Language Activation Task

Your regrets
• What has gone wrong in your work that you’ve regretted?
What could you have done to avoid the problem?

• What has been problematic in your country recently? How

might things have been different if politicians had made
different decisions?
We shouldn’t have…
If they had…., we might
have seen…
Language Activation

What situations do you see in the images?

What actions could have led to these situations?

What regrets might the people have?

If he had / hadn’t…
Language Focus: Talking about regrets
You will listen to two colleagues discussing an issue that they had at work. Read the
questions, watch the video and answer.

1. What happened to the contracts

and files?

2. Why didn’t the woman ask for

help from her colleague?

watch video Google docs

Complete the sentences from the video. Then answer the questions on the right.

I ought to _____finished them. Did she finish them? Y/N

You __________ have done that. Did they do that? Y/N

Compare these regrets. Which describes the past? Which describes the present?

You should save your work frequently. That way, you won’t lose work.
You should have saved the document frequently. That way, you wouldn’t have lost your work.
Complete these other alternative past realities from the video.

I ________ have asked for help yesterday, but I forgot!

If you had asked for help, you ______ have finished your work.
Read the dialogue from the video with your partner or teacher. Underline the
examples of regret.

Woman: Where are the contracts and files?

Man: I gave them to your boss. Why?
Woman: You shouldn’t have done that! I hadn’t finished reviewing
them.
Man: Well you should have told me. I always take your paperwork to
the boss at the end of the day.
Woman: Ugh, you’re right. I ought to have finished them yesterday,
but the day just got so busy that I didn’t have time. I could have
asked for help yesterday, but I forgot!
Man: If you had asked for help, you might have finished your work.
Woman: I know. I regret not asking you.

Have you had a similar issue at work? Did you regret your actions?
Language In Use
Express regret
What does Max wish he had done differently? Use the information given to
explain his regrets.

• Max went to the casino with colleagues after work instead of going home.

• He spent all of his money on the slot machines and he forgot his credit card
at the office.
Max ought to have…
• He doesn’t have any money for a taxi home.

He shouldn’t have…
What does Jane wish she hadn’t done? What could she have done
instead? Use the information given to explain.

• Jane yelled at her oldest son on the phone.

• She told him he was grounded for 2 months with no T.V. or internet.

• Her son threatened to never come home.

Jane should have…

She could have…

If she hadn’t…. , her son

might have….
 Look at all of the pictures below. What should they have done differently? What do they wish
had happened?

Ray should have woken up earlier.

He shouldn’t have gone to bed so
late, and he wishes that he had left
the party earlier.
Ted reflects on a project and makes a list of things that he didn’t do well. Read
the list. Rephrase the regrets using the phrases you have learned.

I ought to have…

I could have…
I wish I had…
 Speaking Task

Your regrets
• What has gone wrong in your work that you’ve regretted?
What could you have done to avoid the problem?

• What has been problematic in your country recently? How

might things have been different if politicians had made
different decisions?
We shouldn’t have…
If they had…., we might
have seen…
 Final Speaking Task

Unit 7: Talk about past regrets

your
idea
- Student A: Describe a recent problem you had. Talk about your regrets. Include:

- A short description of the problem

- 2 regrets you have about the situation.
- 1 thing that could have happed if you’d done things differently

-Student B: Think about 2 things that could have happened or your partner could
have done differently.

Ask your partner what would have happened if they’d done this.
-Student A: Answer the question. I should have done
If I hadn’t… , I wouldn’t have
-Switch roles
 Model dialogue

Unit 7: Talk about past regrets

your
idea

Student A: I had a problem at work the other day. I was writing an important report and
suddenly my computer crashed and I lost everything, so my team and I had to start from
scratch again. They were really mad at me. I should have backed up my file. I shouldn’t
have been so careless. If I had backed up my file, we could have saved us a lot of work.
Student B: What would have happened if one of your teammates had saved a copy of the
file?
Student A: If someone had saved a copy, we wouldn’t have had to start from scratch.
Student B: What would have happened if you hadn’t finished the report on time?
Student A: If we hadn’t finished on time, our boss would have been furious.
I should have done
If I hadn’t… , I wouldn’t have
Self Check
My notes…..
 Unit Annex

This material is designed to be used if:

- you are teaching a 100% presencial class
- you have time to do extra production work
- you feel some exercises in this annex are more suited to your
students’ needs.

You may also use the extra practice if the student(s) really struggle with
the target language. However, please think very carefully about taking
up class time with controlled practice that they can do online.
 Language Focus: Alternative past realities
You will listen to a video of James explaining why he didn’t travel to Greece. Read the
questions, watch and then answer.

1. Where did James travel to in

the end?

2. What would James have done

if he had travelled to Greece?

watch video Google docs

Complete the sentences from the video.

I ______ _______ (go) to Greece if I ________ __________ (find) a job

there.

If he _______ _________ (not come) to Italy, he ________ ________ (not

meet) Nicole.

Form: Subject + would(n’t) + ______ + past participle + if + subject + past perfect.

 I would have gone to Greece if I had found a job there.

If he hadn’t come to Italy, he wouldn’t have met Nicole.

Answer the questions.

Did he go to Greece?
Did he come to Italy?
Did he meet Nicole?

Select the correct options to complete the explanation.

Use the third conditional to talk about hypothetical situations in the present / past and alternative
realities. It is possible / not possible to change these situations, because the past has already happened.
Read the dialogue from the video with your partner or teacher. Underline all
the instances of the third conditional.

Woman: So James, why did you come to Italy?

James: Well, I wanted to go to Greece, but I couldn’t find a
job. So, I came here instead.
Woman: What would you have done if you had gone to
Greece?
James: I would have taught English at a University on the
island of Crete if I had gone there.
Woman: Well, you wouldn’t have made much money if you
had gone to Greece. Teaching jobs pay a lot better here in
Italy.
James: That’s true. And I wouldn’t have met you or Nicole if I
hadn’t come to Italy.

Have you ever planned to move somewhere but it didn’t work out? What happened?
Language Focus
Read the following conversation with your teacher. Underline all the different
examples of regrets.

USEFUL PHRASES

I wish it had gone differently

I should have, shouldn’t have…

to get nervous
to give a presentation
to go well, not go very well
to make a joke

Have you ever had a presentation that went as badly as Drew’s?

Language Focus
Review the table with your teacher. Can you complete it?
Talking About Regrets and Wishes
Wish If only
I wish the whole thing had ______ differently. If only I had been more careful.
I wish I _______ made a joke. If only I hadn’t _____ the coffee.
Should have Ought to have
I ______ have left earlier. I ought to have gone to bed earlier.
I made some joke that I shouldn’t have _____. I oughtn’t to ____ gotten nervous.
I ________ have left without checking the
traffic.

Remember:
I wish, he/she wishes.
The form of modals is the same for all persons: I should have, he shouldn’t have, I ought to
have, they ought to have, etc.
Language In Use
• What is something you wish you had
done differently in high school?

I wish I hadn’t studied

this subject because…

• Before starting your career or getting

your first job, what is something you
should have done?

If only I hadn’t gotten a job straight

away, I could have travelled across
Europe first.
Make notes about what happened.

Explain your regrets to your partner or I should have spoken in a more

teacher. Ask and answer follow-up polite way.
questions.
What could you have
If only I hadn’t raised my voice! done differently?