6-3 Expressing Wishes

When we want to express things that we would like to be different from reality but which are impossible or very unlikely, we use the verb ‘wish’ or the phrase ‘if only’.

Usually, the verb ‘wish’ is followed by a noun clause (covered in Unit 10) like in the example above. As with all that- noun clauses, the ‘that’ is optional and is usually dropped in speech and informal writing.

Because we use ‘wish’ to express something that we want to be different from reality, we are talking about something that is imaginary or hypothetical (not real/true). Therefore, we have to use past tenses in the noun clauses. As with conditionals, the specific past tense we use depends on the time we are talking about.