The document discusses various phrases used to express wishes, desires, and hypothetical situations in English. It provides examples of using "I wish" and "if only" with different tenses to talk about past regrets, present desires, and impossible wishes. It also explains phrases like "it's time", "what if", "would rather", and "as if" and provides examples of their use.

1. Isabel Bastida & Ana Mena

2. I WISH / IF ONLY ....
past simple to express a desire for something to be different in the
present:
I wish I wasn’t in the red.
If only I could set some money aside to travel more often.
part prefect to express a wish that something different had
happened in the past ( a regret / criticism):
I wish I hadn’t spent a fortune on that smartwatch.
could to express a desire we know is impossible to achieve, often
about ourselves:
I wish I could swim but I’m terrified of water!
would usually expresses a desire for someone to change their
behaviour in the present or future. We often use it to criticise or
complain about something:
I wish you would stop throwing your money at things you don’t
really need.
We can also use this pattern with inanimate subjects for
emphasis:
If only the sun would come out so we could take the photos.

3. I speak terrible English. I
wish I ______ English
well.

4. I miss my friends. I
wish my friends ______
here right now.

5. If only I _______ more
time for my hobbies.

6. I wish I _______ drunk
and kissed Samantha last
night.

7. I wish you _____ drink so
much. You're a complete idiot
when you're drunk.

8. I wish I _____ her
she'd put on weight. She
hates me now.

9. *IT’S (HIGH / ABOUT) TIME ...
To express that something is not happening but it should
be:
It’s time you stopped splashing your money out!
The use of HIGH or ABOUT makes the sentence more
emphatic:
It’s high time you started saving for a rainy day.
You may use TO INF as well:
It’s time for our company to expand

10. *WHAT IF / SUPPOSE / SUPPOSING / IMAGINE ...
To ask about imaginary situations and their consequences
in the present or future. These are similar to second
conditional questions:
What if you won the lottery?
Suppose you were rich, where in the world would you buy
a house?
Imagine a cash dispenser ate your credit card, how would
you react?
We can also use these expressions with past perfect. This is similar
to third conditional:
Supposing you had invested in that company, what benefits would
you have obtained?

11. *WOULD RATHER / WOULD SOONER...
To express preferences:
I’d rather you paid me back before Tuesday.
I’m broke.
She’d sooner I inherited the ranch.
If the person expressing the preference is also
the subject of the preference, use INFINITIVE
without TO:
I’d rather not pay in cash, if you don’t mind.

12. *AS IF / AS THOUGH ...
To say that appearance is different from
reality:
She behaves as if she was made of money.
Peter spends money as though it grew on trees.
Use the present simple/ present perfect with
these expressions when the situation may be
true:
It looks as if you have spent all your money on
this new bag.