Unit

39 if I knew … I wish I knew …

A Study this example situation:

Sarah wants to phone Paul, but she can’t do this because

she doesn’t know his number. She says:
I’d phone him if I knew his number.
(I’d phone = I would phone)
Sarah doesn’t know Paul’s number, so she says ‘if I knew’.
She imagines what she would do if she knew his number.
… if I knew his number …

When we imagine a situation like this, we use if + past (if I knew / if you were / if we didn’t etc.).
But the meaning is present, not past:
There are many things I’d like to do if I had more time. (but I don’t have time)
If I didn’t want to go to the party, I wouldn’t go. (but I want to go)
If you were in my position, what would you do?
It’s a pity he can’t drive. It would be useful if he could.

B We use the past in the same way after wish (I wish I knew / I wish you were etc.).
We use wish to say that we regret something, that something is not as we would like it to be:
I wish I knew Paul’s phone number.
(= I don’t know it and I regret this) I wish I had an umbrella.
Do you ever wish you could fly?
(you can’t fly)
It’s very crowded here. I wish there weren’t
so many people. (there are a lot of people)
I wish I didn’t have to work tomorrow, but
unfortunately I do.
Compare:
I’m glad I live here. (I live here and that’s good)
I wish I lived here. (I don’t live here unfortunately)

C After if and wish, you can use were instead of was (if I were / I wish it were etc.).
You can also use was. So you can say:
If I were you, I wouldn’t buy that coat. or If I was you, …
I’d go for a walk if it weren’t so cold. or … if it wasn’t so cold.
I wish Anna were here. or I wish Anna was here.

D We do not usually say ‘if … would’. We use would (’d) in the other part of the sentence:
If I were rich, I would travel a lot. (not If I would be rich)
Who would you ask if you needed help? (not if you would need)
In the same way we say:
I wish I had something to read. (not I wish I would have)
I wish she were here now. (not I wish she would be)
For ‘I wish … would …’ see Unit 41.

E Could sometimes means ‘would be able to’ and sometimes ‘was/were able to’:
She could get a better job (she could get = she would be able to get)
if she could speak another language. (if she could speak = if she was able to speak)
I wish I could help you. (I wish I could = I wish I was able)

could ➜ Units 26–27 if I do / if I did ➜ Unit 38

78 if I had known / I wish I had known ➜ Unit 40 wish ➜ Unit 41
 Unit
Exercises 39
39.1 Put the verb into the correct form.
1 If I knew (I / know) his number, I would phone him.
2 I wouldn’t buy (I / not / buy) that coat if I were you.
3 (I / help) you if I could, but I’m afraid I can’t.
4 This soup isn’t very nice. (it / taste) better if it wasn’t so salty.
5 We live in a city and don’t need a car, but we would need one if
(we / live) in the country.
6 If we had the choice, (we / live) in the country.
7 I’d make a lot of changes if (I / be) the manager of the company.
8 I wouldn’t call someone in the middle of the night if (it / not / be) important.
9 If I were you, (I / not / wait). (I / go) now.
10 You’re always tired because you go to bed so late. If (you / not / go)
to bed so late every night, (you / not / be) tired all the time.
11 I think there are too many cars. If (there / not / be) so many cars,
(there / not / be) so much pollution.
12 We all need jobs and money, but what (you / do) if
(you / not / have) to work?

39.2 Write a sentence with if … for each situation.

1 We don’t see you very often because you live so far away.
If you didn’t live so far away, we’d see you more often.
2 I like these shoes but they’re too expensive, so I’m not going to buy them.
I them if so
3 We’d like to go on holiday, but we can’t afford it.
We if
4 It would be nice to have lunch outside but it’s raining, so we can’t.
We
5 I don’t want his advice, and that’s why I’m not going to ask for it.
If

39.3 Write sentences beginning I wish … .

1 I don’t know many people (and I’m lonely). I wish I knew more people.
2 I don’t have much free time (and I need more). I wish
3 Helen isn’t here (and I need to see her).
4 It’s cold (and I hate cold weather).
5 I live in a big city (and I don’t like it).
6 I can’t find my phone (which is a problem).
7 I’m not feeling well (which isn’t good).
8 I have to get up early tomorrow (but I’d prefer to sleep late).

9 I don’t know much about science (and I should know more).

39.4 Write your own sentences beginning I wish … .

1 (somewhere you’d like to be now – on the beach, in New York, in bed etc.)
I wish I
2 (something you’d like to have – a motorbike, more friends, lots of money etc.)

3 (something you’d like to be able to do – sing, travel more, cook etc.)

4 (something you’d like to be – famous, more intelligent, good at sport etc.)

➜ Additional exercises 19–21 (pages 313–14) 79

Unit
40 if I had known … I wish I had known …
A Study this example situation:

Last month Gary was in hospital for a few days. Rachel didn’t know this.
A few days ago they met by chance. Rachel said:
If I’d known you were in hospital, I would have gone to visit you.
(= I didn’t know, so I didn’t go to visit you)
If I’d known = If I had known. This tells us that she didn’t know before.

