Talk about regrets and impossible situations — and control the tense that carries the feeling.
Sometimes reality is not what we want. We are too short, we did not study, someone keeps annoying us. In English, the words wish and if only let you step out of the real world and imagine a better one. The tricky part is not the words themselves — it is the tense that follows them, because that tense carries the whole meaning.
The golden idea of this unit: after wish and if only, we "shift the tense one step back into the past". A present wish uses a past tense; a past regret uses the past perfect. Master this shift and you can express regret, frustration and longing like a confident B2 speaker.
Use this to complain about, or long for a change in, a situation right now. The situation is real and present, but you use a past tense to show it is imaginary — the opposite of what is true.
| Reality now | The wish | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| I don't have much time. | I wish I had more time. | present situation I want to change |
| I can't play the guitar. | I wish I could play the guitar. | a present ability I lack |
| It's raining. | If only it weren't raining! | emphatic complaint about now |
Use this to look back and regret something that already happened — or did not happen. The event is finished, so you shift one more step back, into the Past Perfect (had + V3).
| What really happened | The regret | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| I didn't study. | I wish I had studied harder. | regret about a past action |
| I said no to the party. | If only I had said yes! | emphatic regret about the past |
| You didn't tell me. | I wish you had told me. | regret about another person's past act |
Use wish + would when another person (or thing) does something annoying and repeated, and you want them to change. It carries a feeling of irritation and a request for different behaviour.
If only works exactly like wish — same tenses — but it is stronger and more emotional. Use it when the feeling is intense, and it often stands as an exclamation on its own.
| Tense after "if only" | Example | Feeling |
|---|---|---|
| Past Simple | If only I had a phone! | strong present wish |
| Past Perfect | If only I had listened to her! | deep past regret |
| would | If only he would text me back! | frustration at behaviour |
When you want to build a wish, ask yourself one question: am I talking about now, the past, or someone's behaviour? Then the tense chooses itself.
| You mean... | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| A situation now you want to change | wish/if only + Past Simple | I wish I lived by the sea. |
| An ability you lack now | wish/if only + could | I wish I could swim. |
| A regret about the past | wish/if only + Past Perfect | I wish I had saved my pocket money. |
| Annoyance at someone's behaviour | wish/if only + would | I wish he would hurry up. |
These are the errors B2 students still make with wishes. Check every row against your own English.
| Wrong ✗ | Right ✓ | Why? |
|---|---|---|
| I wish I will be taller. | I wish I were taller. | wish never takes "will"; use "were" for a present state. |
| I wish you will help me. | I wish you would help me. | annoyance at behaviour → would, not "will". |
| I wish I studied harder for yesterday's test. | I wish I had studied harder. | a past regret needs the Past Perfect. |
| I wish I would be more organised. | I wish I were more organised. | don't use "would" about yourself. |
| If only she was here now. | If only she were here now. | careful English uses "were" after wish/if only. |
Two friends talk after a disappointing week. Read it twice and watch each type of wish at work: a present situation, a past regret, and frustration at someone's behaviour.
Choose the correct answer. — 10 questions, each one is marked instantly. Questions get harder as you go.
Learn the words, then use them to talk about choices you wish you had made differently.
Write 8 sentences about a decision, a regret, or something you wish were different — in your studies, friendships, hobbies or family life. Use at least 8 of the words above.
Sentence starters (you can begin with these):
Değerlendirme öğretmenin tarafından yapılacak. (Your teacher will review your task.)
Read the text, then answer the questions.
Good readers prepare before they start. Before you read, think about these three questions (you do not need to write the answers):
Words to spot (from the Speaking section): regret · hindsight · opportunity · reconsider · impulsive · hasty · priorities · worthwhile
Selin often says that if only she had made one different decision, her whole school life would look different. Two years ago, she turned down a place in the school music club and chose to spend every afternoon studying instead, because it seemed the sensible thing to do.
Ever since she was eleven, Selin had loved the way a single melody could lift her mood on even the greyest of days. She had taught herself a handful of chords on an old guitar that once belonged to her uncle, and she dreamed of one day playing on a real stage in front of the whole school. When the music club finally opened its doors to younger students, it felt like the chance she had been waiting for. Yet, at almost exactly the same time, her timetable filled up with revision, mock tests and seemingly endless homework. If only the two opportunities had not arrived in the very same month, she thinks now, the choice might have been far easier to make.
At the time, the decision did not feel dramatic at all. Selin was only fourteen, the end-of-year exams were looming, and every teacher kept repeating that this was 'the year that really mattered'. Her parents never pushed her directly, but she could sense their quiet hope, and the last thing she wanted was to disappoint them. Music, she told herself firmly, could always wait a year or two. Looking back now, she admits that she wishes she had asked herself a simpler question: not 'What is the sensible thing to do?' but 'What would actually make me happy?' If only an older student had reminded her, back then, that those two answers do not always have to fight against each other.
For a long time she regretted that choice. 'I wish I had followed my heart,' she used to tell her friends. Although extra studying pushed her grades up, she never felt truly excited about her days. However, she kept her guitar in the corner of her bedroom and played it every single evening.
Her afternoons soon settled into a strict, predictable rhythm. While her classmates rushed off to football practice or drama rehearsals, Selin sat at the same desk, surrounded by the same neat piles of notes. Her marks climbed steadily and her teachers praised her constantly; nevertheless, something inside her felt oddly flat. She would finish her homework, glance across at the guitar in the corner, and play softly until her fingers ached. 'I wish I could do both,' she often muttered to herself, although at that stage she could not quite imagine how such a thing might ever be possible.
