EXPRESSING WISHES

Wish expresses regret that things are not the way the speaker would like them to be. Wish sentences have the following structures:
A She wishes Mary would join her on the trip tomorrow (She’s sorry Mary isn’t going to join her tomorrow)
She seldom writes. I wish she would write more often. (I am dissatisfied because she doesn’t write)
We often use wish+would+root verb to refer to the future or to express the speaker’s dissatisfaction with a present situation.
B I wish I knew English better. (I’m sorry I don’t know English better)
I wish he didn’t live in my building. (I’m sorry he lives in my building)
We use wish+Past Simple to refer to the present.
C I wish I had known Diana’s phone number. (I’m sorry that I didn’t know her number and couldn’t invite her to the party)
We use wish+Past Perfect(had+Past Participle) to refer to the past

Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verbs in brackets:
1. I wish Rosa [?] (work) closer to home.
2. I wish Rosa [?] (not work) so far away from home.
3. The politician wishes the reporters [?] (stop) following him everywhere.
4. My friend now wishes he [?] (live) nearer.
5. Sara wishes it [?] (not rain) when she was on holiday last month.
6. I wish our teacher [?] (let) us use calculator in the exam tomorrow.
7. I wish I [?] (buy) the car I saw yesterday; now it’s been sold.
8. Ivan wishes he [?] (go) to see the film before it stopped showing.
9. Martin often wishes he [?] (spend) more time at home with his cats.
10. Eduard wishes he [?] (know) Miriam better when they were at university.


FURTHER POINTS ABOUT WISH
A She wishes she could join them (She’s sorry she won’t be able to join them)
We can also use the modal could after wish
B She wishes he were younger. (He’s sorry he’s not younger)
In formal English, when we use wish to refer to the present, we use were for all subjects (this is similar to Second Conditional)
C I wish you would stop talking
We only use wish+would+root verb when the subjects are different.
D If only she were here now. (She would know what to do)
If only we hadn’t taken the bus. (We would have arrived earlier)

Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb in brackets. There maybe more than one correct answer. You may express regrets about present or past situations:
1. We wish we [?] (see) the performers on stage.
2. Do you ever wish you [?] (be) a basketball star?
3. I wish I [?] (win) the spelling competition instead of Mark.
4. Bernard’s grandfather says he wishes he [?] (finish) school when he was younger.
5. I wish we [?] (go) to the beach once. I’m tired of going to the public pool.
6. Do you wish you [?] (learn) to play the piano?
7. If only I [?] (have) a pet dog when I was growing up.
8. Victor’s parents wish he [?] (read) more and [?] (not watch) so much TV.
9. Marina wishes she [?] (buy) the earrings she saw, even though they were expensive.
10. Anne wishes she [?] (not be) always tired when she has to study.
11. Jeremy is so busy; he wishes there [?] (be) more than 24 hours in a day.

Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb in brackets:
1. Michael’s room-mate wishes Michael [?] (be) more tidy around the flat.
2. I wish you [?] (stop) complaining that you’re not happy with anything.
3. I wish they (open) an icecream parlour in this area.
4. If only we [?] (see) the Empire State Building when we were in New York.
5. Do you wish you [?] (travel) in space?
6. If only I [?] (not watch) TV all day yesterday.
7. Ivan wishes he [?] (be) taller.
8. Joan and Simona wish they [?] (afford) a new car.
9. I wish I [?] (not be) so busy.
10. I wish you [?] (stop) feeling sorry for yourself.