We use if + had (’d) … to talk about the past (if I’d known / if you’d done etc.):
I didn’t see you when you passed me in the street. If I’d seen you, I would have said hello.
They didn’t go out last night. They would have gone out if they hadn’t been so tired.
(but they were tired)
If you’d been looking where you were going, you wouldn’t have walked into the wall.
(but you weren’t looking)
The view was wonderful. I would have taken some pictures if I’d had (= if I had had)
a camera with me. (but I didn’t have a camera)
Compare:
I’m not hungry. If I was hungry, I would eat something. (now)
I wasn’t hungry. If I had been hungry, I would have eaten something. (past)

B We do not say ‘if something would have happened’. We use would in the other part of the sentence:
If I had seen you, I would have said hello. (not If I would have seen you)
The short form ’d can be would or had:
If I’d seen you, (I’d seen = I had seen)
I’d have said hello. (I’d have said = I would have said)

C We use had done/known/been etc. in the same way after wish.

I wish something had happened = I am sorry that it didn’t happen
I wish something hadn’t happened = I am sorry that it happened
I wish I’d known that Gary was ill. I would have gone to see him. (but I didn’t know)
I feel sick. I wish I hadn’t eaten so much. (I ate too much)
Do you wish you’d studied science instead of languages? (you didn’t study science)
Compare:
I’m glad I saw him. (= I saw him)
I wish I’d seen him. (= I didn’t see him)
We do not say ‘wish … would have …’ .
The weather was cold. I wish it had been warmer. (not I wish it would have been)

D Compare would (do) and would have (done):

If I’d gone to the party last night, I would be tired now. (I am not tired now – present)
If I’d gone to the party last night, I would have met lots of people. (I didn’t meet lots
of people – past)
Compare would have, could have and might have:
⎧ we would have gone out.
⎪ we could have gone out.
⎪
If the weather hadn’t been so bad, ⎨ (= we would have been able to go out)
⎪ we might have gone out.
⎪
⎩ (= maybe we would have gone out)

80 had done ➜ Unit 15 if I do / if I did ➜ Unit 38 if I knew / I wish I knew ➜ Unit 39 wish ➜ Unit 41
 Unit
Exercises 40
40.1 Put the verb into the correct form.
1 I didn’t see you. If I’d seen (I / see) you, I would have said (I / say) hello.
2 Sarah got to the station just in time to catch her train to the airport. If
(she / miss) the train, (she / miss) her flight too.
3 Thanks for reminding me about Lisa’s birthday. (I / forget)
if  (you / not / remind) me.
4 I didn’t have your email address, so I couldn’t contact you. If (I / have)
your email address, (I / send) you an email.
5 Their trip was OK, but (they / enjoy) it more if
the weather (be) better.
6 Sorry we’re late. Our taxi got stuck in the traffic. (it / be)
quicker if (we / walk).
7 Why didn’t you tell me about your problem? If (you / tell) me,
(I / try) to help you.
8 I’m not tired. If (I / be) tired, I’d go home now.
9 I wasn’t tired last night. If (I / be) tired, I would have
gone home earlier.

40.2 For each situation, write a sentence beginning with If.

1 I wasn’t hungry, so I didn’t eat anything.
If I’d been hungry, I would have eaten something.
2 The accident happened because the road was icy.
If the road
3 I didn’t know that you had to get up early, so I didn’t wake you up.
If I
4 Unfortunately I lost my phone, so I couldn’t call you.

5 Karen wasn’t injured in the crash, because fortunately she was wearing a seat belt.

6 You didn’t have any breakfast – that’s why you’re hungry now.

7 I didn’t get a taxi because I didn’t have enough money.

8 Dan didn’t do well at school, so he couldn’t go to university.

40.3 Imagine that you are in these situations. For each situation, write a sentence with I wish.
1 You’ve eaten too much and now you feel sick.
You say: I wish I hadn’t eaten so much.
2 When you were younger, you never learned to play a musical instrument. Now you regret this.
You say:
3 You’ve painted the gate red. Now you think it doesn’t look good. Red was the wrong colour.
You say:
4 You decided to travel by car, but the journey was long and tiring. Going by train would have been better.
You say: I wish we
5 Last year you went to New York with a friend. You didn’t have time to do all the things you wanted to do.
You say:
6 You moved to a new flat a few months ago. Now you don’t like your new flat. You think that moving
was a bad idea.
You say:

➜ Additional exercises 19–21 (pages 313–14) 81

Unit
41 wish
A We say ‘wish somebody luck / all the best / success’ etc. :
I wish you all the best in the future.
I saw Mark before the exam and he wished me luck.
We say ‘wish somebody something’ (luck, happiness etc.), but we do not say ‘I wish something happens’.
We use hope in this situation:
I’m sorry you’re not well. I hope you feel better soon. (not I wish you feel)
Compare I wish and I hope:
I wish you a pleasant stay at this hotel.
I hope you enjoy your stay at this hotel. (not I wish you enjoy)

B We also use wish to say that we regret something, that something is not as we would like it.
When we use wish in this way, we use the past (knew/lived etc.), but the meaning is present:
I wish I knew what to do about the problem. (but I don’t know)
I wish you didn’t have to go so soon. (but you have to go)
Do you wish you lived near the sea? (you don’t live near the sea)
Jack’s going on a trip to Mexico soon. I wish I was going too. (but I’m not going)
To say that we regret something that happened before, we use wish + had known / had said etc. :
I wish I’d known about the party. I’d have gone if I’d known. (but I didn’t know)
It was a stupid thing to say. I wish I hadn’t said it. (but I said it)
See also Units 39 and 40.

