I 

wish and if only Exercise 

There are three distinct types of I wish / if only  sentences:­ 

1 ­ Regrets  with the PAST PERFECT (the third conditional) 
I wish I hadn't got so angry. 

2 ­ Wanting change for the present or future with the PAST SIMPLE 
I wish I had enough money to go to Mozambique this summer. 

3 ­ Complaints  with WOULD + INFINITIVE 

I wish you wouldn't arrive so late all the time. 

Fill the gaps using the verbs in brackets. 
Regrets 

1  I wish I .................................... drunk and kissed Samantha. (get NEGATIVE) 

2  I wish it .................................... so much. The garden's turned to mud. (rain NEGATIVE) 
3  If only I .................................... there, I wouldn't have got a fine. (park NEGATIVE) 
Wanting change 

4  If only I .................................... more time for my hobbies. (have) 
5  I wish it .................................... more often in Valencia. (rain) 
6  I wish I .................................... to go to your nephew's wedding. (have NEGATIVE) 
Complaints 
7  I wish you .................................... so much. You're a complete idiot when you're drunk. 
(drink NEGATIVE) 
8  If only it ..................................... The garden's as dry as a bone. (rain) 
9  I wish Samantha .................................... her hair more often. It looks so greasy all the time. 
(wash) 
Mixed 
10  I wish you .................................... so horrible to your brother. He's a really nice bloke. (be 
NEGATIVE) 
11  I wish the council .................................... that beautiful old house. It was part of the town's 
heritage. (demolish NEGATIVE) 
12  If only I .................................... the money to go to Jon's wedding in The States. (have) 
13  I wish I .................................... her she'd put on weight. She hates me now. (tell 
NEGATIVE) 
14  I wish you .................................... to your mother like that. (speak NEGATIVE) 
15  If only we .................................... a Hewlett Packard printer. The cartridges are so 
expensive. (buy NEGATIVE) 
16  I wish Jorge .................................... so fast. It's only a matter of time before he kills 
someone. (drive NEGATIVE)

www.autoenglish.org  Written by Bob Wilson ©Robert Clifford McNair Wilson 2007 
 oct2012.pdf

GrammarNet.com
Gramática da Língua Inglesa Exercício do Mês
Intermediate - Advanced
October 2012 Wish / If only

Complete each of the sentences in such a way that it means the same as the sentence
before it.

1. I didn't do the homework.

If only I …………………… the homework.

2. They have committed a crime and now they have to face justice.
They wish they …………………… a crime.

3. This kid is so stubborn.

I wish this kid …………………… so stubborn.

4. He never does any household chores. I'm sick and tired of it.
I wish he …………………… some household chores.

5. Jason doesn't pay much attention in class.

If only Jason …………………… more attention in class.

6. Why doesn't he stop smoking? There are other people in the room who don't smoke.
If only he …………………… smoking.

7. I've got a splitting headache.

I wish I …………………… a splitting headache.

8. He signed the contract without reading the small print.

He wishes he …………………… the small print before signing the contract.

9. Steve didn't propose to Isabel when he should have. Now Isabel is in Australia.
Steve wishes he …………………… to Isabel earlier.

10. She was told off because she didn't do what her mother had asked her.
She wishes she …………………… what her mother had asked her.

11. He always belches loudly after eating. It's such a disgusting habit.
I wish he …………………… loudly after eating.

12. She didn't heed my warnings. That's why she lost everything.
If only she …………………… my warnings.

12

© E.S.Ping 2012 1 of 2 oct2012.pdf

 B1 I Wish … IF007

Write sentences from the ones given starting with “I wish … ”.

1. I don’t eat a lot of vegetables.

I wish I ate more vegetables.

2. I can’t travel to New York. I haven’t got enough money.

____________________________________________________________________________________

3. They didn’t score a goal.

____________________________________________________________________________________

4. My car is so small.
____________________________________________________________________________________

5. They lost the photo.

____________________________________________________________________________________

6. I didn’t study hard at school.

____________________________________________________________________________________

7. My sister invited me to her party, but I didn’t go.

____________________________________________________________________________________

8. I only have one child, so I’m lonely.

____________________________________________________________________________________

9. I don’t have a fast car.

____________________________________________________________________________________

10. They were not quiet last evening.

____________________________________________________________________________________

11. The train was late.

____________________________________________________________________________________

12. They had an accident because of the bad weather.

____________________________________________________________________________________

www.english-practice.at
How to use conditionals in English: zero, first, second, third and mixed. https://www.wallstreetenglish.com/exercises/how-to-use-conditionals-i...

