Wish / If only – English Grammar Exercises for B2
Regret over a lost friendship. A person is confiding in their current best friend about losing touch with a college soulmate due to being a workaholic.
Choose the best option (A, B, C, or D) to complete each sentence.
1 “I was looking at our old college photos yesterday. I really wish I ______ in touch with Alex after graduation.”
(A) had kept
(B) would keep
(C) kept
(D) have kept
2 “It breaks my heart now. If only I ______ my career over our friendship back then.”
(A) didn’t prioritize
(B) had prioritized
(C) hadn’t prioritized
(D) wasn’t prioritized
3 “He used to call me during my late-night shifts. I wish I ______ his calls instead of ignoring them.”
(A) had answer
(B) answered
(C) had rejected
(D) had answered
4 “If only we ______ more time together before I got totally swallowed by the corporate world.”
(A) spent
(B) had spent
(C) had wasted
(D) had spend
5 “I wish I ______ how lonely he felt while I was busy climbing the career ladder.”
(A) had realizing
(B) hadn’t realized
(C) realized
(D) had realized
6 “Looking back at those years, I wish I ______ so obsessed with getting that management position.”
(A) hadn’t been
(B) had been
(C) wasn’t
(D) haven’t been
7 “He moved away in 2018 If only I ______ an effort to attend his farewell party.”
(A) had ruined
(B) had did
(C) had made
(D) made
8 “We had such a rare connection. I wish we ______ apart just because I was always buried in emails.”
(A) wouldn’t drifted
(B) hadn’t drifted
(C) didn’t drift
(D) had drifted
9 “If only I ______ him a quick message on his birthday that year. It would have meant everything to him.”
(A) sent
(B) had sending
(C) had sent
(D) hadn’t sent
10 “I wish I ______ that a successful career means nothing if you have no true friends to share it with.”
(A) had forgotten
(B) had understood
(C) understood
(D) could understood
11 “If only I ______ him when he tried to tell me he felt ignored.”
(A) had listened to
(B) listened to
(C) had argued with
(D) had heard to
12 “Honestly, I wish I ______ there for him during his tough times, but I was always traveling for work.”
(A) could have been
(B) was
(C) had been being
(D) shouldn’t have been
13 “I was so blind. If only he ______ me directly how much my absence was hurting him.”
(A) had said me
(B) had hidden from
(C) told
(D) had told
14 “I wish I ______ his endless support for granted when we were in our twenties.”
(A) had taken
(B) didn’t take
(C) hadn’t taken
(D) hadn’t took
15 “If only I ______ the foresight to see where my blind ambition was leading me.”
(A) possessed
(B) had possessed
(C) hadn’t possessed
(D) had possessing
16 “I wish I ______ working so late the exact night he went through his worst crisis alone.”
(A) hadn’t be
(B) wasn’t
(C) had been
(D) hadn’t been
17 “If only I ______ our shared memories as much as my corporate milestones.”
(A) had neglected
(B) had valued
(C) have valued
(D) valued
18 “My life looks perfect on paper now, but I wish I ______ to think about who truly mattered.”
(A) had stop
(B) stopped
(C) had refused
(D) had stopped
19 “If only I ______ my truest friend on the altar of my career.”
(A) hadn’t sacrificed
(B) didn’t sacrifice
(C) had sacrificed
(D) haven’t sacrificed
20 “Now he’s completely gone from my life. I wish I ______ more time investing in the people who loved me unconditionally.”
(A) spent
(B) had wasted
(C) would have spend
(D) had spent
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (A)
- Why it is correct (Key): The Past Perfect (had kept) is used after “wish” to express regret about a past situation.
- Distractor Analysis: (C) is a Common Mistake (learners often use Past Simple, forgetting to backshift for the past); (D) is a Structural Error (Present Perfect is never used after “wish”); (B) is a Meaning Trap (“would + V” is used to complain about a present/future annoyance, not past regrets).
2 (C)
- Why it is correct (Key): The speaker regrets prioritizing their career in the past, so the negative Past Perfect (hadn’t prioritized) is required.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake (using Past Simple instead of Past Perfect); (D) is a Structural Error (incorrect passive voice); (B) is a Meaning Trap (grammatically correct but logically flawed, as it means “I wish I had prioritized my career,” which contradicts the context).
3 (D)
- Why it is correct (Key): “had answered” grammatically fits the past regret structure and logically fits the context.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) is a Common Mistake (Past Simple); (A) is a Structural Error (had + bare infinitive); (C) is a Meaning Trap (“rejected” contradicts the feeling of regret for ignoring calls).
4 (B)
- Why it is correct (Key): Expresses regret for an unfulfilled past action (spending time together).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; (D) is a Structural Error (had + V1); (C) is a Meaning Trap (“had wasted” makes no logical sense here).
