WISHES AND REGRETS

WISHES ABOUT PRESENT

WISH/ IF ONLY + PAST Tense (Simple/ Cont)
He wishes he was/were with his friends right now.
I wish you didn't live so far away.
If only we knew what to do.

WISHES ABOUT PAST

WISH/ IF ONLY + PAST PERFECT
Paula wishes she had listened to her parents’advice.
“If only you had told me the truth”, said Anna.
WISH + WOULD - wish ab. things you would like to change
That guy is so annoying! I wish he'd stop talking.
I wish they wouldn't park their car in front of my house.
WISH + COULD – ABILITIES
I wish I could remain calm during all of this.
I wish I could settle the argument."
Dear Mum,
I feel really unhappy! I wish I 1 ………………………… (1) this job. If only I 2 …………………….. (
2) to you before I made the decision to come here. l wish the people here 3 ………………………. (3)
so unfriendly. I don't like it at all! If only I 4 …………………………..(4) longer breaks.
Looking at a computer screen all day is tiring; I wish my computer 5 ……………………… (5) ! And I
wish my boss 6 …………………………….. (6) yelling at me all the time. He's always in a bad mood.
It's so annoying! Also, I wish there 7 ………………………….. (7) someone here I could talk to but
there is no-one I can talk to. I haven't made any friends. If only I 8 …………………………. (8) some
friends when I arrived here, but meeting new people is very difficult. I wish
you 9 ………………………… (9) nearer to me. If only I 10 ……………………………. (10) you
more often!
Please write soon. I miss you!
Love,
Mary
1 A didn’t accept b wouldn’t accept c hadn’t accepted
2 A listened b had listened c would listen
3 A wouldn’t be b hadn’t been c weren’t
4 A would have b had had c had
5 A would explode b explode c will explode
6 A stopped b would stop c had stopped
7 A were b had been c would be
8 A had made b would have made c made
9 A would live b lived c had lived
10 A would see b could see c could have seen

Fill in the gaps to complete the sentences as in the example

1 You got up late and you missed the train.
I wish I …………………….. late.
2 You shouted at your girlfriend and she broke up with you.
I wish I ………………….at my girlfriend.
3You're not the boss so you can't use the car park.
I wish I …………………………..the boss.
4 You didn't go to the meeting and you lost the contract.
I wish I ………………………to the meeting.
5 Your neighbours make a lot of noise and you hate it.
If only my neighbours ……………………so much noise!
6 You want to go away for the weekend but you've got lots of homework.
I wish I …………………………..…so much homework.
7 You got hurt because you didn't wear a helmet.
I wish I ………………………….a helmet.
8 You'd like to have a cat but you're allergic to animals.
I wish I ………………………..allergic to animals.
9 You didn’t fill up the tank and you ran out of petrol.
I wish I ……………………………………the tank.
10 Your partner is biting his nails and you want him to stop because you don't like it.
I wish you ………………………….biting your nails.
Would rather
To talk ab Present
Same subject + base form Different subject + Past Simple
I’d rather stay at home than go out tonight. I’d rather you stayed at home tonight.
I’d rather not fly. I hate planes. Would you rather I wasn’t honest with you?

To talk ab Past
Same subject + base form Different subject + Past Perfect
She would rather have spent the money on a I’d rather you hadn’t rung me at work.
holiday.
(The money wasn’t spent on a holiday.)
I’d rather have seen it at the cinema than on
DVD.
(I saw the film on DVD.)

Much rather - to make the preference stronger. In speaking, we stress much:

I’d much rather make a phone call than send an email.

I’d rather not - to say no to a suggestion or request:

A: Do you want to go for a coffee?
B:I’d rather not, if you don’t mind.

Would sooner, would just as soon - when we say that we prefer one thing to another thing. They
mean approximately the same as would rather:
I don’t really want to go back to France again this year. I’d sooner go to Spain.
Thanks for the invitation, but, if you don’t mind, we’d just as soon stay at home and watch it all
on TV.

PREFER
I prefer tea to coffee.
We prefer going by ferry to flying.
She’s not keen on coffee. She prefers to drink tea. (or She prefers drinking tea to coffee.)

WOULD PREFER
I’d prefer to go by myself.
She’d prefer not to drive at night.
I’d prefer to go skiing this year rather than go on a beach holiday.

They’d prefer us to come later. (or They’d prefer it if we came later.)

Would you prefer me to drive? (or Would you prefer it if I drove?)

I WOULD PREFER IT IF (spoken)

a) used to say that you wish a situation was different
Sales have gone down, and obviously we’d prefer it if that didn’t happen.
b) used when telling someone politely not to do something
I’d prefer it if you didn’t smoke in front of the children.