Wishes and regrets

1. English file Upper-
Intermediate
Unit 5B - Wish

2. • Images showing common wishes – (5 mins)
• Discussion questions – wishes and hopes (10 mins)
• Reading / speaking – common wishes (5 mins)
• Reading / speaking – things that annoy you (5 mins)
• Grammar (1) wish – highlighting (5 mins)
• Grammar (1) wish – presentation (5 mins)
• Grammar (1) wish – exercises (10 mins)
• Grammar (1) wish – Free practice - discussion (10 mins)
• Game – filler (10 mins) 65
• Vocabulary building – expressing feelings (15 mins)
• Discussion – using the feelings adjectives (10 mins) 90
• Happiness reading – lead in (5 mins)
• Happiness reading – technique (5 mins)
• Happiness reading timed reading (15 mins)
• Happiness reading – vocabulary (5 mins)
• Happiness quotes – quiz (10 mins)
• Happiness discussion questions (5 mins)
• Vocabulary from the class quiz (5 mins)

4. • What is one thing you wish to achieve in the next five
years? Why is this goal important to you?
• If you could visit any place in the world, where would
you go and why?
• Is there a subject or skill you wish to learn in the
future? What attracts you to it?
• If you could have a superpower for a day, what would it
be and what would you do?
• Is there a historical event you wish you could have
witnessed? What interests you about it?

8. past simple
would + inf

12. I wish I was / were fitter.
I wish my sister didn’t share a room with me.
I wish I could / was able to dance.
I wish my grandmother wasn’t dead.
I wish I lived in a country with a better climate.

13. I wish it would stop raining.
I wish shop assistants would be more polite.
I wish you wouldn’t turn the heating up all the time.
I wish my brother would tidy our room.
I wish the neighbour’s dog wouldn’t bark at night.

17. Which celebrity wished to be reincarnated as a giant
sea turtle?
a) Johnny Depp
b) Leonardo DiCaprio
c) Morgan Freeman

18. Which famous singer once aspired to be an Olympic
gymnast?
a) Pink
b) Rihanna
c) Lady Gaga

19. Which celebrity had a wish to become a pilot?
a) John Travolta
b) Harrison Ford
c) Brad Pitt

20. Which singer famously wished to be a florist if not a
singer?
a) Beyoncé
b) Lady Gaga
c) Adele

21. Which actor wished to become a firefighter as a
child?
a) Arnold
Schwarzenegger
b) Sylvester
Stallone
c) Mark
Wahlberg

22. Which female celebrity once wished to be a nun?
a) Taylor Swift
b) Katy Perry
c) Miley Cyrus

25. infuriates
frustrated
embarrassing
exhausting
disappointed

26. amazes
terrifying
inspired
confuse
thrilled

28. stressful
scary
delightful
offensive

31. 31. The writer says that previous studies of happiness have differed on
A. whether having more money than others makes people happy.
B. why people compare their financial situation to that of others.
C. what makes people believe that money brings happiness.
D. how important it is for people to think that they are happy.
32. According to the writer, the most recent survey
A. confirmed a common belief about wealth and happiness.
B. produced results that may surprise some people.
C. provided more accurate information than many other surveys.
D. found that there was no connection between money and happiness.
33. In the third paragraph, the writer says that his own opinion on the subject
A. has been influenced by the results of the survey.
B. is based on his personal feelings rather than on research.
C. differs from what Bloom concludes in his book.
D. might not be widely shared by other people.
What are the key words in the question??
What are the key words in the question??
What are the key words in the question??

32. 34. The writer says that the musical works he mentions
A. are not intended to produce feelings of intense happiness.
B. sometimes disappoint people who listen to them.
C. perfectly illustrate his point about pleasure.
D. show how hard it is to generalise about pleasure.
35. The writer says that the company Claire's Accessories understands that
A. parties are less enjoyable for girls than getting ready for them.
B. girls enjoy getting ready for parties more than any other aspect of them.
C. looking good at parties makes girls happier than anything else.
D. what girls wear for parties affects their memories of them.
36. The writer concludes that both Bloom and the researchers
A. would agree with his own theory of pleasure.
B. would agree with a certain cliché.
C. have made an important contribution to the study of pleasure.
D. have gone through a process he has previously described.
What are the key words in the question??
What are the key words in the question??
What are the key words in the question??

33. 31. The writer says that previous studies of happiness have differed on
A. whether having more money than others makes people happy.
B. why people compare their financial situation to that of others.
C. what makes people believe that money brings happiness.
D. how important it is for people to think that they are happy.
A recent survey has examined the well-trodden ground of the
relationship between pleasure and money. Many studies have examined
this, from any number of starting points, often concluding, in the oldest
of old clichés, that money can't buy you happiness or, in more
sophisticated terms, that happiness and pleasure often reside, not in
riches in absolute terms, but in being richer than the people who
happen to live to your left or your right. Other studies have claimed
that comparison with the wealth of others leads to a 'set-up for
disappointment' and that a good attitude is all that matters.

