Wish / If only – English Grammar Exercises for B2
A senior student is having a consultation with their thesis supervisor. They are expressing feelings of deadlock and helplessness because they cannot find enough secondary data for their research, hoping for sympathy, a deadline extension, or permission to pivot their topic.
Choose the best option (A, B, C, or D) to complete each sentence.
1 “Professor, I’m completely stuck. If only I ______ access to the national economic database right now.”
(A) had
(B) have
(C) had had
(D) lacked
2 “The literature on this specific decade is so scarce. If only there ______ more secondary sources available in our library.”
(A) are
(B) were
(C) be
(D) weren’t
3 “I’ve hit a paywall on almost every relevant journal. If only these academic platforms ______ such exorbitant subscription fees.”
(A) haven’t charged
(B) don’t charge
(C) didn’t charge
(D) charged
4 “My whole methodology relies on this missing dataset. If only the government portal ______ the latest census figures.”
(A) concealed
(B) provide
(C) provides
(D) provided
5 “If only I ______ Russian fluently, I could translate and use these original Soviet archives myself.”
(A) understand
(B) understood
(C) had understanding
(D) ignored
6 “The secondary data I found is completely outdated. If only modern scholars ______ more longitudinal studies on this topic.”
(A) conducted
(B) conduct
(C) had conduct
(D) avoided
7 “It feels like finding a needle in a haystack. If only the university ______ to the premium Scopus database.”
(A) subscribes
(B) unsubscribed
(C) subscribed
(D) would to subscribe
8 “I am trying to run the regression model, but if only the sample size ______ large enough to be statistically significant.”
(A) is
(B) were
(C) has been
(D) weren’t
9 “I’m wasting weeks just cleaning the messy data I did find. If only I ______ a pre-formatted, organized dataset.”
(A) possessed
(B) possess
(C) possessing
(D) lacked
10 “To be honest, if only this specific research gap ______ so incredibly narrow, I would have plenty of material to write about.”
(A) isn’t
(B) hadn’t be
(C) weren’t
(D) were
11 “I know you suggested comparing two regions, but if only the provincial archives ______ digitized and accessible online.”
(A) were
(B) are
(C) would to be
(D) weren’t
12 “If only I ______ the ethical clearance to interview patients directly, I wouldn’t need to rely on this flawed secondary data.”
(A) refuse
(B) have
(C) had having
(D) had
13 “If only the available empirical evidence ______ my initial hypothesis, I wouldn’t be considering a topic change right now.”
(A) contradicts
(B) supported
(C) supports
(D) had support
14 “If only I ______ the coding skills to scrape data from social media, my lack of literature wouldn’t be such a massive issue.”
(A) master
(B) was mastered
(C) failed
(D) mastered
15 “Professor, if only I ______ extract the raw metadata from these locked PDFs, I could finish the literature review by Friday.”
(A) can
(B) could
(C) could to
(D) couldn’t
16 “The few articles I found are blocked by copyright. If only open-access publishing ______ the standard in our academic field.”
(A) is
(B) wasn’t
(C) were
(D) has been
17 “Every relevant book is checked out by other students. If only the department ______ a digital copy of the core textbook.”
(A) owned
(B) owns
(C) was owned
(D) destroyed
18 “If only the national privacy laws ______ researchers to access anonymized medical records more freely.”
(A) allow
(B) allowed
(C) had allowed
(D) forbade
19 “I’m genuinely at a dead end. If only I ______ have to spend another month hunting for non-existent sources.”
(A) don’t
(B) didn’t
(C) hadn’t
(D) did
20 “Given these objective obstacles, if only the faculty board ______ me a two-week extension to pivot my methodology.”
(A) granted
(B) grants
(C) grant
(D) denied
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (A)
- Why it is correct (Key): Past Simple (had) is used after “if only” to express a wish about a present situation that is not true.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) is a Common Mistake (L1 interference often leads to using Present Simple for present wishes); (C) is a Structural Error (Past Perfect refers to past regrets, but the context says “right now”); (D) is a Meaning Trap (wishing you “lacked” access makes no logical sense).
2 (B)
- Why it is correct (Key): Were is the correct subjunctive form of the verb “to be” for hypothetical present situations.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; (C) is a Structural Error; (D) is a Meaning Trap (wishing there weren’t sources contradicts the student’s need).
3 (C)
- Why it is correct (Key): Negative Past Simple (didn’t charge) expresses the wish that the current situation (high fees) would stop.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) is a Common Mistake; (A) is a Structural Error (Present Perfect is not used here); (D) is a Meaning Trap.
4 (D)
- Why it is correct (Key): Past Simple (provided) indicates a hypothetical wish about the government portal’s current offerings.
