Wish and If only

Wish and If only

Wish and If only are both used to talk about regrets things that we would like to
change either about the past or the present.
Talking about the present
If only I didnt have so much homework I could go to the concert tonight. She has
a lot of homework and she cant go to the concert.
I wish you didnt live so far away.
I wish I knew what to do.
When we talk about present regrets, both wish and if only are followed by the past
simple tense. The past tense emphasises that we are talking about something unreal.
Talking about the past
I wish Id studied harder when I was at school. He didnt study harder when he
was at school.
I wish I hadnt eaten all that chocolate. I feel sick.
If only Id known you were coming.
Both wish and if only are followed by the past perfect tense when we talk about past
regrets.
Wish/if only and would
We use wish + would to talk about something in the present that we would like to
change usually something that we find annoying.
I wish you wouldnt borrow my clothes without asking.
I wish it would rain. The garden really needs some water.
I wish youd give up smoking. its really bad for you.

NB We can only use wish + would to talk about things we cant change.
So I wish I wouldnt eat so much chocolate is not possible although we can say I wish I
didnt eat so much chocolate.