34. 32. According to the writer, the most recent survey
A. confirmed a common belief about wealth and happiness.
B. produced results that may surprise some people.
C. provided more accurate information than many other surveys.
D. found that there was no connection between money and happiness.
This most recent study inquired into the well-being of 136,000 people
worldwide and compared it to levels of income. It found, overall, that
feelings of security and general satisfaction did increase with financial
status. Money, however, could not lift its possessors to the next level,
and was unable to provide enjoyment or pleasure on its own. The survey,
published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, examined
large numbers of people from almost every culture on Earth, and found
much the same thing. The stereotype of the rich man who finds life
savourless and without pleasure was not invented simply to keep the
poor happy with their lot.

35. 33. In the third paragraph, the writer says that his own opinion on the subject
A. has been influenced by the results of the survey.
B. is based on his personal feelings rather than on research.
C. differs from what Bloom concludes in his book.
D. might not be widely shared by other people.
Paul Bloom addresses the same issue in his book How Pleasure
Works. According to Bloom, at the point when people get the thing
they really want, they enter a state of perfect pleasure. Both
Bloom's book and the enormous survey concentrate on status and on
the moment of getting possession of something we want. Are we
satisfied and filled with pleasure when we get what we want? Bloom,
looking at eager consumers, would say 'yes'; the survey tends to say
'not necessarily. In my view, it's rare that we can actually pin down
the specific moment when the feeling of pleasure is at its clearest.

36. 34. The writer says that the musical works he mentions
A. are not intended to produce feelings of intense happiness.
B. sometimes disappoint people who listen to them.
C. perfectly illustrate his point about pleasure.
D. show how hard it is to generalise about pleasure.
Composers have always known this simple, basic truth: pleasure is
half anticipation and half blissful recollection, and hardly at all
about the fulfilment of the promise. The great musical statements
of ecstasy, such as Wagner's Tristan and Isolde or Schubert's first
Suleika song, are literally all half crescendo and half languid recall.
We look forward to pleasure; we look back on it. The moment of
pleasure itself is over in a flash, and often rather questionable.

37. 35. The writer says that the company Claire's Accessories understands that
A. parties are less enjoyable for girls than getting ready for them.
B. girls enjoy getting ready for parties more than any other aspect of them.
C. looking good at parties makes girls happier than anything else.
D. what girls wear for parties affects their memories of them.
The hairband and geegaw emporium Claire's Accessories has a
thoughtful, rather philosophical slogan to tempt its young customers. It
sells itself under the strapline 'where getting ready is half the fun.
That is honest and truthful. A group of 14-year-old girls in their party
best is nowhere near as successful an enterprise of pleasure as exactly
the same girls putting on and trying out and discussing their hopes for
the party in advance; not as successful either as talking it over the
next day. The party itself, from the beginning of time, has consisted of
a lot of standing around and gawping and giggling, and someone crying in
the lavatory.

38. 36. The writer concludes that both Bloom and the researchers
A. would agree with his own theory of pleasure.
B. would agree with a certain cliché.
C. have made an important contribution to the study of pleasure.
D. have gone through a process he has previously described.
So any notion of fulfilled pleasure which insists on the moment of
bliss is doomed to failure. Mr Bloom and the researchers of the
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology were clearly happiest
when undertaking their research, during which time they were
looking forward to coming to a conclusion. And now they can sit back
and start to say 'Yes, when I concluded my theory of pleasure and
satisfaction... Even for philosophers of pleasure, another ancient
and well-handled cliché about travel and life is true: getting there
really is half the pleasure.

39. • Does the article suggest that having more money leads to more
happiness? Why or why not?
• How does the article explain the role of anticipation and memory
in our experience of pleasure?
• Do you agree that the moment of pleasure is brief and that we
mostly anticipate and remember it? Why or why not?
• How might the survey's findings change the way people think
about pursuing happiness?
• What is Paul Bloom's viewpoint about the moment of getting what
we want, and how does it compare to the survey's findings?
• Can you think of other situations in life where looking forward to
something or remembering it is as important as the actual
experience?

40. Match the words (Numbered) with their definitions
(Lettered) based on the text:
1.well-trodden
2.stereotype
3.redolent
4.languid
5.gawping
6.cliché
A - Overused phrase or idea.
B - Having a strong, reminiscent
smell.
C - Slow and relaxed in movement.
D - Staring in a rude or awkward
manner.
E - Oversimplified belief or idea
about a group.
F - Frequently used or travelled.