5 (D)
- Why it is correct (Key): A wish for a realization that did not occur in the past.
- Distractor Analysis: (C) is a Common Mistake; (A) is a Structural Error (had + V-ing); (B) is a Meaning Trap (wishing you “hadn’t realized” contradicts the context).
6 (A)
- Why it is correct (Key): Expresses a wish contrary to the reality of having been too obsessed with work in the past.
- Distractor Analysis: (C) is a Common Mistake (no backshift); (D) is a Structural Error (Present Perfect after “wish”); (B) is a Meaning Trap (wishing to be obsessed).
7 (C)
- Why it is correct (Key): Uses the correct collocation “make an effort” in the Past Perfect.
- Distractor Analysis: (D) is a Common Mistake; (B) is a Structural Error (“had did” is grammatically wrong, and “do an effort” is a collocation error); (A) is a Meaning Trap (“ruined” means to destroy).
8 (B)
- Why it is correct (Key): Negative Past Perfect expressing regret that they drifted apart in the past.
- Distractor Analysis: (C) is a Common Mistake; (A) is a Structural Error (“wouldn’t drifted” is invalid); (D) is a Meaning Trap (wishing they had drifted apart).
9 (C)
- Why it is correct (Key): “had sent” refers to an action the speaker failed to do in the past.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; (B) is a Structural Error; (D) is a Meaning Trap (wishing you hadn’t sent it).
10 (B)
- Why it is correct (Key): “had understood” correctly conveys past regret about lacking this wisdom back then.
- Distractor Analysis: (C) is a Common Mistake; (D) is a Structural Error (could + V2/V3); (A) is a Meaning Trap.
11 (A)
- Why it is correct (Key): The collocation “listen to” in the Past Perfect.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) is a Common Mistake; (D) is a Structural/Collocation Error (“hear to” does not exist); (C) is a Meaning Trap (“argued with” is logically incorrect).
12 (A)
- Why it is correct (Key): “could have + V3” is used after “wish” to express regret about a missed past ability or opportunity.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) is a Common Mistake; (C) is a Structural Error; (D) is a Meaning Trap.
13 (D)
- Why it is correct (Key): “had told me” is grammatically correct for past regret and uses the correct reporting verb format.
- Distractor Analysis: (C) is a Common Mistake; (A) is a Structural Error (the verb “say” cannot be followed directly by an indirect object like “say me”); (B) is a Meaning Trap.
14 (C)
- Why it is correct (Key): The idiom is “take something for granted.” The negative Past Perfect (“hadn’t taken”) expresses regret for this past behavior.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) is a Common Mistake; (D) is a Structural Error (“hadn’t took”); (A) is a Meaning Trap.
15 (B)
- Why it is correct (Key): “had possessed” expresses regret for a lack of foresight in the past.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; (D) is a Structural Error; (C) is a Meaning Trap.
16 (D)
- Why it is correct (Key): Negative Past Perfect expressing regret for a past state/action (working late).
- Distractor Analysis: (B) is a Common Mistake; (A) is a Structural Error (“hadn’t be”); (C) is a Meaning Trap.
17 (B)
- Why it is correct (Key): “had valued” shows regret for not appreciating memories in the past.
- Distractor Analysis: (D) is a Common Mistake; (C) is a Structural Error; (A) is a Meaning Trap (“neglected” has a negative meaning).
18 (D)
- Why it is correct (Key): “had stopped to think” means stopping an action in order to think (which the speaker regrets not doing).
- Distractor Analysis: (B) is a Common Mistake; (A) is a Structural Error (“had stop”); (C) is a Meaning Trap.
19 (A)
- Why it is correct (Key): “Sacrifice on the altar of [something]” is an idiom. The negative Past Perfect shows regret for making this sacrifice.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) is a Common Mistake; (D) is a Structural Error; (C) is a Meaning Trap.
20 (D)
- Why it is correct (Key): Emphasizes the deep regret for not spending time investing in relationships.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; (C) is a Structural Error; (B) is a Meaning Trap (“wasted” completely alters the intended meaning).
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
- Unreal Past (Past Regrets): To express deep regret about an event or action that is permanently finished in the past, always use the structure Wish / If only + Past Perfect (Had + Past Participle).
- The Common Mistake: The most frequent error for B1-B2 learners is using the Past Simple for this context. Remember: Past Simple after “wish” is strictly used to express a desire for a present situation to be different. For the past, you must backshift to the Past Perfect.
- “Could have” in Wish clauses: You can use Wish + could have + Past Participle to express regret about an inability or missed opportunity in the past (e.g., I wish I could have been there = I regret that I wasn’t able to be there).
- Meaning & Collocations: In advanced grammar tests, always watch out for distractor options that are grammatically perfect but logically flawed (Meaning Traps). Pay attention to specific collocations (e.g., listen to, make an effort, take for granted) to eliminate Structural Errors.