd been more time If only I hadn't started smoking Keonly I'd knows you were coming. Ifonly he hadn't told her so many lies. Be going to changes to was/were going to ‘They're going to close the factory. I'm going to study all day. es going to cost a lot Can changes to could [can't Speak English as well as you. [cant stop smoking, | wish they weren’t going to close it. I wish I didn't live in Oxford. I wish I wasn’t/weren't going with Pete. 1 wish I Radn't studied economics, | wish I hadn't gone to Scotland. | wish I wasn'tiweren’t going to study so much. If only it wasi't going to cost so much. I wish I could speak it better. only I éouild stop smoking. Have to changes to had to or didn’t have to. | have to leave in five minutes. | have fo wear a suit at work. Will changes to would No one Will et me at the station. ‘They Won't choose me for the team. I wish I didn’t have to Teave so soon. Ifonly I didn’t have to wear a suit. I wish someone would meet me at the station. wish they Wold choose me for the team.