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How we use Wish and if only in English

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how we use wish and if only

In this English lesson you learn how we use Wish and If Only in English.

The first structure we are going to look at is:

wish + past tense for imaginary situations in the present

Examples:

  • Ted wishes he had a new motorcycle.
  • Jenny wishes she was/were smarter.
  • She wishes her brother didn’t drink so much alcohol.
  • Eddie wishes it was/were warmer. He likes the heat.
  • Mum wishes she could stay for longer.

wish + you, he, she, they + would

  • The teacher wishes you would stop complaining.
  • She wishes her husband would not spend so much time at the office.
  • He wishes she would look for another place to live.

We use ‘would’ for reasonable actions but NOT for impossible situations.

Examples:

He wishes you would shut up.

but we cannot say:

He wishes that he would be younger.

If only

If only is similar to wish but it is stronger in meaning.

Examples:

  • If only I had gone to university.
  • If only you wouldn’t try so hard.

So, there you go. That is how we use wish and if only in English.


Here’s another grammar lesson for you to look at.

Please take a look at my English courses on curious.com

Filed Under: B1 (intermediate), B2 (upper-intermediate), Grammar, tutorials, Video, Vocabulary Tagged With: english b1, english b2, english lesson, if only, wish

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