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Conditional Forms and Wishes Practice

The document contains a series of exercises focused on conditional sentences, particularly the third conditional and the use of 'wish'. It includes prompts for completing sentences with appropriate verb forms, as well as rewriting sentences using specific words. The exercises aim to reinforce understanding of conditional structures and expressing wishes about present and past situations.

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6 views8 pages

Conditional Forms and Wishes Practice

The document contains a series of exercises focused on conditional sentences, particularly the third conditional and the use of 'wish'. It includes prompts for completing sentences with appropriate verb forms, as well as rewriting sentences using specific words. The exercises aim to reinforce understanding of conditional structures and expressing wishes about present and past situations.

Uploaded by

artes
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Using the words in parentheses, complete the text below with the appropriate conditional form.

After I graduated from university, I applied for a marketing position with a prominent bank with
branches all over the world. I didn't get the job because they wanted someone who spoke
Spanish fluently. I (could, take) _________________________ Spanish in high school, but I
didn't. I took an acting class instead. If I (take) ________________________ Spanish, I
(get) _____________________ the job. Just imagine, if I had actually gotten the job, I
(move) ____________________________ to Spain. My entire life (could,
go) ________________________ in a totally different direction. If I had accepted the job and
moved to Spain, I (might, meet) ______________________ a Spanish woman and
(get) ________________________ married. If that had actually happened, I probably
(stay) ______________________________ in Spain. We (might,
have) _____________________ children. Unfortunately, I didn't get the job and I didn't go to
Spain. I got a boring job and I live alone. If I had just taken Spanish, my life
(be) ______________________ much more interesting.

Conjugate the verb in parentheses in the correct tense used in the


third conditional.

1. If they ______________ (have) the time, they would have attended


the meeting.
2. Jason _______________ (recognize) the winner if he had been told.
3. If I ______________ (know) his name, I would have said hello.
4. If the president had been informed in time, he _____________
(make) a different decision.
5. If Mary ____________ (try) again, she would have been successful.
6. The children wouldn't have been so upset if they _____________
(be give - use passive voice) the candy.
7. If Jerry _____________ (spend) more money on the repair work, it
would have worked well.
8. We _____________ (believe) them if they had told us the story.
9. She would have finished the report on time if she ____________
(know) all the facts.
10. If we ______________ (not buy) that car, we wouldn't have
gone on vacation

Condition: If + past perfect (had + past participle) Result: would have + past participle

We ________________ (go) to the party if we ________________ (be) invited. We would have gone to
the party if we’d been invited.

1. My son _______________________ (not clean) his room if I _______________________ (not ask)


him.

2. If he ________________________ (not step) in and stopped the argument, a fight


_____________________________ (break) out.

3. If I __________________ (wait) any longer to see a doctor, I _______________________ (end) up


needing surgery.

4. I never _______________________ (develop) a love for learning if I ___________________ (not


have) such great teachers.

5. Do you think you _________________________ (be) happier if you ____________________ (marry)


your ex?

6. I _____________________ (not have) to rush if I _____________________ (start) the assignment


earlier.

7. We _______________________ (buy) more DVDs if they ______________________ (be) on sale.

8. If I ______________________ (know) about the problem, I ______________________ (help).

9. If the manager _______________________ (give) better instructions, everyone


___________________________ (understand) the task.
[Link] _____________________ (learn) more about the city if they ______________________ (take) a
guided tour.
Conjugate the verb in parentheses in the correct tense used in the
third conditional, or sentence with 'wish'.

She ______________ (wish) she had known about the problems.

1. If they _____________ (ask) the right questions, they ____________


(receive) the right answers.
2. She wouldn't have been allowed to speak if she ______________
(disagree) with his point of view.
3. I ______________ (wish) they had thought twice before doing that.
4. We wish we ________________ (know) about those people.
5. Alice ______________ (not speak) to him if she had been asked
ahead of time.
6. They wouldn't have thought twice about dinner if they
_____________ (ask) to help out with preparation.
7. She wishes she _____________ (apply) for the bank position.
8. If I ____________ (invest) in Apple, I would have become a
millionaire!
9. Oliver _______________ (not know) the answer if you had asked
him.

