THE ‘UNREAL’ PAST © Ifonly I was tall. © It’s time they were forced to clear up the mess. / ‘These kids act as if they owned the place. ‘© I wish I were coming with you tomorrow. © Suppose the gun had been fired at me? / I wish I'd never started this course. © Suppose I was/were to announce my candidacy at the next council meeting. IT’S (HIGH/ABOUT) TIME (THAT) © It’s time we left. / It’s about time you paid a visit to your grandparents. / It’s high time that the voice of the people was heard in this House. © I! Hestime-wedidn’tstay: I'm afraid it’s time to put your books away now, children. / Come on everybody. It’s time for us to get on the coach. WHAT IF, SUPPOSE/SUPPOSING (THAT) ‘© Suppose he asked you to marry him, what would you say? © Supposing your parents had refused, how would you have felt? © Suppose you paid the bill for once? © What if the plan doesn’t work? / Suppose he gets caught at customs. You know how vigilant they can be. WOULD RATHER / WOULD SOONER © I'd sooner you gave me a cash refund. A credit note’s no use to me. © I’drather you didn’t smoke in here./ I’m not keen on the idea of staying in. I'd sooner we went out clubbing or something. © We'd sooner you spent your bonus on something useful. / I'd rather spend it on something frivolous. AS IF/ AS THOUGH © He talks to children as though they were imbeciles. / They are acting as if nothing had happened. © He sounds as if he knows what he’s talking about. / You look as though you haven’t eaten for days. © Itisn’tas ifhe’s in any position to pass judgment! WISH / IF ONLY © wish I had more free time. / If only I were taller. © I wish that you'd told me about this before I booked the tickets. / If only he hadn’t been driving so fast! © I wish you'd stop looking at me like that. It’s terribly distracting. © Ifonly the sun would come out so we could get on with the filming. © Lwish-sports-ears-wouldn’t-be so-expensive- I wish sports cars weren’t so expensive. © Honly-nuclear bombs.wouldn’t have been invented- If only nuclear bombs hadn’t been invented. «© Lwish-twould-bemore-energetie. If only I were more energetic OR I wish I could be more energetic. © I wish I could dance but I’m afraid I’ve got two left feet. * I wish your father could have been there to see it all. © Ifonly we'd seen you coming. We might have braked in time. — I wish we'd seen you coming, We would have put out the red carpet. © Ienly-that you'd told me about it earlier-I wish that you'd told me about it earlier. HOPE ‘© hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow. * [hope he’ll stop talking soon!Advanced Language Practice Formal Subjunctives| Formulaic Subjunctive a ‘Chooreberween ope and wish in cach sentence. 2 Pur each verb Dracketsintoa suitable tense 1 Insisting, demanding es After verbs such s demand, insist, suggest, require which involve an implied ‘obligation, the subjunctive may be used in formal style, This has only one form, chatof the infinitive, and theres no third persons, or past form. The verb behas be forall forms. They demanded that be leave at once ‘The same applies after expresions uch asi ts ecensary/estentiallimportant that ‘I isessentia that you arive before sx 2. Less formal usage Less formally, should can be used, and colloquially no tense change is mad, ran infinitive constuction i used. They demanded that he should leave. They demanded tht he left. (informal) Irisessential for you to arrive before sx. ‘These are fixed expressions ll using subjunctive. Typical examples ate: God save the Queen! Berhatasit may. Come what may 6) Uhope/wish knew the answer 4) Lhope/wish you dda’thave to go, €) Thope/wish you'd stop shouting so mush. 4) Thope/wish nothing goes wrong. 1 Thope/wishit would sop ring 1) Thope/wish you ean come tomy party 3) Thope/wish youdon't mind i) Uhoperwish we could meet next week a) would say it was ime you farted (start) working seriously b) Pdrather you (not watch) television while I'm reading, «) Ewish swe (Spend) more time swimming last summer. 4) Helens 0 bossy She actsasif she (own) the place «) Ewish you (not keep) coming lateto class. £) Suppose a complete strange ..n.mn(leave) you lot of money in their wll! ®) Iwish v= (G0)t0 your party afterall, Ey 3 Correct the error orerrorsin each 4 Complete cach sentence with suitable word or phrase 5 Complete each sentence withone word. Unit Unreal tenses and subjanetives by Pdrather you (sit) nent to Susan please 8) The government demanded that the ambassador. |) You ae lucky going to Fal: Fish Tn-ne(go) with You be) recalled 2) Lwish [bought that old house 1) Fdrather you don't cat ll the bread ©) Wstime go. 48) Tish Lown a motorbike ¢) Iwish we are not leaving inthe morning, £) Sue would rather reading than watching television, 2) Come what comes, Ibe on your side 1) Lhopeit would stop raining. |) preter you dida'e wai |) wish did't listen to you before a) wish you sould top making so much noise late a night! bb) Pdrather the children onthe teevision without permission. «) Suppose halt the mosey Lowe you. Would that satisfy you? 4) Thope getinto rouble on my account. ¢) Thisisan awful hotel. wish we tothe Grand instead, 4) Itisabsolutely you contact head office in advance. a) Ithink t's high rime we lockingall the windows at night 1h) Would you rather thelunch, if you eel tired? 