B2 · grammar

Wish Exercises (B2) — Free

Wish and if only: regrets about the present and the past, and complaints

We use wish to talk about things we would like to be different, and the verb after it moves one step back in time. For the present, use wish + past simple: I wish I had more time (but I don't). With be, both were and was are correct: I wish I were taller / I wish I was taller. For the past, use wish + past perfect: I wish I had listened to you (but I didn't). For a complaint about someone else's behaviour, or something we want to change but can't control, use wish + would: I wish you would stop shouting; I wish it would stop raining. Don't use wish + would about yourself: say 'I wish I could swim', not 'I wish I would swim'. If only works the same way but is stronger. A common mistake is using a present tense after wish: say 'I wish I knew', not 'I wish I know'.