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Exercises How To Use Conditionals In English: Zero, First, Second, Third And Mixed.

How to use conditionals

in English: zero, first,
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 second, third and mixed.
How to use conditionals in English: zero, first, second, third and mixed. https://www.wallstreetenglish.com/exercises/how-to-use-conditionals-i...

Making conditional sentences is an everyday part of your

native language, and introducing them to your English
conversation can really improve your level of
communication. There are four conditionals in total and
you will learn to use them gradually, obviously starting
with the most basic ones – the zero and first conditional.
To have a general idea of how all the conditionals work,
take a look at this overview so you can start to get an
idea of what they are and when we use them.
What is a Conditional Sentence?
A conditional sentence is based on the word ‘if’. There are always two parts
to a conditional sentence – one part beginning with ‘if’ to describe a possible
situation, and the second part which describes the consequence. For
example:

If it rains, we’ll get wet.

We can also invert the two parts of a conditional sentence so that the ‘if’ part
comes second, and this is especially common in questions. For example:

What will you do if you miss the train?

How can you finish the project if you don’t have a computer?

What happens if the students don’t pass an exam?

There are four types of conditional sentences:

0  The zero conditional

1  The first conditional

2  The second conditional

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3  The third conditional

It is also possible to mix the second and third conditional. Let’s look at each
conditional to see how we use them.

The Zero Conditional

We use the zero conditional to talk about permanent truths, such as
scientific facts, and general habits. The structure is simple:

Here are some examples:

If you h e a t water to 100°, it b o i l s .

If you e a t a lot, you p u t o n weight.

If it d o e s n ’ t r a i n for a long time, the earth g e t s very dry.

If we g o o u t with friends, we normally g o to a restaurant.

If I’m
m tired, I g o to bed early.

The First Conditional

We use the first conditional to talk about a realistic situation in the present or
future. The structure of the first conditional is as follows:

Here are some examples:

If you’rre free later, we c a n g o for a walk.

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If they’rre hungry, I’lll m a k e some sandwiches.

If you’rre n o t back by 5pm, g i v e me a ring.

If he s t u d i e s hard, he’lll d o well in the exam.

If we a r r i v e late, we m u s t g e t a taxi.

He’lll c a l l if he n e e d s help.

Ta k e a break if you’rre tired.

Another way to make first conditional sentences is to use ‘unless’ which

means ‘only if’ or ‘except’. As with ‘if’, the word ‘unless’ can never be followed
by ‘will’ but only by the present simple. For example:

U n l e s s you h u r r y u p , you won’t catch the bus.

I’ll carry on doing this work, u n l e s s my boss t e l l s me to do something else.

We’ll stay at home u n l e s s the weather i m p r o v e s .

The Second Conditional

We use the second conditional to talk about improbable or impossible
situations in the present or future. Here is the structure:

For example:

If I h a d more time, I’d

d e x e r c i s e more. But I don’t have more time so I don’t.)

If I w e r e rich, I’d
d s p e n d all my time travelling. But I’m not rich so I can’t.)

If she s a w a snake, she’d

d b e terrified.

If he d i d n ’ t h a v e t o work late, he c o u l d g o out with his girlfriend.

What w o u l d you d o if you w e r e offered a job in Canada?

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You w o u l d n ’ t h a v e t o walk everywhere if you b o u g h t a bike.

A common expression used to give advice has the second conditional

structure. The expression is ‘If I were you, I’d..’, meaning ‘in your situation, this
is what I would do’. For example:

A I’ve got a headache.

B I f I w e r e y o u , I ’d take an aspirin.

A I don’t understand this.

B I f I w e r e y o u , I ’d ask your teacher for help.

A This order won’t be delivered on time.

B I f I w e r e y o u , I ’d phone the customer to let them know.

The Third Conditional

We use the third conditional to talk about impossible situations, as in the
second conditional, in the past. We often use the third conditional to
describe regrets. The structure is:

Here are some examples:

If we h a d l e f t earlier, we w o u l d h a v e a r r i v e d on time.

If you h a d n ’ t f o r g o t t e n her birthday, she w o u l d n ’ t h a v e b e e n upset.