3) Lwish my car as fastas yours. 1) Pdprefer you sw smoke in here ifyou don't sind 4) Its high time you learned to look after yourself! 1) Tish you try listening to me just for once! ot rather not go by bus, if possible, a) ws thata it may. it doesnt alter the seriousness ofthe problem. ©) Lwish Carol ) Weboth wish vou bbehere to see youll staying longer ) You sf yourhad played inthe matchinstead of watching it! hy they offered vou thejob of managing director! 4) Treally wish we rmarted pt you didn’ mind my phoning so lateAdvanced Language Practice 6 4) Do youeverregretnot goingto university? Rewritecach Do you ever srs you had gone to niversity? Sentence sothatit_) I should really be leaving. acts : wise a, ‘contains the wordin capital, ¢) TWrather have heer than wine and sothat the meaning staysthe Jack doesn’t know athe answers, though he pretends to ©) Talove tobe ableto go with you tothe opera {) [wish Thad’ sold that old painting 8) Itwould be beter you didn't say long hy The management insisted on our wearing dark suits ’) Why do you haveto complain all the ime? i) Tdon’t want to go tothe meeting 7 2) Ttwould be nice: be ableto fly. Rewritecach I wish could fly! sentence, by wish Thad’ heal hae? beginningas Pdrather vou shown, so that the meaning stays thesame. Everyone regretted. 4) Unfortunately I've got work at tonight wish «) Isiebetter for meoleave? Would you. ) Wsapity ean’ borrow your cae wish you would 1) Wereally must discuss this again. Wsimportane that 2 WEAR wis RATHER «) Everyone wished they had listened more carefully tothe lecture. Unit 9 Unreal tenses and subjunctoes h) W's apity you were driving sofas. wish you. i) May the President live along time! Long. i) Jack prefers me not to say anything about the missing money. Jack would eather 2) Iestimeall of us were in ed, b) Pd eather you slowly and more carefully. °) ‘may; [will always beon your side! 4) Iwish you the lecture instead of Professor Brown! ¢) Don't rush your decision, I'd rather ou ate over £) Theauthorites the money be paid at once f) Iwish Leould 2 your party, but I was busy I'mafraid. Fh) Mary sometimes ats as if she ‘ether way what happened, ) What ‘did about that problem we discussed? i) Iestimel my w:oid VJ Practice Study the folowing extracts. Two of them use appropriate lx opriate language but four of them use ferns Uehich have an incorrect degree of formal Tk () the two correct extracts aa rowrte ‘maining four using subjuncves (note you may need to use pasuve forte). 1 : — The hey t these exercises son page 353. [tis vita that cain a submited to the comnts wth supring secamenson, cron ied | ‘haa 2 gndithany can you imagins, ths bos ong et (nsisted that Look litte James to iste epi tet $x. po roe v Sects aay Sans Clause 25.6 of the Treetment of Offenders Act suggests that esc offender receives a rimhly vist from a probation oer Its imperative that ear protectors ‘re wor at altimes whan ‘operating the machin athe. Rewrite these sentences using a suitable phrase from the box. Use each phrase only once. suppose | Lieven they'd rather ‘Taking the late fight would be preferabe for me, You look awful. Have you been unwell? Pease don’t wipe your feet on the carpets ‘What on earth wil happen if they don’t accept your explanation? ‘We really ought to pay the bil now. {11 complaines to the police, how would they react? they had the choice, | think they’ prefer us to go with them, She isn't a member ofthe club, but she acts like someone wh Is. You shou give your ares acl, they must be geting worried 5 NOW. Ti eon take the later fight, 134 | | Bs ish TT 1 with one of the intormation in the box then match each statement (1-15) below the ion (A), Mary (Nor Teresa (7). You can match five statements to each speaker Tian Toves Swimming but he doesnt have a poo! in his Roose IM Mary has a swimming p00 n her house. T Teresa used to own a house with si me had 9 Rouse wth a ool sa we got ofthe poo? ste we changed the water the poo 5 I Pepe pool hat been So expensive to malta see hatha polo a tose yeas? 8 osPrtper we had our own poo. i Fay sometimes tak 2 had my om swing poo 1 eit we'a never naa a pool? 8 Wy he dilren would Use our pool more often so ell go beck to the days when we had our ow poo 10 ne elt Rave tat pest bg poo inthe ack garden 1) (boner we used sla power to neato: Bool 12 {Sah me could nave used our poo! more. ites about tine we bull a poo 15 tat we instal a pool in the basement? = on meaing tthe sr cth oh sentences below, wie 2 new sentence a snr as posible In meaning fer cah ate tern words gen nl les The Words most not De akered i ny way Sean example 0 te bein > Lege the ft that we it a the and lay. te could Tah ca seth ad pla. W's ply that you dant tl us that you were leavin. ‘ish - 2 What would have happened if they hadnt eot a recip suppose 5 We realy should go now. went 4 Unfortunately, Fm no os aie 1 used tbe nly stove tobe able fo play the plano. could fo Her eonstat crilam of me realy gets on my nerves stop ‘Trent my home inthe same way that you would treat your own. though «5 regret not going to university when | was younger o She wou ove to have more ess. ta ; to Frese don ete gsi nthe Rota the ca i 135 es ER SS PCT as AR EMD NE,