WISHES AND REGRETS

Wanting to change the present

PRESENT SITUATIONS
Days are so short in winter
Shes sorry she never wins a match
He works very little

I wish days were longer

She wishes she won a single match
I wish he worked harder

Regretting the past

PAST SITUATION
Very few people came to my party
John failed his driving test
I got ill after eating lobster

I wish more people had come

Tom wishes he had passed his driving test
I wish I hadnt eaten lobster

Complaining
ANNOYING BEHAVIOUR
Youre always asking for money!
I wish you wouldnt ask for money all the time
Stop playing the music so loud!
I wish you wouldnt play the music so loud
The students never pay attention to the teacher He wishes they would listen to him

TRANSFORM THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES:

1.- I lent John my tennis racket and he
broke it
I wish ...
2.- He is always breaking my things
I wish ...
3.- Tom cant speak French
He wishes ...
4.- I dont like the town where I live
I wish ...
5.- Her husband never eats what she
cooks
She wishes ...
6.- I got sunburnt because I didnt use
sun cream
I wish ...
7.- Marys wedding was a disaster
because it
rained torrentially
She wished ...

8.- The plane was delayed because there

was a
strike at the airport
I wished ...
9.- All my friends are on the beach
I wish ...
10.- He is telling stupid jokes all the time
Everybody wishes ...
11.- Susan has very little free time
She wishes ...
12.- Everybody saw him fall down in the
middle
of the street
He wished ...
13.- She never locked her car and it was
robbed
She wishes ...
14.- TV programmes are always the same
People wish ...
15.- I forgot to water the plants and they
died
I wish ...

WRITE WISHES FOR THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES USING YOUR OWN WORDS:
1. Why do you always wear such horrible clothes?
2. Nobody told me you were ill.
3. Tom didnt buy her a present. He was embarrassed.
4. Dont touch my CDs, will you?
5. Shes sad because she lives alone.
6. My stomach hurts. I ate too much.
7. What a pity I cant speak English!
8. I read less than Id like.
9. Hed like to give up smoking but he can.
10. I get up very early. I hate it.
11. Why do you spend money on stupid things?
12. Id like to have a better car.
13. I dont like living in a big city.
14. Its a pity I didnt take a photo.
15. Dont eat with your fingers!
16. We dont see each other very often.
17. I should have bought size XL.
18. Shes sorry her children dont study very hard.

WISH

IF ONLY

ITS TIME

FACT
Im stupid
I dont have any friends
He cant swim
He never asks for my opinion
Theyre always making fun of me
Ive lost my pen
They didnt help me

ID RATHER

WISH
I wish/If only I werent stupid
I wish/If only I had friends
He wishes he could swim
I wish he would ask me sometimes
I wish they would stop doing that
I wish I had been more careful
I wish they had helped me

Hes thirty and hasnt got a job

I dont want you to go

Its time he found one

Id rather you didnt go

TRANSFORM THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES:

1.- My sisters son isnt very clever.
She wishes
2.- I overslept this morning and was late for work.
If only

3.- Shes desperately shy.

She wishes
4.- I dont want you to drive so far in one day.
Id rather
5.- Ive been given the sack.
If only
6.- I want you to settle down and start studying for the exam
Its high time ..
7.- Youre always complaining about everything.
I wish
8.- He wont apologise for breaking it.
I wish
9.- She drank too much at the party.
She wishes
10.- I want to give up smoking.
If only
11.- Her father doesnt want her to marry Peter.
Her father would rather
12.- I had to lie to her.
If only
13.- Everyday except us has got a computer these days.
Its time
14.- He couldnt complete it on time.
He wished
15.- She had her hair cut really short.
Now she wishes
16.- My friends never pay attention when I speak.
I wish
17.- I did what they told me to.
I wish
18.- I wasnt encouraged to be a writer.
I wish

WRITE WISHES FOR THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES USING YOUR OWN

WORDS:
1.- He doesnt earn much money.

2.- They missed most of the film.

3.- Her husband is a successful businessman, but he does nothing but work
4.- He lost his job.
5.- The children were playing with matches and they set fire to the curtains.