C I wish I could (do something) = I regret that I cannot do it:

I’m sorry you have to go. I wish you could stay longer. (but you can’t)
I’ve met that man before. I wish I could remember his name. (but I can’t)
I wish I could have (done something) = I regret that I could not do it:
I hear the party was great. I wish I could have gone. (but I couldn’t go)

D You can say ‘I wish something would happen’. For example:

I wish it would stop raining. It’s been raining all day. Tanya doesn’t like it. She says:
I wish it would stop raining.
Tanya would like the rain to stop, but this will probably not happen.
We use I wish … would when we would like something to happen
or change.

We often use I wish … would to complain about a situation:

The phone has been ringing for five minutes. I wish somebody would answer it.
I wish you’d do (= you would do) something instead of just sitting and doing nothing.
You can use I wish … wouldn’t … to complain about things that people do repeatedly:
I wish you wouldn’t keep interrupting me. (= please stop interrupting me)

E We use I wish … would … to say that we want something to happen. We do not use I wish … would …
to say how we would like things to be. Compare:
I wish Sarah would come. (= I want her to come)
but I wish Sarah was (or were) here now. (not I wish Sarah would be)
I wish somebody would buy me a car.
but I wish I had a car. (not I wish I would have)

would ➜ Unit 36 I wish I knew ➜ Unit 39 I wish I was / I wish I were ➜ Unit 39C
82 I wish I had known ➜ Unit 40
 Unit
Exercises 41
41.1 Put in wish(ed) or hope(d).
1 I wish you a pleasant stay at this hotel.
2 Enjoy your holiday. I hope you have a great time.
3 Goodbye. I hope you all the best for the future.
4 We said goodbye to each other and wished each other luck.
5 We’re going to have a picnic tomorrow, so I hope the weather is nice.
6 Congratulations on your new job. I wish you every success.
7 Good luck in your new job. I hope it works out well for you.
41.2 Complete the sentences.
1 Jack is going on a trip to Mexico soon. I wish I was going too.
2 I’m very tired and I have so much to do. I wish I wasn’t so tired.
3 You didn’t tell me you were ill. Why not? I wish you had told me.
4 I don’t have enough free time. I wish I had more free time.
5 I can’t make up my mind what to do. I wish I could decide.
6 I bought these shoes, but now I don’t like them. I wish I hadn’t bought them.
7 We have to go out now and I don’t want to go. I wish we didn’t have to go out now.
8 Unfortunately I couldn’t go to the wedding last month. I wish I could have done .
41.3 What do you say in these situations? Write sentences with I wish … would … .
1 It’s raining. You want to go out, but not in the rain.
You say: I wish it would stop raining.
2 You’re waiting for Jane. She’s late and you’re getting impatient.
You say to yourself: I wish she would come
3 You’re looking for a job – so far without success. Nobody will give you a job.
You say: I wish somebody would give me a job/ I wish I had a job
4 You can hear a dog barking. It’s been barking a long time and you’re trying to study.
You say: I wish the dog would stop barking
For the following situations, write sentences with I wish … wouldn’t … .
5 Your friend is driving very fast. She always drives fast and you don’t like this.
You say to her: I wish you wouldn’t drive so fast/ would slow down
6 Joe leaves the door open all the time. This annoys you.
You say to Joe: I wish you wouldn’t leave the door open
7 A lot of people drop litter in the street. You don’t like this.
You say: I wish people wouldn’t drop litter/ wouldn’t litter
41.4 Put the verb into the correct form.
1 It was a stupid thing to say. I wish I hadn’t said it. (I / not / say)
2 I’m fed up with this rain. I wish it would stop . (it / stop)
3 It’s a difficult question. I wish I knew the answer. (I / know)
4 I really didn’t enjoy the party. I wish we hadn’t gone . (we / not / go)
5 I wish the bus would come . We’ve been waiting for 20 minutes. (the bus / come)
6 You’re lucky to be going away. I wish I could come with you. (I / can / come)
7 Our flat is rather small. I wish it were a bit bigger. (it / be)
8 I should have listened to you. I wish I had taken your advice. (I / take)
9 You keep interrupting me! I wish you would listen . (you / listen)
10 You’re always complaining. I wish you wouldn’t complain all the time.
(you / not / complain)
11 It’s freezing today. I wish it weren’t so cold. I hate cold weather. (it / not / be)
12 I wish the weather would change . It’s horrible! (the weather / change)
13 I wish I had a piano. I’d love to have one. (I / have)
14 When we were in London last year, we didn’t have time to see all the things we wanted to see.
I wish we could have stayed there longer. (we / can / stay)

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