During those long evenings, the question 'What if?' kept returning like a stubborn echo. What if she had joined the club after all? What if she had trusted her own instincts instead of everyone else's careful advice? One rainy afternoon she finally confided in her older cousin, Deniz, who listened patiently and then said something Selin would never forget. 'Regret is only useful,' Deniz told her gently, 'if it teaches you what to do next time. Otherwise it just weighs you down for nothing.' Those words stayed with Selin for weeks, and little by little they began to change the way she looked at her own choices.
Then, in hindsight, she realised something important. Her hours of studying had not been wasted; therefore, she now knew how to organise her time better than almost anyone. She had learned discipline, focus and patience — skills that many talented musicians lack. Nevertheless, a quiet voice still whispered, 'What if?'
Last term, Selin finally reconsidered her priorities. She did not quit studying impulsively; whereas her younger self might have made a hasty decision, the older Selin planned everything carefully. Moreover, she had built such good study habits that she could easily make room for music too. Since that moment, she has never looked back.
Rather than acting on a sudden impulse, Selin drew up a careful plan on a single sheet of paper. She listed every subject, every deadline and every free hour she could realistically find. Then, right beside them, she wrote one small but important word: music. She promised herself that she would practise for half an hour after finishing her most difficult task, treating it as a reward rather than a guilty distraction. To her surprise, the plan worked far better than she had expected. Her grades did not fall; if anything, playing the guitar left her calmer and more focused whenever she returned to her books.
Today Selin plays in the school band and still gets excellent marks. She has less free time than before, yet she has never been happier. 'I used to wish I had chosen differently,' she says. 'Now I know that every road taught me something worthwhile. If only I had understood that sooner.'
These days, whenever a nervous younger student stops her in the corridor to ask for advice, Selin simply smiles and repeats the lesson she learned the hard way. 'Don't spend your whole life wishing you had chosen differently,' she tells them warmly. 'If only I had realised earlier that you rarely have to give up one dream in order to protect another one.' She still keeps that old sheet of paper, now folded and faded, tucked carefully inside her school diary. It reminds her that every road, whether it feels sensible or brave, can lead somewhere worthwhile in the end — provided you are willing to keep learning from the journey and, above all, from your own mistakes.
Choose the correct answer.
Are these sentences true or false, according to the text?
Complete each sentence with ONE word from the text. Mind the wish / if only structure.
Write your answer in your own words. These questions are not marked automatically.
1. Why did Selin choose to focus only on studying two years ago?
2. How did her hours of hard studying later turn out to be useful?
3. What do you think Selin means when she says 'every road taught me something worthwhile'?
Find these connectors in the text — each one appears at least once: however, therefore, nevertheless, although, whereas, moreover, since, yet. (You will use these same connectors in the Writing section.) Note them down, then check.
Amy asks Paul about the part-time jobs he did at university — and the strange things that happened at his favourite one.
You will hear Paul and Amy talking about the part-time jobs they had as university students. Paul describes his favourite job at a night club and the odd things that happened there. You will listen TWICE. First listen: answer questions 1-5. Second listen: answer questions 6-10. (Kaydı İKİ kez dinleyeceksin: ilk dinlemede 1-5, ikinci dinlemede 6-10.)
Write and submit your paragraph; your teacher will review it.
At B1 you linked ideas with and, but, so, because. At B2 you sound noticeably more advanced when you use formal, precise connectors. Four of them are essential this unit — and two familiar ones, although and however, become sharper tools.
| Connector | Use it to... | Example |
|---|---|---|
| moreover | add a stronger, extra point | I turned it down. Moreover, I never told anyone why. |
| therefore | show a logical result | I had no plan; therefore, I settled for the first offer. |
| whereas | contrast two ideas directly | My friend took the risk, whereas I played it safe. |
| nevertheless | say "in spite of that" | I had many doubts. Nevertheless, I stayed. |
| although | concede a point inside one sentence | Although I regret it, I learned a lot. |
| however | contrast between two sentences | I was afraid. However, I wish I had tried. |
See the difference — the same facts, written two ways:
| Basic linking ✗ | Confident B2 writing ✓ |
|---|---|
| I made a decision. It was fast. I regret it. I learned something. I feel better now. | I made a hasty decision, and I still regret it. Although I wish I had thought harder, the mistake taught me a great deal; therefore, I feel wiser now. My friend hesitated, whereas I acted too fast. |
A "regret" paragraph has three parts. The skeleton stays the same — you change the content, not the structure:
| Part | What to write | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Opening | A topic sentence that names the regret | When I look back, one decision still fills me with regret. |
| 2. Body | Tell the story. Use the Past Simple for finished events, then wish / if only + Past Perfect for the regret and wish + Past Simple / could for how you feel now. Link with B2 connectors. | I turned down the offer. If only I had said yes! Now I wish I could try again. |
| 3. Closing | A final comment about now or the future | I have learned my lesson; therefore, I will not hesitate next time. |
Write about a decision you regret or something you wish were different in your studies, friendships or family life. Use the wish structures of this unit.
Değerlendirme öğretmenin tarafından yapılacak. (Your teacher will evaluate your writing.)
Mixed questions from the whole unit, then check what you can do.
14 questions: grammar + vocabulary + reading + listening. Each question is marked instantly.
Tick what you can do now. Honest answers help your teacher.
İşaretlemediğin madde varsa ilgili bölüme dönüp tekrar çalış — soldaki menüden her bölüme geri dönebilirsin.
Oturum kontrol ediliyor...