- Distractor Analysis: (C) is a Common Mistake; (B) is a Structural Error (bare infinitive); (A) is a Meaning Trap (concealed means to hide, which is the opposite of what the student wants).
5 (B)
- Why it is correct (Key): Understood is the past tense form indicating a present hypothetical ability/state.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; (C) is a Structural Error; (D) is a Meaning Trap.
6 (A)
- Why it is correct (Key): Past Simple (conducted) to wish for a different current reality regarding scholars’ actions.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) is a Common Mistake; (C) is a Structural Error; (D) is a Meaning Trap.
7 (C)
- Why it is correct (Key): Past Simple (subscribed) showing a wish contrary to the university’s current subscription status.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; (D) is a Structural Error; (B) is a Meaning Trap (unsubscribed implies wanting to lose access).
8 (B)
- Why it is correct (Key): The subjunctive were is used to wish the current sample size was different.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; (C) is a Structural Error; (D) is a Meaning Trap (wishing it weren’t large enough is illogical for running a regression model).
9 (A)
- Why it is correct (Key): Past Simple (possessed) indicates an unreal present state.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) is a Common Mistake; (C) is a Structural Error; (D) is a Meaning Trap.
10 (C)
- Why it is correct (Key): Negative subjunctive (weren’t) indicates a wish that the research gap was broader.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; (B) is a Structural Error; (D) is a Meaning Trap (wishing it were narrow contradicts the complaint).
11 (A)
- Why it is correct (Key): Past Simple (were) to wish the archives were currently digitized.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) is a Common Mistake; (C) is a Structural Error; (D) is a Meaning Trap.
12 (D)
- Why it is correct (Key): Past Simple (had) indicates a desire for permission they currently lack.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) is a Common Mistake; (C) is a Structural Error; (A) is a Meaning Trap.
13 (B)
- Why it is correct (Key): Past Simple (supported) expresses a wish contrary to current facts.
- Distractor Analysis: (C) is a Common Mistake; (D) is a Structural Error; (A) is a Meaning Trap (wishing evidence contradicts the hypothesis would cause more problems).
14 (D)
- Why it is correct (Key): Past Simple (mastered) reflects a hypothetical present skill.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; (B) is a Structural Error (passive voice is incorrect here); (C) is a Meaning Trap.
15 (B)
- Why it is correct (Key): Could is the past form of can, used here to wish for a present ability.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; (C) is a Structural Error (could is followed by a bare infinitive, not to); (D) is a Meaning Trap.
16 (C)
- Why it is correct (Key): The subjunctive were is used to wish open-access publishing was the current standard.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; (D) is a Structural Error; (B) is a Meaning Trap.
17 (A)
- Why it is correct (Key): Past Simple (owned) indicates a hypothetical present possession.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) is a Common Mistake; (C) is a Structural Error (passive voice error); (D) is a Meaning Trap.
18 (B)
- Why it is correct (Key): Past Simple (allowed) shows a wish for current laws to be different.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; (C) is a Structural Error (Past Perfect suggests regret over past laws, not the present barrier); (D) is a Meaning Trap.
19 (B)
- Why it is correct (Key): Negative Past Simple (didn’t) expresses a desire not to have to do something currently/in the near future.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; (C) is a Structural Error (hadn’t have to is grammatically invalid); (D) is a Meaning Trap.
20 (A)
- Why it is correct (Key): Past Simple (granted) expresses a strong wish/plea for a current or immediate future action from the board.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) is a Common Mistake; (C) is a Structural Error; (D) is a Meaning Trap (wishing to be denied an extension is illogical).
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
- Unreal Present vs. Past Tense: The term “Unreal Past” can be confusing. To express dissatisfaction with a present barrier or an ongoing deadlock (like lacking research data right now), you must use If only + Past Simple. The tense is “past,” but the meaning is strictly “present” or “future.”
- “If only” for Empathy: While “I wish” and “If only” are grammatically identical, If only carries a heavier emotional weight. In academic or professional settings, students use it to emphasize their helplessness in the face of objective barriers (like paywalls or privacy laws) to elicit sympathy and justify a request (like asking a professor for a deadline extension).
- The Academic Subjunctive: At the B2/C1 level, particularly in formal academic contexts (like a thesis consultation), you should use were instead of was for all subjects (e.g., If only the sample size were larger).
- Wishing for Ability: If the academic deadlock is caused by a lack of personal ability or permission in the present, use If only + could + V (e.g., If only I could extract the data).
- Beware of Meaning Traps: In multiple-choice tests, examiners will often give you a perfectly conjugated verb that ruins the logic of the sentence (e.g., wishing the library unsubscribed from a database when you clearly need access). Always evaluate the logical context alongside the grammar.