May 13, 2021
WISH / IF ONLY
I'm late 3 minutes for the meeting .
I say to my friend sitting on my right side:
1. 'I wish I weren't always late",
and to my friend sitting on my left side :
2. 'I wish I hadn't come late for this meeting.'
Does point 1 refer to my regret in relation to a bad habit of mine and point 2 refer to my regret because of that single instance of being late?
Are the sentences below correct?
3. I wish I didn't have to go to work tomorrow.
4. Steve wishes his school was closed tomorrow so he doesn't need to do any homework.
5. The kid wishes for a new console for his birthday.
6. The kid would like to get a new console for his birthday.
Are 5 and 6 the same in meaning?
7. If only I didn't have to do the shopping for today's dinner.
I'm late 3 minutes late for the meeting .
Potentially "late by 3 minutes", never "late 3 minutes".
I say to my friend sitting on my right side:
1. 'I wish I weren't always late",
and to my friend sitting on my left side :
2. 'I wish I hadn't come late for this meeting.
Does point 1 refer to my regret in relation to a bad habit of mine and point 2 refer to my regret because of that single instance of being late?
Are the sentences below correct?
3. I wish I didn't have to go to work tomorrow.
4. Steve wishes his school was closed tomorrow so he doesidn't need to do any homework.
I think this is correct but I'm not sure. Difficult sentence. Certainly what you have is wrong.
If Steve said "I wish school was closed tomorrow, and I didn't need to do any homework" - that's 100% right. Adding "so" and making it someone else talking about Steve makes me want to use "wouldn't" for some reason... but I think I'm overcomplicating it!
5. The kid wishes for a new console for his birthday.
6. The kid would like to get a new console for his birthday.
Are 5 and 6 the same in meaning?
7. If only I didn't have to do the shopping for today's dinner.
Feedback
"Does point 1 refer to my regret in relation to a bad habit of mine and point 2 refer to my regret because of that single instance of being late?" - yes, that's exactly right.
"Are 5 and 6 the same in meaning?" - pretty much. There's a context where you *explicitly* "make a wish". If he threw a coin into a fountain, or blew out his birthday candles, and made a sort of silent prayer to get a new console, then you would say he wished for one rather than that he would like one. But if he just wants one in general, then both sentences mean the same.
I marked 7 as correct because people definitely say it, but it's a sort of sentence fragment. To really be sure it works I'd want more context, something like: "Oh, I'd love to come and see you play! If only I didn't have to do the shopping for today's dinner."
May 14, 2021
Thank you for your help🙂 By the way, could you help me understand a grammar rule that says:
We cannot use the verb 'wish' to talk about the future. We need another verb, and the verb is hope. And this is usually followed by 'will' plus the bare infinitive (verb without 'to'). So, for example:
I hope you will pass your exam.
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So it seems to me that according to that rule all of the sentences below are wrong:
1. I wish this lesson was over.
2. He wishes his school was closed for 3 months.
3. I wish I could go both to the mountains and to the seaside this summer.
Are they correct although I have used 'WISH' with reference to the future?
May 14, 2021
It's not a rule I've encountered before, so this is just me trying to figure it out :)
I think wish in the future is wrong because it's... wanting something that you *don't* have. Wanting a situation to be different. So the examples I see on the internet, like "I wish it was sunny tomorrow" or "I wish it would be sunny tomorrow" - that's usually wrong because the situation doesn't exist yet. You don't know whether it will be sunny tomorrow. You wish when you want something to *change*, but there's nothing to change about the future, it hasn't happened. You would, instead, hope that it happens in a certain way.
For your sentences, "I wish this lesson was over" is correct because it isn't about the future at all! You wish it was over right now, in the present.
"I wish this lesson was going to end soon", on the other hand, is about the future. And it can be correct or incorrect - if you don't know when the lesson will end, it's incorrect. But if you *know* the lesson is going to continue for another two hours, then you can treat it as a fact and wish for the counterfactual. I know this lesson will continue for another two hours, but I wish it wouldn't, I wish it would end soon.
"He wishes his school was closed for 3 months" this again feels sort of like the present. Right now, it's not closed for 3 months, and he wishes it was.
"He wishes his school was going to close for 3 months" - same as before. If it may or may not happen, he would hope. But if he knows it won't, he might wish.
"I wish I could go both to the mountains and to the seaside this summer." this one is definitely future, so it's correct if you know you can't and incorrect if you might be able to and you don't know yet. You only have money for one trip: "I wish I could". You have the money but you don't know if you'll have time: "I hope I can".
It's probably been stated as a rule because you never actually know what the future is going to hold, right? You might win the lottery, and then you'd be able to go on both trips. So if you were being perfectly logical you would keep an open mind to any possibility, and only ever HOPE about the future. But realistically we often know, and when we know we can WISH.
May 14, 2021
Thanks to your explanation that rule doesn't seem so confusing now.
A huge thank you🙂
May 14, 2021
No problem :)
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WISH / IF ONLY |
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I'm late 3 minutes for the meeting . I'm Potentially "late by 3 minutes", never "late 3 minutes". |
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I say to my friend sitting on my right side: This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
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1. 'I wish I weren't always late", This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
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and to my friend sitting on my left side : This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
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2. 'I wish I hadn't come late for this meeting. This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
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Does point 1 refer to my regret in relation to a bad habit of mine and point 2 refer to my regret because of that single instance of being late? This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
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Are the sentences below correct? This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
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3. I wish I didn't have to go to work tomorrow. This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
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4. Steve wishes his school was closed tomorrow so he doesn't need to do any homework. 4. Steve wishes I think this is correct but I'm not sure. Difficult sentence. Certainly what you have is wrong. If Steve said "I wish school was closed tomorrow, and I didn't need to do any homework" - that's 100% right. Adding "so" and making it someone else talking about Steve makes me want to use "wouldn't" for some reason... but I think I'm overcomplicating it! |
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5. The kid wishes for a new console for his birthday. This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
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6. The kid would like to get a new console for his birthday. This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
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Are 5 and 6 the same in meaning? This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
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7. If only I didn't have to do the shopping for today's dinner. This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
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