Câu Wish

Wish Clauses

In English we express desire and regret in different ways, and the two most common methods of doing this are in the ‘would’ and ‘wish’ forms. The former, ‘would’, is often used in conjunction with words such as ‘like’ and ‘love’, while ‘wish’ is used with a variety of words, as the following exercises demonstrate.

………………..something to eat or drink? (would, like)
Yes please, …………. a glass of milk, if you have any. (would, love)
On Saturday we’re all going to a football match. ……………. to come? (would, like)
It’s a shame we can’t go to the match. I …………………… to go. (would, love)
For once, I …………… to the cinema without having to sit behind a really tall person. (would, like, go)
…………….. to be able to go to sleep, but I have to finish this essay by tomorrow. (would, love)
……………. to go the theatre this weekend, but I’m too busy. (want, go)

Quite often, ‘wish’ is used with a form of the word ‘is’. In the following exercises, ‘is’ changes to ‘were’ or ‘was’.

I’m shorter than I want to be. I wish I were/was taller. (wish, is)
I wish I weren’t/wasn’t so lazy; then I would have done this work long ago. (wish, is)
It is too cold in Prague. I …………….. so cold. (wish, is)
If I weren’t so old I might be able to afford the cut-price transport tickets. I………………...younger. (wish, is)
I………………able to take you to the zoo, but I have to wash my car (wish, is)
I’m tired, but I need to be at work in an hour. I ………………… to work. (wish, go)

Sometimes, when speaking about the present, we use wish with ‘had’. When speaking about the past we may use ‘had had’ or ‘hadn’t had’:

I wish I had an umbrella, now the rain has started to fall.
I do not have a car. I wish I had a car. (wish, have)
Paul is in trouble with the police. Now he ………………….. that painting (wish, steal)
Jane is late for work. Now she ……………………….set her alarm clock last night. (wish, set)
Q. Do you have any regrets? A. Yes, I …………………. more in my youth. (wish, travel)
My plane leaves early tomorrow morning and I still haven’t packed. I ……………. it earlier. (wish, do)
I have no money left. I ……………………more with me. (wish, bring)

Rewrite the following sentences, using the ‘wish’ form:
I drank far too much beer last night. I ………………………..
I saw a house that I thought about buying, but didn’t: I now regret this. I…………………………….
John feels that he is too weak, and that his muscles are far too small. John ……………………………..
I ate nothing for breakfast; now I’m hungry. I ……………………….
Robert was born in Scotland but now lives in South Africa; and he misses his homeland terribly. John …………………………
Do you regret coming to the beach without a towel? Do you………………………
I dyed my hair blue, and now I hate it! I ………………………..

When we want to express a desire for future events, we may use ‘wish’ along with ‘would’, as the first example demonstrates:

We came to the mountains to ski, and there is no snow. I wish it would snow.
My brother and sister are fighting over the computer. I ………………………… come to an agreement.
I can’t get to sleep because my brother keeps snoring. I …………………………
I’m sitting in a boring English class and I want it to stop. I …………………..end.

In wish clauses, most verbs can go alongside ‘would’. However, there are two important verbs which do not: ‘to be’ and ‘to have’.
Wish Clauses – Answer Key

In English we express desire and regret in different ways, and the two most common methods of doing this are in the ‘would’ and ‘wish’ forms. The former, ‘would’, is often used in conjunction with words such as ‘like’ and ‘love’, while ‘wish’ is used with a variety of words, as the following exercises demonstrate.

Would you like something to eat or drink? (would, like)
Yes please, would love a glass of milk, if you have any. (would, love)
On Saturday we’re all going to a football match. Would you like to come? (would, like)
It’s a shame we can’t go to the match. I would love to go. (would, love)
For once, I would