There are three forms of expressing wishes: the present wish, past wish, and using "if only". The present wish expresses wanting a current situation to be different, like "I wish I knew how to dance". The past wish expresses regret over past events, using the past perfect tense, like "I wish he had finished his book". Using "if only" conveys a stronger feeling than "I wish" and follows the same grammatical structures.

1. FORMS OF “WISH”
PETER MANGIARACINA
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2. THREE FORMS OF WISH
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Wish in the present
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Wish in the past
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Using “If only…”
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3. TWO CLAUSES
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Sentences with forms of wish usually contain two clauses:
Clause 1
Clause 2
I wish (that)I had a million dollars.
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4. PRESENT FORM OF WISH
The True Situation
Expressing a Wish
Explanation
I don’t know how to dance.
I wish (that) I knew how to dance.
I have to work tonight.
I wish I didn’t have to work tonight
People make wishes when they want
reality to be different. It’s not
necessary to use “that” to subordinate
the clause.
I’m not rich.
I wish I were rich.
“Were” is used for all subjects.
You drive too fast.
I wish you wouldn’t drive so fast.
No one has invented a teleportation
machine.
I wish someone would invent a
teleportation machine.
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“Would” is used to admonish or make
general wishes about the future.
Note the use of the past tense in the second (noun) clause.
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5. PAST FORM OF WISH
The True Situation
a. I didn’t study for the test. I failed.
b. Dr. Marvin didn’t finish writing his
book before he died. His books
are great.
c. I went to the meeting. It was
boring.
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Expressing a Wish
a. I wish I had studied for the test.
b. I wish he had finished his book
before he died.
c. I wish I hadn’t gone to that
meeting.
Explanation
The past form of wish is about a
regret about the past.
Note the use of the past perfect in the second (noun) clause.
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6. USING “IF ONLY”
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Two clauses as with “I wish.”
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Stronger than “I wish.”
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Same constructions for present and past forms as with“I wish.”
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7. EXAMPLES FOR “IF ONLY”
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I wasn’t paying attention and I locked my keys in the car.
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If only I had been paying attention!
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My neighbors have been arguing for the past two hours.
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If only they would stop! They’re driving me crazy!
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I’m not rich. I can’t date Jennifer Anniston.
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If only I were rich!
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