Unreal Past Grammar Guide
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Dinara İbrahim QızıUnreal Past Grammar Guide
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Dinara İbrahim QızıLife Advanced Unit 11a
Unreal past
I wish I was What if I’m asked a
somewhere else. question I can’t answer?
If only I’d spent more
time preparing.
I’d rather It’s high time
not do this. somebody turned up!
Giving a presentation to a large audience is many people’s greatest fear …
Presentation
There are a number of structures in English that are We also use would + wish to talk about another person’s
followed by past tenses which have a present or future annoying habits or unwillingness to do / not do
meaning. We use these structures to express unreal or something:
hypothetical situations. I wish / If only she would listen to my presentation
would rather / would just as soon I wish she wouldn’t talk while I’m speaking.
We use would rather or would just as soon + subject + Notice that we don’t use would if the subjects in both
past tense to express a preference: clauses are the same:
I’d rather I didn’t have to do this. I wish I didn’t live here. (not I wish I wouldn’t live here.)
I’d just as soon you did this instead. what if / supposing / suppose
It is also possible to use I’d rather and I’d just as soon + We can use what if, supposing and suppose at the
infinitive without to when there is no change of subject: beginning of a question to ask about the consequences
I’d rather not do it. (= I’d rather I didn’t do it.) of something:
However, if the subject changes, we use the past tense: What if you forgot your lines – what would you do?
I’d rather he didn’t do it. (not I’d rather he not do it.) We can also use these structures to make suggestions:
I wish / If only Supposing / Suppose they had a new job for you – would
you accept the offer?
We use I wish and if only to express regrets and wishes
for things that are unlikely to happen. If only has a more What if is more informal than suppose and supposing.
emphatic meaning than I wish: Note: You can use were instead of was, especially in a
I wish / If only you didn’t live so far away. formal style:
We use the past perfect to express regrets about the past: I wish I was/were somewhere else.
I wish / If only I’d spent more time preparing. (= but I didn’t) Supposing no one was/were to turn up.
We use wish + would to express a wish for action – for it’s (high) time
someone to do something about a situation or for the We use it’s time + subject + past tense to say that
situation/action to stop: something needs to be done very soon. We can use high
I wish you would help me prepare. to add emphasis: It’s (high) time I had a holiday.
Practical Grammar 3 1 © National Geographic Learning
Advanced Unit 11a
Exercises
1 Match the two halves of the sentence.
1 I’d rather you b a invite them this time?
2 I’d just as b didn’t invite them.
3 I’d rather not c wouldn’t always invite them.
4 It’s high d soon you didn’t invite them.
5 If e you’d invite them.
6 I wish f time we invited them.
7 I wish she g only you hadn’t invited them.
8 What if we didn’t h we didn’t invite them this time.
9 Supposing i invite them.
10 I j wish you hadn’t invited them.
2 Rewrite the first sentences so it has the same meaning using the word given.
1 I’d rather we all left together.
soon I’d just as soon we all left together.
2 I’d rather I didn’t have to give this presentation.
not this presentation.
3 I wish they hadn’t asked me that question.
only me that question.
4 Can you tell them to stop shouting?
wish stop shouting.
5 It’s so annoying when he interrupts.
wouldn’t interrupt.
6 What are the consequences of me leaving early today?
what if early today?
7 What if your car breaks down?
supposing breaks down.
8 Very soon I need to take some time off from work.
time some time off from work.
3 Complete the sentences so they are true for you.
1 This week I’d rather .
2 I wish .
3 What if I .
4 Supposing .
5 It’s high time I .