I wish… (Conditionals) 1) Complete these sentences with the correct form of the verb in brackets. Some sentences require a negative. 1. Bruce wishes he had more money so he could buy a new sweater. 2. I wish it snowed now that it’s Christmas. 3. I wish I were taller so that I could be in the basketball team. 4. I wish you would stop watching television while I am talking to you. 5. I wish you wouldn’t do that. It annoys me. 6. I wish the holidays would come so we could go off to the seaside. 7. I wish they wouldn’t build that block of flats right in front of our window. 8. Of course Tom wishes he could come with us to Paris, but he has to stay here and work. 9. I wish we could go to the match on Saturday but we’re visiting my uncle instead. 10. I wish you had kept your mouth shut yesterday. Now Mary knows everything. 11. If only I hadn’t lost all my money. Now I'm broke. 12. Peter is always late. If only he would turn up on time for a change!

Bruce wishes he had more money so he could buy a new sweater.

• Here, the past tense "had" is used to express a hypothetical present situation that Bruce is wishing for. The use of "could" in the second clause indicates an ability to do something in the present, if the situation were different.

I wish it snowed now that it’s Christmas.

• This sentence uses the past simple tense "snowed" to express a desire for something that is not happening at the moment but would be ideal for the Christmas season.

I wish I were taller so that I could be in the basketball team.

• The use of "were" (subjunctive mood) instead of "was" is required when talking about hypothetical or unreal situations in the present.

I wish you would stop watching television while I am talking to you.

• "Would" is used here to express a desire for someone to change their behavior. The action is in the future, but it's a polite wish for a change in another person's actions.

I wish you wouldn’t do that. It annoys me.

• This sentence is a request for someone to stop doing something that causes annoyance. The negative form "wouldn't" is used to express this wish.

I wish the holidays would come so we could go off to the seaside.

• The use of "would" expresses a desire for something to happen in the future. The speaker hopes for the holidays to arrive soon, so they can go on a trip.

I wish they wouldn’t build that block of flats right in front of our window.

• The negative "wouldn't" is used to express a wish that something does not happen in the future, in this case, the building of the block of flats.

Of course Tom wishes he could come with us to Paris, but he has to stay here and work.

• "Could" is used to express Tom's hypothetical ability to come to Paris, if only his situation were different.

I wish we could go to the match on Saturday but we’re visiting my uncle instead.

• "Could" here shows a wish for something that is not possible due to the current plans (visiting the uncle), which prevents going to the match.

I wish you had kept your mouth shut yesterday. Now Mary knows everything.

If only I hadn’t lost all my money. Now I'm broke.

Peter is always late. If only he would turn up on time for a change!