This document discusses the use of the expressions "wish" and "if only" to express wishes or desires. It provides examples of different structures used with "wish" and "if only" to convey different meanings: wishing to change the present, expressing regret about the past, making polite requests, and showing desire for ability. The structures are wish/if only + past simple/continuous, wish/if only + past perfect, wish/if only + would, and wish/if only + could. The document concludes by providing an exercise to write a 250-word composition using these different wish structures.

1. By: MsC. Ginett Sánchez

2. USING WISH / IF ONLY
We use the verbWISH and the expression IF ONLY
to express a wish or desire.
IF ONLY is more emphatic than WISH
Examples:
I WISH I were a millionaire
IF ONLY I had more time

3. To express our wish to change the present into a
different reality or when we would like something
to be different in the present, we use the following
structure:
WISH /IF ONLY +past simple or past continuous.
Examples:
I wish I had a new car
If only he were dancing with me
In formal English you use “were”
instead of “was”

4. To express regret about something that happened
or did not happen in the past, we use the following
structure:
WISH /IF ONLY +past perfect .
Examples:
I wish I had studied for my EnglishTest
If only he had called me sooner

5. To say a polite imperative or wish for a change in a
situation or someone’s behavior, we use the
following structure:
WISH /IF ONLY + would.
Examples:
I wish she would be more respectful
If only you would help me more often

6. To show your desire that someone was able to do
something, we use the following structure:
WISH /IF ONLY +could.
Examples:
I wish I could go with you to the party
If only my mother could see me now

7. Exercise: Write a composition (250 words) using
WISH /IF ONLY expressing all the situations
explained in this presentation.