41. 1.well-trodden – F - Frequently used or travelled.
2.stereotype – E Oversimplified belief or idea about a group.
3.redolent – B - Having a strong, reminiscent smell.
4.languid – C - Slow and relaxed in movement.
5.gawping – D - Staring in a rude or awkward manner.
6.cliché – A - Overused phrase or idea.

43. "I'm on the 'see food' diet. I see food, and I eat it. That's my
happiness strategy!" - Unknown
"Happiness is like a butterfly. The more you chase it, the more
it eludes you. But if you turn your attention to other things, it
comes and sits softly on your shoulder." - Henry David
Thoreau
"I'm not arguing, I'm just explaining why I'm right. And that
explanation brings me happiness!" - Unknown
___
________
_______

44. "Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in
the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort." -
Franklin D. Roosevelt
"Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your
own actions." - Dalai Lama
"The secret to happiness is not in doing what one likes, but in
liking what one does." - James M. Barrie
______
______
____

45. • Can money buy happiness? Why or why not?
• What role do relationships play in a person’s happiness?
• How does your job or career affect your level of
happiness?
• How do hobbies and leisure activities contribute to
happiness?
• What impact does physical health have on happiness?
• How does social media influence our views on happiness?

47. Class 1 extras

48. The impossible moment of delight
A recent survey has examined the well-trodden ground of the
relationship between pleasure and money. Many studies have examined
this, from any number of starting points, often concluding, in the oldest
of old clichés, that money can't buy you happiness or, in more
sophisticated terms, that happiness and pleasure often reside, not in
riches in absolute terms, but in being richer than the people who
happen to live to your left or your right. Other studies have claimed
that comparison with the wealth of others leads to a 'set-up for
disappointment' and that a good attitude is all that matters.
This most recent study inquired into the well-being of 136,000 people
worldwide and compared it to levels of income. It found, overall, that
feelings of security and general satisfaction did increase with financial
status. Money, however, could not lift its possessors to the next level,
and was unable to provide enjoyment or pleasure on its own. The survey,
published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, examined
large numbers of people from almost every culture on Earth, and found
much the same thing. The stereotype of the rich man who finds life
savourless and without pleasure was not invented simply to keep the
poor happy with their lot.

49. Paul Bloom addresses the same issue in his book How Pleasure Works.
According to Bloom, at the point when people get the thing they really
want, they enter a state of perfect pleasure. Both Bloom's book and
the enormous survey concentrate on status and on the moment of
getting possession of something we want. Are we satisfied and filled
with pleasure when we get what we want? Bloom, looking at eager
consumers, would say 'yes'; the survey tends to say 'not necessarily. In
my view, it's rare that we can actually pin down the specific moment
when the feeling of pleasure is at its clearest.
Take the teenager determined to buy the latest must- have gadget, a
woman setting out to get a new handbag, or a prosperous businessman
who wants to add to his collection of Japanese netsuke. The setting out
with the happy intention of spending; the entering of the shop; the
examination of the wares; the long decision; the handing over of the
money; the moment when the ownership of the goods is transferred;
the gloating at home; the moment when the object is displayed to
others. All these steps form a process in enjoyment, but almost all of
them are redolent with anticipation or with retrospective glee. The
moment where bliss is at its peak is over in a flash, and hardly exists at
all. Everything else is expectation or memory.

50. Composers have always known this simple, basic truth: pleasure is
half anticipation and half blissful recollection, and hardly at all
about the fulfilment of the promise. The great musical statements
of ecstasy, such as Wagner's Tristan and Isolde or Schubert's first
Suleika song, are literally all half crescendo and half languid recall.
We look forward to pleasure; we look back on it. The moment of
pleasure itself is over in a flash, and often rather questionable.
The hairband and geegaw emporium Claire's Accessories has a
thoughtful, rather philosophical slogan to tempt its young
customers. It sells itself under the strapline 'where getting ready
is half the fun. That is honest and truthful. A group of 14-year-old
girls in their party best is nowhere near as successful an enterprise
of pleasure as exactly the same girls putting on and trying out and
discussing their hopes for the party in advance; not as successful
either as talking it over the next day. The party itself, from the
beginning of time, has consisted of a lot of standing around and
gawping and giggling, and someone crying in the lavatory.

51. So any notion of fulfilled pleasure which insists on the moment of
bliss is doomed to failure. Mr Bloom and the researchers of the
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology were clearly happiest
when undertaking their research, during which time they were
looking forward to coming to a conclusion. And now they can sit back
and start to say 'Yes, when I concluded my theory of pleasure and
satisfaction... Even for philosophers of pleasure, another ancient
and well-handled cliché about travel and life is true: getting there
really is half the pleasure.

