wish

Apuntes

Wish We use this structure when we want our situation (or the situation of the person who is doing the wishing) to be different. • We use the past simple to express a wish that has not come true in the present. I wish Eleanor liked me. Don't you wish you had a big car? I wish she was/were going out with me. Henny wishes he had a job. • We use **would/could** to talk about wishes we have for other people or things. I wish my sister would stop smoking. I wish he wouldn't chew gum all the time. I wish the sun would shine. • We use **could** to talk about wishes we have for ourselves. I wish they could come with us. I wish I could be in the basketball team. I wish I could stop smoking. • We use the **past perfect** to refer to things we are sorry about in the past. I wish I had been invited to the party. She wishes she hadn’t told him about Carlo. **2.2 If Only** *If only* is used with the same verb forms as *wish*, and it is used when your feelings are stronger. It is often written with an exclamation mark (!). It is often used with **would/wouldn't** to criticize someone else's behavior. Examples: If only I could find the answer! If...