English exercise "I wish, if only"

1. Bruce wishes he _________________ (have) more money so he could


buy a new sweater.

2. I wish I _________________ (be) taller so that I could be in the


basketball team.

3. I wish you _________________ (stop) watching television while I am


talking to you.

4. I wish you __________________ (do) that. It annoys me.


5. I wish the holidays ___________________ (come) so we could go off to
the seaside.

6. Of course Tom wishes he __________________ (come) with us to Paris,


but he has to stay here.

7. I wish we _________________ (go) to the match on Saturday but we're


visiting my uncle.

8. I wish you ____________________ (keep) your mouth shut yesterday.


Now Mary knows.

9. If only I ___________________ (lose) all my money. Now I'm broke.

10. Peter is always late. If only he ______________ (turn up) on time for a
change!
Practice 1: Think carefully - are these sentences talking about the present
(wish + past simple) or the past (wish + past perfect).

I'm so tired. I wish I ___________________to bed earlier. (go)


1. I feel sick. I wish I _____________________all those chocolates. (not eat)

2. My boyfriend's still at the office. I wish he __________________such long


hours. (work)

3. I'm really busy. If only I ______________________more time. (have)

4. I can't speak any languages. I wish I ___________________German. (speak)

5. My hair looks terrible! If only I _____________________it red. (dry)

6. Oh no - it's raining. I wish I ________________my umbrella. (remember)

7. Kids love Christmas. I wish I still __________________in Father Christmas.


(believe)

Now you need to decide if you are making a wish about an impossible
present state (wish + past simple), a past state or action (wish + past
perfect), or a present habit or future possibility (wish + would + verb).
Rewrite these sentences with 2-5 words, using the word given in brackets.

She's always noisy. I really don't like it. (MAKE)

I __________________________so much noise.

1. I want my boss to give me a pay rise. (WISH)

I _________________________me a pay rise.

2. I hate travelling so far to my office. (LIVED)

If ________________________nearer my office.

3. I feel bad because I kissed my best friend's girlfriend last night.(WISH)

I ______________________my best friend's girlfriend.

4. You are always borrowing my clothes without permission. Please stop it!

(YOU)

I _______________________my clothes without asking.

5. I'm 15 and all my friends go to parties. My parents never let me go to any

parties. (LET)

If __________________________me go to parties.
1. Bruce wishes he [No answer] had (have) more money so he could buy a new sweater.

2. I wish I [No answer] were (be) taller so that I could be in the basketball team.

3. I wish you [No answer] would stop (stop) watching television while I am talking to you.

4. I wish you [No answer] wouldn't do (do) that. It annoys me.

5. I wish the holidays [No answer] would come (come) so we could go off to the seaside.

6. Of course Tom wishes he [No answer] could come (come) with us to Paris, but he has to
stay here.

7. I wish we [No answer] could go (go) to the match on Saturday but we're visiting my uncle.

8. I wish you [No answer] had kept (keep) your mouth shut yesterday. Now Mary knows.

9. If only I [No answer] hadn't lost (lose) all my money. Now I'm broke.

10. Peter is always late. If only he [No answer] would turn up (turn up) on time for a change!

Practice 1: Think carefully - are these sentences talking about the present (wish + past simple) or the past (wish +
past perfect).

had gone
I'm so tired. I wish I to bed earlier. (go)
hadn't eaten
1. I feel sick. I wish I all those chocolates. (not eat)

didn't w ork
2. My boyfriend's still at the office. I wish he such long hours. (work)

had
3. I'm really busy. If only I more time. (have)

spoke
4. I can't speak any languages. I wish I German. (speak)

hadn't dyed
5. My hair looks terrible! If only I it red. (dye)

'd remember
6. Oh no - it's raining. I wish I my umbrella. (remember)

believed
7. Kids love Christmas. I wish I still in Father Christmas. (believe)

Practice 2: Now you need to decide if you are making a wish about an impossible present state (wish + past
simple), a past state or action (wish + past perfect), or a present habit or future possibility (wish + would + verb).
Rewrite these sentences with 2-5 words, using the word given in brackets.

