EXPRESSING WISHES AND REGRETS

Use:

Present Situations:

- to talk about wishes in the present, the following pattern is used:

“wish + past simple or past Continuous” Example: I wish I was going on holiday with you. ( but I am not going)

Past Situations:

- to express a regret about the past, this pattern is used:

“ wish + past perfect” Example:_ I wish I hadn´t lost my temper. (but I did)

Using “wish + would”

- to express a desire for change in the future; Example: I wish my boss would give me a pay rise.
- to express annoyance, or unhappiness about a situation in the present. Example. I wish he would stop being so
rude.

1. Read the following sentences and decide which form of the verbs in bold is correct.

a) Suzy failed most of her exams and now she wishes she would work / had worked harder.
b) The weather is terrible today. I wish it was / is a bit warmer.
c) It really annoys me that you never do anything around the house. I wish you did / would do something from
time to time.
d) We went to a new restaurant for lunch and I´ve been feeling sick all afternoon. I wish we hadn´t gone / didn´t go
there.
e) The sky is cloudy. I wish the sun shone / was shining now.
f) Now that Peter is in Japan on a business trip, he wishes he understood / had understood Japanese.
g) I wish I hadn´t been / wasn´t out of the office when the director called me yesterday
h) Jeremy wishes it had stooped / would stop raining, so he can play basketball with his friends.

2. Mary is 16 and feels a bit miserable about her physical appearance, her family and her friends. She wishes things
were quite different. Write what she is thinking, beginning each sentence with I wish…

Example: My hair looks shiny with grease! - I wish my hair didn´t look so greasy!

a) My mum is always complaining about my messy bedroom! ______________________________________

b) I´ve got dimples in my cheeks! ______________________________________________________________
c) I am too fat! ____________________________________________________________________________
d) My daddy didn´t give me enough money to go to the disco! ______________________________________
e) I don´t know why my best friend Jane is annoyed with me. ________________________________________
f) Peter didn´t remember to send me a Valentine! ________________________________________________
4. Put the appropriate verb form

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)
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)
7    I wish you ___________________ so much. You're a complete idiot when you're drunk. (drink )
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)
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