Hypothetical
conditions
7.
Conditional Type VII
(Wish
– Imaginary state/Action)
He wishes he were
rich.
Formula / Structure for
understanding
For
State
I
wish + sub + were + complement
For
action
I
wish + sub + would + V1
BASIC LEVEL
For state: We can use If only, I would, Would that
instead of I
wish.
For Action: We don’t use I would,
Would that
for action, we can use if only and I wish for action.
For
state
→ I wish I were
rich.
کاش میں دولت
مند ہوتا۔
→ If only I were an
intelligent student.
کاش میں ذہین
طالب علم ہوتا۔
→ I would I were the Prime Minister.
کاش میں وزیر
اعظم ہوتا۔
→ Would that you were rich.
کاش تم دولت
مند ہوتے۔
For
action
→ I wish I would go
there.
کاش میں وہاں
جاتا۔
→ If only I would go
there.
INTERMEDIATE LEVEL
→ Yaqoob wishes his fellows wouldn't make so much noise.
(wouldn’t = would not)
→ If only she would try to keep home tidy.
Wish/If only ... would expresses a wish for something to happen, or to stop happening.
If only is stronger
and more emphatic (تاکیدی انداز میں کہنا) than wish.
Read these three points
[Reference:
(Second Edition) Oxford Practice Grammar by John Eastwood Unit 149]
(i) Look at these examples.
→ I wish I lived in a big city. It's so
boring in the country.
→ We all wish we had more money, don't we?
→ If only I were taller, I might be better at
basketball.
Wish and
if only with a past-tense verb express a wish for things to be different
(ii) We cannot use would in
these sentences, but we can use could.
→ I wish I could sing (but I can't).
→ I feel so helpless. If only I could speak the language.
(iii) Wish ... the past perfect
We use wish and if only with the past perfect to express a wish about the past.
→ I wish you had told me about the dance. I would have gone.
→ I wish I'd got up earlier. I'm behind with everything today.
(I'd = I had)
→ I wish you hadn't lost that photo. It was a really good one.
→ If only David had been a bit more careful he'd have been all right.
(He'd = He had)
We do not use would have for
the past, but we can use could have.
→ I wish I could have been at the wedding, but I was in New York.
INTERMEDIATE PLUS LEVEL
We use 'can' to talk about ability - if we know how to do something
or not. For example, 'I can speak Spanish' or 'I can't drive'. We also use
'can' to talk about possibility - if things are possible or not possible. For
example, 'we can't come to the party tonight' or 'John can help you clean up'.
We use 'could' with 'wish' to talk about ability and to talk about possibility.
→ She wishes she could drive.
(she can't drive)
→ He wishes that Aslam could help you clean up.
(Aslam is at work, so he can't help)
→ I wish that I could speak French.
(but, unfortunately, I can't speak French)
→ I wish that we could go to the party tonight.
(unfortunately, we're busy so we can't go)
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