She's always noisy. I really don't like it. (MAKE)


w ish she didn't make
I so much noise.
1. I want my boss to give me a pay rise. (WISH)
w ish my boss w ould give
I me a pay rise.
2. I hate travelling so far to my office. (LIVED)
only I lived
If nearer my office.
3. I feel bad because I kissed my best friend's girlfriend last night.(WISH)
w ish I hadn't kissed
I my best friend's girlfriend.
4. You are always borrowing my clothes without permission. Please stop it! (YOU)
w ish you w ouldn't borrow
I my clothes without asking.
5. I'm 15 and all my friends go to parties. My parents never let me go to any parties. (LET)
only my parents w ould let
If me go to parties.

Common questions

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Verb tense in expressing wishes about past actions or states often employs the past perfect tense to indicate regret or desire for an alternate past reality. This is seen in constructions like "I wish I hadn't lost all my money," where the use of 'hadn't lost' indicates a wish for different past circumstances .

Using 'I wish' + past simple, like in "I wish I spoke German," implies a dissatisfaction with the current reality and a desire for an alternate present. This structure expresses regret over unachieved skills or states, suggesting a longing for something not currently accessible .

Effective strategies for teaching the third conditional to ESL students include contextual storytelling and role-play exercises, allowing students to create narratives based on their past experiences that lead to different hypothetical outcomes. Incorporating exercises like completing sentence fragments or transforming real-life situations into conditional statements can enhance understanding. For example, students could explore sentences such as "If I had known about the problem, I would have helped" to solidify their grasp of this structure .

Incorporating 'if only' conveys a stronger sentiment of regret or desire than 'I wish'. 'If only' suggests an intense longing for a different reality. For example, "If only I hadn't lost all my money" indicates a deeper sense of remorse and wishfulness compared to using 'I wish' .

The construction 'would have' in conditional sentences forms the hypothetical result of a past action that did not occur. It illustrates an imagined outcome based on a different action. For instance, "I would have gone on vacation if we hadn’t bought that car" implies an alternative scenario where a different choice could have led to a different outcome .

Conditional sentences are highly effective for discussing potential life changes as they allow individuals to reflect on past decisions and imagine alternate life scenarios. For instance, pondering "If I had taken Spanish, I might have moved to Spain" helps one appreciate the impact of previous choices and fosters an understanding of life's interconnected events. This technique promotes introspection and reconsideration of past actions in light of their significant consequences .

The wish structure can express a desire for an unfulfilled present state or habit using the past simple tense. For example, "I wish you would stop watching television while I am talking to you" expresses a desire for a change in an ongoing annoying habit .

The third conditional structure in English is used to express hypothetical scenarios and their potential outcomes in the past that did not actually happen. It follows the syntax: 'If' + past perfect (had + past participle), result: 'would have' + past participle. This structure is evident in sentences like "If I had taken Spanish, I would have gotten the job," which implies that the action was not taken and the result was not achieved .

'Wish' + past simple, as in "I wish I were taller," conveys regret about the present, reflecting an unchangeable state or habit. In contrast, 'wish' + past perfect, like "I wish I hadn't eaten all those chocolates," expresses regret over a past action. The past simple focuses on current dissatisfaction, whereas the past perfect reflects a longing for an altered past state, demonstrating a clear temporal focus in wishing for change .

Conditional structures such as the third conditional, using 'if' + past perfect and 'would have' + past participle, speculate about alternate outcomes. For example, "If they had asked the right questions, they would have received the right answers" illustrates a speculative alteration based on actions not taken .

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