English Grammar with Kudjo. Part 3. Понятная и забавная грамматика для детей и взрослых. - страница 19
If only Kudjo knew the truth!
After wish and if only, you can use were instead of was (I wish it were etc.). It sounds more formal.
I wish it was is also possible. So you can say:
Kudjo wishes Luna were (was) here now.
There is no big substantial difference between wish and if only, apart from the fact that if only gives more emphasis to what we are saying.
EXERCISE 1
What do they wish? Write sentences with I wish or If only:
For example,
Kudjo: I love horses but I can’t ride. — If only I could ride horses!
1 Luna: I love dancing but I don’t have anybody to dance with.
2 Kudjo: I love spending time with Luna. I enjoy doing puzzles. But Luna isn’t allowed to do jigsaw puzzles.
3 Luna’s parents: We know that we must tell Luna all our family secrets but we don’t know how to do it.
4 Luna: I have fallen in love with Chilly and am looking forward to his coming.
5 Kudjo: I’d like to live in the country all year round but we have to live in the city almost all the time.
6 Kudjo: I’m fed up with dry food. Why can’t I eat raw meat instead?
7 Kudjo: I hate washing paws after every walk. If I lived in the country, I wouldn’t do it.
8 Luna’s parents: We should spend more time with Luna but we are so busy.
9 Luna: I hate learning but Kudjo wants me to read more and learn something useful.
10 Kudjo: I don’t know how to open this box but it is very important.
We use
Subject + wish + somebody + Past Perfect
or
if only + somebody + Past Perfect
to talk about things that happened or didn’t happen in the past and which we now regret.
Kudjo and Luna wish they had come home in time. (but they didn’t)
EXERCISE 2
Rewrite the sentences beginning with I wish (or If only) + Past Perfect:
For example,
Kudjo regrets having a row with Lina. – If only they hadn’t had a row.
1 Luna regrets not telling her parents that they might be late.
2 Luna’s parents regret taking Kudjo and Luna to the country.
3 They also believe that it was a bad idea to agree to help the pup.
4 They shouldn’t have let Kudjo and Luna follow the bats.
5 They should have started looking for them a long ago.
6 They regret not telling Luna the family skeleton.
7 Kudjo regrets that Chilly hasn’t come yet.
8 Kudjo regrets that he couldn’t open the box.
9 Luna regrets that the parents have bought her an old-fashioned collar.