Expressing Wishes: "wish" and "if only"

The structures wish and if only are used to express that we want a situation to be different from how it actually is. They reflect hypothetical wishes or regrets. If only is generally stronger and more emotional than wish. The tense used in the clause after these structures shifts backward depending on the time frame of the wish.

To express a wish about a present situation, use the past simple or were (e.g., I wish I knew the answer). To express regret about a past event, use the past perfect (e.g., I wish I hadn't said that). To express a desire for someone's future behavior to change (often expressing annoyance), use would + infinitive (e.g., I wish you would stop talking).

A major mistake is using would to express a wish about oneself (e.g., saying I wish I would be rich instead of I wish I were rich). Another common error is using present tense verbs after wish (e.g., I wish I have a car instead of I wish I had a car). Remember that in formal English, were is preferred over was for all subjects after wish.