Unreal time – wishes

REVISION

Present / future time

These are wishes where you want to change a present/future state. These wishes use a paste tense form to express a feeling about the present (like a second conditional sentence).


Past time

The verb form after wish is one stage further back in the past. These are wishes referring to a past event, which cannot be changed. Wishes about the past use a past perfect in the same way as a third conditional sentence. 

This use of wish is common after if only to express regrets. 


Would

Would is used when the speaker wants somebody or something else to change,. It is often used to describe an annoying habit. This use with would is often used to describe an annoying habit. 


Hope

Wishes about simple future events are expressed with hope. The verb hope is usually followed by a present tense with a future meaning, especially in the first person. 

In negative sentences, the negation is usually put with the verb that follows hope. Compare:

BUT: 

based on: Vince, Advanced Language Practice with KeySwan, Practical English GrammarVince, Macmillan Grammar in Context

For more on wishful thinking see the presentation and the links below.

I wish / If only