If they h a d b o o k e d earlier, they c o u l d h a v e f o u n d better seats.

If I h a d n ’ t l e a r n t English, I w o u l d n ’ t h a v e g o t this job.

What w o u l d you h a v e s t u d i e d if you h a d n ’ t d o n e engineering?

They w o u l d n ’ t h a v e h i r e d you if you h a d n ’ t h a d some experience abroad.

You c o u l d h a v e h e l p e d me if you’d
d s t a y e d later.

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Mixed Conditionals
It’s possible to combine the second and third conditional in one sentence
when we want to make a hypothesis about the past that has a consequence
in the present. In this case, the structure is:

Here are some examples:

If you’d
d s t u d i e d harder, you’d
d b e at a higher level now.

We’d
d b e lying on a beach now if we h a d n ’ t m i s s e d the plane.

They’d
d h a v e much more confidence if they h a d n ’ t l o s t so many matches.

What w o u l d you b e doing now if you h a d n ’ t d e c i d e d to study?

Now you’ve seen all the English conditionals, start practicing by using them
whenever you can. Make some of your own examples following the structure
patterns written. If you practice, using conditionals will become easy!

English Conditionals
P ra c t i c e u s i n g c o n d i t i o n a l s e n t e n c e s w i t h t h i s f u n E n g l i s h q u i z .

START QUIZ

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MORE EXERCISES

Simple Present and

Present Progressive
The first verb tenses an English student learns are the
present simple and the present continuous. Here is a
guide on how to create and use both tenses.

View exercise

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Using The Present Perfect

Tense in English
The present perfect is a tense that links the past to the
present and we never use a finished time with it. Read
on to find out more.

View exercise

Get in touch
Ready to chat to a member of the Wall Street English team? We’re here to
help you.

Contact us

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ZERO CONDITIONAL  GENERAL FACTS ( If + simple present , Simple present )
Example: If you heat water, it evaporates.
1. If it ________ (rain), the dams ___________ (become) full.
2. Ice __________ (melt) if you ___________ (heat) it.
3. If you _________ (throw) a ball to the west, it _________ (go) farther.
4. People _________ (die) if they _____________ (not/eat) anything.
5. If you _________ (put) water in a freezer, it __________ (turn) into ice.

FIRST CONDITIONAL  REAL POSSIBILITES for PRESENT/FUTURE

( If + simple present , Will/Won’t+ V1 )
Example: If it is sunny tomorrow, we will go for a picnic by the river.
1. If Maria _________ (pass) all her exams, she ___________(travel) to Europe next year.
2. We __________ (go) to the beach if it ____________ (not/be) rainy this afternoon.
3. _____ you _____(come) with us if your parents _______ (let) you?
4. They __________ (not/have) a party if they __________ (not/have) enough money.
5. If I ________ (learn) how to play chess very well, I ________ (join) chess club.

SECOND CONDITIONAL  IMAGINARY SITUATIONS for PRESENT

( If + simple past , Would/Wouldn’t + V1 )
Example: If I were a famous singer, I would have a lot of money.
1. If I _______ (be) you, I _________ (move) to another house.
2. Sally _________ (buy) that dress if she _______ (have) enough money.
3.If Bob ________ (live) in a small town, he __________ (get) bored easily.
4. We __________ (go) out if we _______ (not/be) very busy now.
5. If my dad ________ (become) a millionaire, I ___________ (drive) a Porsche.

Fill in the gaps with IF CLAUSE type 0-1-2 . Use the words in brackets:
1. Bob is a poor boy. If he ________ (be) rich, he __________ (live) in a villa.
2. If I _________ (can/pass) all of my exams, I __________ (graduate) next term.
3.If someone _______ (tell) me a lie, I _________ (get) angry with him/her.
4. Mr. Woody hasn’t won lottery. If he ________ (win) a lottery, he ___________ (spend)
all his money for his grandchildren.
5. If her husband _________ (not/come) to the ceremony, Jane __________(not/attend)
6. What ____________(happen) if you _________ (shake) a can of Cola before opening it?
7.Melissa is ill now. She ______________ (join) the party if she _________ (not/be) ill.
8. What ______ you _____ (do) if you ________ (become) the headteacher of the school?
9. What ______ you _____ (do) if you __________ (finish) this exercise earlier than your
friends.
10. What _____ you _____ (do) if you _________ (find) a wallet in the street?