Wishes and hypothesis
Learn ENNglish
Wishes and hypotheses
Wishes
We
use past tense
forms to talk about wishes:
- We
use past tense modals would
and could to talk about wishes for the future:
I don’t like my work. I wish I could get
a better job.
That’s a dreadful noise. I
wish it would stop.
I always have to get home early. I
wish my parents would let me stay out later.
- We
use past
tense forms to talk about wishes for the present:
I don’t like this place. I wish I lived in
somewhere more interesting.
These seats are very uncomfortable. I
wish we were travelling first class.
Everyone wishes
they had more free time.
John wishes he
wasn’t so busy.
I wish it
wasn’t so cold.
- We
use the past
perfect to talk about wishes for the past:
I wish I had worked harder when I was at school.
Mary wishes she
had listened to what her mother told her.
I wish I hadn’t
spent so much money last month.
Hypotheses (things that we
imagine)
When we are talking about hypotheses:
- We
use present
tense forms after phrases like what if,
in case and
suppose to
talk about the future
if we think it is likely
to happen:
Those steps are dangerous. Suppose someone has
an accident.
We should leave home early in
case we are late.
- We
use a past
tense form to talk about the future after
suppose and
what if to
suggest something is not
likely to happen:
It might be dangerous. Suppose they got lost.
What if he lost
his job. What would happen then?
- We
use modals would,
could for
a hypothesis about the future:
We can’t all stay in a hotel. It would be very
expensive.
Drive carefully. You
could have an accident.
- We
use would
in the main clause and the past in a subordinate
clause to talk about the imagined
future:
I would always help someone who really needed
help.
I would always
help someone if
they really needed it.
- We
use modals with have
to talk about something that did not happen in
the past:
I did not see Mary, or I might have spoken to
her.
It’s a pity Jack wasn’t at the party. He
would have enjoyed this party.
Why didn’t you ask me. I
could have told you the answer.
