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Unit 39 Wish

The document discusses the proper uses of "wish" and "hope" in different contexts. It explains that "wish" is used to express desires for someone's success, happiness or well-being. It is also used to express present regrets about things that are not the case or cannot be changed. "Hope" is used to express desires for things that may or may not happen in the future. The document provides examples of correct and incorrect usage of "wish" and "hope" in different situations.

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Jasmin Manalo Aquino
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78 views5 pages

Unit 39 Wish

The document discusses the proper uses of "wish" and "hope" in different contexts. It explains that "wish" is used to express desires for someone's success, happiness or well-being. It is also used to express present regrets about things that are not the case or cannot be changed. "Hope" is used to express desires for things that may or may not happen in the future. The document provides examples of correct and incorrect usage of "wish" and "hope" in different situations.

Uploaded by

Jasmin Manalo Aquino
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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A. You can say “I wish you luck / all the best / success / a happy birthday,” etc.

:
 I wish you all the best in the future.
 I wish Tim before the exam, and he wished me luck.

We say “wish somebody something” (luck / a happy birthday, etc.). But you cannot “wish
that something happens.” We use hope in this situation. For example:
 I hope you get this letter before you leave town. (not I wish you get)

Compare I wish and I hope:


 I wish you a pleasant stay here.
 I hope you have a pleasant stay here. (not I wish you have)

We also use wish to say that we regret something, that something is not the way we
B.
would like it. When we use wish in this way, we use the past (knew/lived, etc.), but the
meaning is present:
 I wish I knew what to do about the problem. (I don’t know and I regret this)
 I wish you didn’t have to go so soon. (you have to go)
 Do you wish you lived near the ocean? (you don’t live near the ocean)
 Jack’s going on a trip to Mexico soon. I wish I was going too. (I’m not going)

To say that we regret something in the past, we use wish + had . . . (had known / had
said), etc.:
 I wish I’d known about the party. I would have gone if I’d known. (I didn’t know)
 It was a stupid thing to say. I wish I hadn’t said it. (I said it)
C. I wish I could (do something) = I regret that I cannot do it:
 I’m sorry I have to go. I wish I could stay longer. (but I can’t)
 I’ve met that man before. I wish I could remember his name. (but I can’t)

I wish I could have (done something) = I regret that I could not do it:
 I hear the party was great. I wish I could have gone. (but I couldn’t go)

D. You can say “I wish (somebody) would (do something).” For example:
It’s been raining all day. Jill doesn’t like it. She says:

I wish it would stop raining.

Jill would like the rain to stop, but this will probable
not happen.

We use I wish . . . Would when we would like


something to happen or change. Usually, the
speaker doesn’t expect this to happen.
We often use I wish . . . would to complain about a situation:
 The phone has been ringing for five minutes. I wish somebody would answer it.
 I wish you would do something instead of just sitting and doing nothing.
You can use I wish . . . wouldn‘t . . . to complain about things that people do repeatedly.
 I wish you wouldn’t keep interrupting me.

We use I wish . . . Would . . . for actions and changes, not situations. Compare:
 I wish Sarah would come. (= I want her to come)
but I wish Sarah was (or were) here now. (not I wish Sarah would be)
 I wish somebody would buy me a car.
but I wish I had a car. (not I wish I would have)
Exercises
39.1 Put in wish(ed) or hope(d).
1. wish
I ___________ you a pleasant stay here.
2. Enjoy your vacation. I ____________ you have a great time.
3. Goodbye. I _______________ you all the best.
4. We said goodbye to each other and ___________________ each other luck.
5. We’re going on a picnic tomorrow, so I ___________________ the weather is nice.
6. I ________________ you luck in your new job. I ____________ it works out well for you.

39.2 What do you say in these situations? Write sentences with I wish . . . .
1. It’s raining. You want to go out, but not in the rain.
You say: __________________________________________________________________________
I wish it would stop raining.
2. You’re waiting for Jane. She’s late and you’re getting impatient.
You say to yourself: I wish __________________________________________________________
3. You’re looking for a job – so far without success. Nobody will give you a job.
You say: I wish somebody _________________________________________________________
4. You can hear a baby crying. It’s been crying for a long time and you’re trying to study.
You say: __________________________________________________________________________
For the following situations, write sentences with I wish . . . wouldn’t . . . .
5. Your friend drives very fast. You don’t like this.
You say to your friend: I wish you _____________________________________________________
6. Joe leaves the door open all the time. This annoys you.
You say to Joe: _____________________________________________________________________
7. A lot of people drop litter in the street. You don’t like this.
You say: I wish people _______________________________________________________________
39.3 Are these sentences right or wrong? Correct them where necessary.
1. I wish Sarah would be here now. I wish Sarah were here now.
_____________________________________
2. I wish you would listen to me. _____________________________________
3. I wish I would have more free time. _____________________________________
4. I wish our house would be a little bigger. _____________________________________
5. I wish the weather would change. _____________________________________
6. I wish you wouldn’t complain all the time. _____________________________________
7. I wish everything wouldn’t be so expensive. _____________________________________

39.4 Put the verb into the correct form.


1. It was a stupid thing to say. I wish _______________________
I hadn’t said it. (I / not / say)
2. I’m fed up with this rain. I wish ________________________.
it would stop (it / stop)
3. It’s a difficult question. I wish ___________________________ the answer. (I / know)
4. I should have listened to you. I wish _______________________ your advice. (I / take)
5. You’re lucky to be going to Peru. I wish _____________________with you. (I / can / come)
6. I have absolutely no energy. I wish ___________________________ so tired. (I / not / be)
7. Aren’t they ready yet? I wish ____________________________ up. (they / hurry)
8. It would be nice to stay here longer. I wish ______________________________ to go now.
(we / not / have)
9. When we were in Cairo last year, we didn’t have time to see all the things we wanted
to see. I wish ____________________________ longer. (we / can / stay)
10. It’s freezing today. I wish ______________________________ so cold. I hate cold weather.
(it / not / be)
11. Joe still doesn’t know what he wants to do. I wish _________________________________.
(he / decide)
12. I really didn’t enjoy the party. I wish _____________________________. (we / not / go)

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