Wish
The following 3 ideas are regrets about the past situation but the main verb afterThe main use of 'wish' is to say that we would like things to be different from what they are, that we have regrets about the present situation.
- I wish I was rich.
- He wishes he lived in Paris.
Notice that the verb tense which follows 'I wish' is 'more in the past' than the tense corresponding to its meaning. The following 3 ideas are regrets about the present situation but the main verb after wish is used in the past.
- I'm too fat. I wish I was thin.
- I never get invited to parties. I wish I got invited to parties.
- It's raining. I wish it wasn't raining.
wish is used in Past Perfect.
- I went to see the latest Star Wars film. I wish I hadn't gone.
- I've eaten too much. I wish I hadn't eaten so much.
In the case of 'will' , when used to express annoyance we use 'would' after wish.
- He won't help me. I wish he would help me.
- You're making too much noise. I wish you would be quiet.
- You keep interrupting me. I wish you wouldn't do that.
Where 'will' means a future event, we cannot use 'wish' and must use 'hope'.
- There's a strike tomorrow. I hope some buses will still be running.
- I hope everything will be fine in your new job.
In more formal English, we use the subjunctive form 'were' and not 'was' after 'wish'.
- I wish I were taller.
- I wish it were Saturday today.
- I wish he were here.
exercise 2
No comments:
Post a Comment