In this section you will learn about wishes and regrets in English grammar.
What are wishes and regrets?
We use the expressions wish / if only to provide information about a wish, desire or regret. If only is stronger and more emphatic than wish.
How do you use wishes in English grammar?
We use the structure wish + subject + past simple to talk about wishes or desires for the present and that we would like them to be different.
I wish I knew how to bake.
If only I wasn’t embarrassed to speak in public
We use the structure wish + subject + past perfect to talk about regrets from past actions.
I wish I had thanked you that time.
If only I had visited London before coming here.
We use the structure wish + subject + would + bare infinite when:
1-We do not like or feel comfortable about someone’s behaviour and we would like it to be different.
I wish you would stop taking my books!
I wish my roommates would clean the kitchen.
If only my boss wouldn’t scream at me everyday.
2-We do not like or feel comfortable about a situation and we would like it to be different.
I wish the restaurant would add a new menu.
I wish my birthday would come sooner.
If only my stomachache would go away.
Read more about English grammar here.