Wishes and Regrets - TESOL PJ

Wishes

& Regrets

If you had the chance to ask for three wishes to a genie, what would they be?

Personally...

I wish I could get less responsabilities.I wish I could fly.I wish I could eat Chinese food this weekend.

How do we talk about wishes and regrets? Well, there are a couple of ways!

Wishes

Wish and ‘If only’ are both used to talk about regrets – things that we would like to change either about the past or the present.

To talk about things that we would like to change in the future or the present, we use the following structure:I wish / if only + subject + verb in past / could

If only I could finish all my projects today.

I wish it could go home soon.

If only I had more money.

Regrets

I wish / If only + subject + verb in past perfect

When we want to express regret about a situation that happened in the past and we cannot change, we use:

For example:

• I wish I hadn't procrastinated.

• If only I had gone to bed earlier.

Express annoyance

When we want someone or something to stop doing an action that is bothering us, we use the following:

I wish / If only + subject + would + verb in infinitive

For example:

I wish you wouldn't borrow my clothes without asking.

If only the semester ended right now!

I wish you would stop making so much noise.

Exercise

Now you have to change the sentences into wishes and regrets using the structures for wishes and regrets:Wishes: I wish / if only + subject + verb in past / could Regrets: I wish / If only + subject + verb in past perfectTo express annoyance: I wish / If only + subject + would + verb in infinitive

Exercise

Now you have to change the sentences into wishes and regrets using the structures for wishes and regrets:Wishes: I wish / if only + subject + verb in past / could Regrets: I wish / If only + subject + verb in past perfectTo express annoyance: I wish / If only + subject + would + verb in infinitive

REFERENCES:

Test-English. (2023, February 3). Wishes and regrets - I wish/if only - Test-English. https://test-english.com/grammar-points/b1-b2/wishes-regrets/Wishes: “wish” and “if only.” (2024, November 26). LearnEnglish. https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/b1-b2-grammar/wishes-wish-if-onlyWishes and regrets: English Grammar. (n.d.). Gramática Inglesa. https://www.gramatica-inglesa.com/en/units/others/wishes-and-regretsExpress wishes and regrets | English Grammar | English EFL. (n.d.). English EFL. https://www.english-efl.com/lessons/expressing-wish-regret/

Thank you!