54. Class 2

56. • Images showing common regrets – (5 mins)
• Discussion questions – Regrets and experiences (10 mins)
• Reading / speaking – which regrets are the most common (5 mins)
• Reading (1) – Article on regrets – new vocabulary (10 mins)
• Reading (1) – Article on regrets – matching sentences (10 mins)
• Reading (1) – Article on regrets – vocabulary word classes (10 mins)
• Quiz / game (10 mins) 60
• Grammar – Past regrets – highlighting (10 mins)
• Grammar – Past regrets – presentation (5 mins)
• Grammar – Past regrets – exercises (10 mins)
• Grammar – Past regrets – writing regrets with wish (10 mins)
• Listening – writing past regrets (5 mins)
• Listening – matching past regrets (5 mins)
• Listening – discussing past regrets (5 mins)
• Words from the class quiz (5 mins)

57. • Have you ever regretted not learning a skill when you were
younger? What was it?
• Is there a place you regret not visiting when you had the
chance?
• Do you have any regrets about your educational choices?
• Is there a past opportunity you regret not taking?
• Do you think it’s better to regret something you have done or
something you haven’t done? Why?
• What is a piece of advice you regret not following?
• Have you ever regretted not standing up for yourself or
someone else?

62. By retweeting one of the replies to
someone who had very few followers;
she now has more than 900.

64. D - 'My regret: listening to teachers who said I was stupid because
I can't spell. After two degrees was told I'm dyslexic. Am
currently on fourth degree.'
E - 'Not getting a better education and
working full-time from the age of 16.'

65. B - 'Listening to my dad when he said my
voice was too weak to be a singer.'
F - 'Not taking the job in Paris.'

66. C - 'Marrying the first person who asked,
because I thought no one would ever ask me.'

67. A - 'Being scared all the time. Moved to
France - still scary but food and life is good!'

68. Nouns:
sorrow (adj: sad),
anger (adj: angry),
fear (adj: afraid)
Adjectives:
honest (n: honesty), brave (n: bravery),
encouraging (n: encouragement),
excited (n: excitement),
enthusiastic (n: enthusiasm)

71. "Never regret anything that made you ____." -
Mark Twain
a) Cry
b) Smile
c) Worry
smile

72. "I'd rather regret the things I've _____ than
regret the things I haven’t [....]." - Lucille Ball
a) Forgotten
b) Done
c) Avoided
done

73. "Make it a rule of life never to regret and
never to look ____." - Katherine Mansfield
a) Back
b) Forward
c) Around
back

74. "Speak when you are angry and you will make
the best speech you will ever ________." -
Ambrose Bierce
a) Regret
b) Remember
c) Forget
regret

75. "A man is not old until his regrets take the
place of his ___________." - John Barrymore
a) Dreams
b) Fears
c) Achievements
dreams

76. "I believe that tomorrow is another day, and I
believe in ____________." - Audrey Hepburn
a) Miracles
b) Love
c) Happiness
miracles

77. Speaker 1: Not asking a girl out
Speaker 2: Not spending more time with her grandmother
Speaker 3: Not changing schools

78. ’d tried.
‘d had more time with my grandmother.
’d lived longer.
’d listened to my parents.

81. I ’d / had seen Prince live.
he’d / had learned to cook at school.
you hadn’t bought a second-hand car?
she hadn’t married her first husband.

82. they hadn’t moved to the country.
he’d / had studied law?
I hadn’t had my hair cut so short.
they’d / had gone to the wedding.

84. 1. I wish I hadn't eaten two pieces of cake.
2. I wish I'd gone to university.
3. I wish I'd bought those shoes I saw in the sales.
4. I wish I hadn't told Anna about seeing her boyfriend with another woman.
5. I wish we hadn't said we'd go to Simon's party tonight.
6. I wish I'd been at the match!
....................................................
....................................................
............................................................................
................................................................................................................
...................................................................................
....................................................

86. 1. I wish I hadn't eaten two pieces of cake.
2. I wish I'd gone to university.
3. I wish I'd bought those shoes I saw in the sales.
4. I wish I hadn't told Anna about seeing her boyfriend with another woman.
5. I wish we hadn't said we'd go to Simon's party tonight.
6. I wish I'd been at the match!
1
2
3
4
5
6

89. Possibly skip this

90. I wish I had said
Nothing at all
Everything that came out
Of my mouth was wrong
The words didn’t help much
I wish I had said
That I love you
Everything that I said
Was not what I meant
All I want is for you to
Forgive me
I wish I had said
Something to make everything
Go right
The only thing I should have
Said was what I really felt
I wish I had said
That I love you with all my heart
And that I’m sorry for
Everything that went wrong
Between us