Expressing wishes about present and past situations

1. Wishes

2. • http://prezi.com/vt0p_tsc39mj/?utm_campaign=share&ut
m_medium=copy&rc=ex0share

3. Wishes
 To express a wish we can use wish and if only.
 If only has the same meaning as wish, only it is more emphatic/dramatic.
 With the subject pronoun I both forms were / was can be used in the if-
clause.

4. Wishing for change
• To express:
– a polite imperative,
– and a desire for things to happen or stop happening because
they annoy us
we use the structure subject + would + bare infinitive.
I wish you would stop spreading rumours.
If only it would be sunny on my birthday, we could go swimming!
Human, if only you
would feed me, I
could go and take
a nap.

5. Wishing for change
• To express:
– a polite imperative,
– and a desire for things to happen or
stop happening because they annoy
us
we use the structure subject + would +
bare infinitive.
However, we can’t use wish + would
for a wish about yourself.
I wish I would stop being so lazy!

6. Let’s complete ex. A on
page 141.

7. Wishing different present situations
• To say that we would like something to be different about a present
situation, we use the past simple or the past continuous.
I wish I was/were 10 years old (but I’m not).
If only I were travelling with you and not alone! It would be much
more fun.

8. Wishing different past situations
• To express regret about something which happened or didn’t happen in
the past, we use the past perfect.
I wish I had saved more money during my twenties (but I didn’t).
If only I hadn’t been so harsh to her! We could still be friends. (but I
was)

9. Regrets
• What do people
consider to be mistakes
of their youth?

10. Regrets
• Imagine the main character in the
clip is 70 today and looking back at
his teenage years.
Use if only and wish

12. Write a wish for each of the following sentences, like
in the example
• You want to buy a new car, but you haven’t got any
money.
• I wish I had enough money (to buy a new car).

13. Write a wish for each of the following sentences, like
in the example
• You didn’t follow your friend’s sensible advice.
• I wish I’d followed my friend’s advice.

14. Write a wish for each of the following sentences, like
in the example
• You lost your lecture notes.
• I wish I hadn’t lost my lecture notes.

15. Write a wish for each of the following sentences, like
in the example
• You want to ask a friend to help you, but he’s out of the
country.
• I wish my friend wasn’t out of the country.