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C2 Sample Essay 39 (School or family shapes one's personality)

In the minds of ESL exam candidates, e ssay writing is one of the most daunting tasks they are required to complete, regardless of the level of the exam, the administering body or the ease with which they themselves use the language. The same applies to students who are asked to write an essay by their teachers at school.  In the previous sample essays posted on the blog, the main point I stress is the need to become acquainted with this form of writing (as opposed to writing a letter, review or report, for instance), to get a feel of what authorial voice is and how to organize and progressively express the arguments you wish to make in a coherent manner.  Unfortunately, the best way to prepare for exam writing or learn how to write good essays for school is to read as many essays from as many sources as possible, then write as

Grammar: Wishes

Please read the first two paragraphs from Grammar: The Subjunctive by way of introduction to this series of blog posts regarding grammar.




Knowing how to properly use constructions that contain wishes in them demonstrates a better knowledge of English, which is why it is taught to students preparing for a B2, C1 or C2 level English examination (IELTS, ECPE, ECCE, ESB, LRN, MSU-CELP, MSU-CELC, TOEFL, TOEIC, ALCE, to name a few).

In English, wishes are expressed either using the verb "wish" (which is a regular verb) or the phrase "if only" stated just before you say the thing you wish for.

It is easy to learn how to express wishes if you divide them into three categories.

 
Wishes about a present situation
wish / if only  +   simple past
Wishes about a future situation

Wishes about sth that annoys you
wish / if only  +   could  (+ bare infinitive)

wish / if only  +   would  (+ bare infinitive)
Wishes about a past situation
wish / if only  +   past perfect
 

Let's translate this table and give some examples:

Case 1 = Present Situation

We are not happy about something happening now and wish for it to change. In this case, the verb we would normally use is expressed in the simple past after the verb "wish".

For example:
  • My hair is short / I want to have long hair ⇒  I wish I had long hair.

  • I don't have a dog but I want one ⇒  I wish I owned a Rottweiler.

  • I have bad grades in English at school ⇒  If only I got better grades in English.

  • I get sick very easily in winter and don't like it at all ⇒  If only I didn't get sick so easily in winter.

Note that when you need to make a negative sentence, you use "didn't". 

Here's an example that has a negative inside a question:

  • Don't you wish you didn't get sick so easily in winter?


Case 2 = Future situation / Something annoying

In this case, you want a future situation to change. To express this, "could" is used.


For example:
  • My friend is having a party next week, but I can't go because I'll be out of town ⇒  I wish I could go to my friend's party next week. / If only I could go to my friend's party next week.
  • Bob wants to join the basketball team next year but knows he'll have to study hard for his university admissions tests, so he won't have time ⇒  Bob wishes he could join the basketball team next year. / If only Bob could join the basketball team next year. 
If the thing we want to change is annoying, we use "would" after "wish" or "if only".

 For example:
  • Sally always talks in class and the teacher wants this to stop because it gets on her nerves ⇒   The teacher wishes Sally would stop talking in class. / If only Sally would stop talking in class.
  • It's raining all the time and you want it to stop ⇒  I wish it would stop raining. / If only it would stop raining.
  • Jack keeps making an annoying noise and you want him to stop; this is what you say to Jack ⇒ I wish you'd quit making that noise. / If only you'd quit making that noise.

Important Note:
We don't use "would" in wishes to express something that annoys us about ourselves.


Wrong sentence: I wish I wouldn't watch so much TV every day.

Correct way to express this: I wish I didn't watch so much TV every day.


Case 3 = Past situation (a regret)

This case deals with regrets we have when we have done something, then feel sorry about it and wish we hadn't done it. For situations like these, the main verb that follows "wish" or "if only" is placed in the past perfect tense.


For example:
  • My hair was long but I cut it short at the hairdresser's yesterday and now regret my new look ⇒  I wish I hadn't cut it short. / If only I hadn't cut it short.
  • I didn't do well on yesterday's test at school and regret that I didn't study very much ⇒  I wish I had studied more for yesterday's test. / If only I had studied more for yesterday's test.
Let's change this last example into a question: 
  • Don't you wish you had studied more for yesterday's test?



That's it for wishes. Don't forget to check out the list of grammar points you need to be familiar with before taking a B2-level test and a C2-level test.

 

Find more grammar help here. 
http://argutelegacy.blogspot.com/search/label/Grammar




 

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