6.- Id like you to keep our holiday plans secret

7.- His girlfriend left him.
8.- I was very thoughtless.
9.- My alarm clock is always slow and I am often late for work.
10.- I never remember birthdays.
11.- You cant sleep at night because your neighbours are very noisy
12.- He couldnt get his university degree because of his laziness
13.- Susan has divorced after a half-year marriage.
14.- The boy hasnt got any pets.
15.- I got back home rather late and my parents were worried.
16.- Shes always having argument with everyone.
17.- Youve got an appointment in a quarter of an hour and you havent got dressed yet.
18.-Youre lost in the middle of the country.
19.- Everyone makes fun of him because hes not very tall.
20.- Tom would like to be a doctor but he cant stand the sight of blood.
21.- She lost a mot of weight with that diet.
22.- Youre old enough to learn your own living.

WISHES

AND

REGRETS

I live in a squalid flat. Im out of work and on the dole. I didnt have a good
education;

in fact, I left school at fifteen, and without any qualifications. I wrote about fifty
job applications and didnt get a single job. I went for a lot of interviews, but I
dont really know how to behave at interviews. I cant answer their questions very
well.
I sit about at home every day, watching TV, and smoking. I get through about
forty cigarettes a day, so I dont have enough money to go to football matches
any more. A friend of mine from school has got a job at a travel agents. He
travels all over the world for his holidays, and hes always telling me about
wonderful trips to Spain and Greece. Ive never been abroad! Im so depressed. I
think the worst thing is having nothing to look forward to. Im nineteen, and I
have a lifetime of nothing in front of me.

1. He wishes he lived somewhere nicer.

2.
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5.
6.
7.
8.
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11.
12.

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I wish I hadnt lent it to him

I wish he wouldnt break my things

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He wishes he could speak French

I wish I didnt live in this town
She wishes he would eat what she cools
I wish I had used sun cream
She wished it hadnt rained
I wished there hadnt been a strike
I wish I were on the beach with my friends
Everybody wishes he wouldnt tell stupid jokes
She wishes she had more free time
He wished nobody had seen him fall down
She wishes she had locked her car
People wish TV programmes wouldnt be always the same
I wish I had watered the plants

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I wish you would wear something nice

I wish somebody had told me you were ill
Tom wished he had bought her a present
I wish you would touch my CDs
She wishes she had someone to live with
I wish I had eaten less
I wish I could speak English
I wish I read more
He wishes he could give up smoking
I wish I didnt have to get up early
I wish you wouldnt spend money on stupid things
I wish I could afford a better car
I wish I lived in a small town
I wish I had taken a photo
I wish you wouldnt eat with your fingers
I wish we could see each other more often
I wish I had bought size XL
She wished her children studied harder

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She wishes her son were cleverer

If only I hadnt overslept
She wishes she werent so shy
Id rather you didnt drive so far in on day
If only I hadnt been given the sack
Its high time you settled down and started studying for the exam
I wish you wouldnt complain about everything
I wish he would apologize for breaking it
She wishes she hadnt drunk so much at the party
If only I could give up smoking
He father would rather she didnt marry Peter.
If only I hadnt lied to her
Its time we got a computer
He wished he had been able to complete it on time
Now she wishes she hadnt cut it so short
I wish they would pay attention when I speak
I wish I hadnt done what they told me
I wish I had been encouraged to be a writer

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He wishes he had a better-paid job

They wish they had arrived earlier
She wishes he had more time for her
He wishes he hadnt argued with his boss
Their mother wishes she hadnt left the matches there
Id rather you didnt say anything about our holiday plans
He wishes he had spent more time with her
I wish I had been more thoughtful
I wish I had a better alarm clock
I wish I had a better memory
I wish they lived somewhere else

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He wishes he had studied harder

She wishes she hadnt married
He wishes he had a dog
I wish I had phoned them
I wish she wouldnt be so bad-tempered
Its time you were ready
You wish you had brought a map with you
He wishes people wouldnt be so rude
He wishes he werent so squeamish
She wishes she hadnt started dieting
Its time you got a job

PAGE 5
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He
He
He
He
He
He
He
He
He
He
He

wishes
wishes
wishes
wishes
wishes
wishes
wishes
wishes
wishes
wishes
wishes

he
he
he
he
he
he
he
he
he
he
he

had a job
had studied harder at school
had qualifications
knew how to behave at interviews
could answer questions properly
didnt smoke so much
had more money
could go to football matches
could travel as his friend
werent so depressed
had something to look forward to