Wish / If only – English Grammar Exercises for B2
A live news broadcast reporting on the delayed rescue efforts following a devastating flash flood. The reporter is interviewing locals and implicitly criticizing the authorities’ lack of proactiveness.
Choose the best option (A, B, C, or D) to complete each sentence.
1 “Reporting live from the devastated downtown area. Looking at the submerged houses, one must say: If only the authorities ______ the evacuation order sooner.”
(A) issued
(B) hadn’t issued
(C) have issued
(D) had issued
2 “I am standing next to a local resident who lost her home. She told me, ‘I just wish the rescue helicopters ______ before the water reached our roof.'”
(A) had arrived
(B) arrived
(C) had arriving
(D) had crashed
3 “The sheer scale of this tragedy is heartbreaking. If only the city council ______ stronger flood defenses during last year’s renovation project.”
(A) built
(B) had demolished
(C) had built
(D) build
4 “Many stranded citizens are now wishing they ______ the initial storm warnings more seriously instead of brushing them off.”
(A) had taken
(B) took
(C) didn’t take
(D) had taking
5 “Response times were fatally slow. If only the local emergency services ______ properly equipped for a disaster of this magnitude.”
(A) were
(B) had been
(C) hadn’t been
(D) have been
6 “Experts had predicted heavy rainfall for weeks. If only the local government ______ those meteorological alerts.”
(A) had ignored
(B) didn’t ignore
(C) hadn’t ignored
(D) wouldn’t ignore
7 “Looking at the chaotic aftermath, everyone wishes the disaster management team ______ their rescue boats on the very first night.”
(A) deployed
(B) had deployed
(C) had delayed
(D) had deploy
8 “If only the early warning sirens ______ off during the night, sleeping families could have escaped in time.”
(A) had gone
(B) went
(C) had silenced
(D) have gone
9 “Survivors are left wishing the regional emergency funds ______ so drastically during the last budget review.”
(A) hadn’t cut
(B) hadn’t been cut
(C) wasn’t cut
(D) had been cut
10 “The lack of coordination was evident. If only the rescue coordinators ______ the sheer volume of water cascading down the mountain.”
(A) underestimated
(B) predicted
(C) had underestimated
(D) had predicted
11 “A grieving father just told our camera crew: ‘I wish the dispatch center ______ to my frantic calls immediately.'”
(A) had responded
(B) responded
(C) had ignored
(D) has responded
12 “This neighborhood was built on a known floodplain. If only the urban planners ______ these residential zones here in the first place.”
(A) hadn’t built
(B) didn’t build
(C) had built
(D) haven’t built
13 “Logistics failed completely. Many wish the main evacuation routes ______ of debris before the storm made landfall.”
(A) had cleared
(B) were cleared
(C) had been cleared
(D) had been blocked
14 “The local teams were overwhelmed within hours. If only the neighboring counties ______ their backup units when the first levee broke.”
(A) sent
(B) had withdrawn
(C) had sent
(D) would have sent
15 “This preventable disaster raises serious questions. If only the mayor ______ the severe warnings from structural engineers months ago.”
(A) heeded
(B) had heeded
(C) hadn’t heeded
(D) had heeding
16 “We wouldn’t be seeing this massive death toll today. If only the authorities ______ the flood risk as a mere exaggeration.”
(A) hadn’t brushed off
(B) didn’t brush off
(C) had brushed off
(D) hadn’t brush off
17 “The loss of life is staggering. If only the most vulnerable lowland areas ______ proactively before the river burst its banks.”
(A) had evacuated
(B) had been evacuated
(C) evacuated
(D) had been populated
18 “Residents are furious. I wish the oversight committee ______ a blind eye to the crumbling infrastructure over the past decade.”
(A) didn’t turn
(B) had turned
(C) hadn’t turned
(D) hadn’t turn
19 “Post-disaster sympathy is not enough. If only the government ______ sufficient resources beforehand instead of just offering ‘thoughts and prayers’ now.”
(A) allocated
(B) had withheld
(C) had allocate
(D) had allocated
20 “As the cleanup begins, the overriding sentiment is clear: If only officials ______ proactive measures rather than relying entirely on reactive rescue efforts.”
(A) took
(B) hadn’t taken
(C) had taken
(D) had took
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (D)
- Why it is correct (Key): If only + Past Perfect (had issued) is used to express a strong wish that a past event had happened differently.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake (using Past Simple for a past regret); (C) is a Structural Error (Present Perfect is never used after “if only”); (B) is a Meaning Trap (wishing they hadn’t issued the order makes no sense in this context).
2 (A)
- Why it is correct (Key): Expresses deep regret over the delayed arrival of helicopters in the past.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) is a Common Mistake; (C) is a Structural Error (had + V-ing); (D) is a Meaning Trap (wishing they had crashed is illogical and morbid).
3 (C)
- Why it is correct (Key): Regret over a missed opportunity to build defenses in the past.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; (D) is a Structural Error; (B) is a Meaning Trap (wishing they had demolished defenses is the opposite of what is needed).
4 (A)
- Why it is correct (Key): The citizens regret their own past inaction.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) is a Common Mistake; (D) is a Structural Error; (C) is a Meaning Trap.
5 (B)
- Why it is correct (Key): Wishing the services had possessed proper equipment in the past.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake (Past Simple “were” would mean wishing they were equipped now, but the disaster already happened); (D) is a Structural Error; (C) is a Meaning Trap.
6 (C)
- Why it is correct (Key): The reporter criticizes the government by wishing they had not ignored the alerts.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) is a Meaning Trap (wishing they had ignored them ruins the journalistic critique); (B) is a Common Mistake; (D) is a Structural Error.
7 (B)
- Why it is correct (Key): “Had deployed” correctly refers to a missed past action.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; (D) is a Structural Error; (C) is a Meaning Trap (“delayed” means making them late, which contradicts the rescue effort).
8 (A)
- Why it is correct (Key): “Go off” means to sound or ring. The Past Perfect shows regret that they didn’t.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) is a Common Mistake; (D) is a Structural Error; (C) is a Meaning Trap (wishing they had “silenced”).
9 (B)
- Why it is correct (Key): Passive Past Perfect (hadn’t been cut). The funds receive the action of being cut.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) is a Structural Error (Active voice implies the funds themselves cut something); (C) is a Common Mistake (Passive Past Simple); (D) is a Meaning Trap (wishing they had been cut).
10 (D)
- Why it is correct (Key): Wishing the coordinators had possessed the foresight to predict the water volume.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) is a Common Mistake; (A) is a Meaning Trap; (C) is a Meaning Trap (wishing they had underestimated it).
11 (A)
- Why it is correct (Key): Expressing sorrow over a delayed response in the past.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) is a Common Mistake; (D) is a Structural Error; (C) is a Meaning Trap.
12 (A)
- Why it is correct (Key): Negative Past Perfect expressing criticism over a past urban planning decision.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) is a Common Mistake; (C) is a Meaning Trap (wishing they had built on a floodplain is illogical); (D) is a Structural Error.
13 (C)
- Why it is correct (Key): Passive Past Perfect. The routes needed to be cleared by someone.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) is a Common Mistake; (A) is a Structural Error (Active voice); (D) is a Meaning Trap.
14 (C)
- Why it is correct (Key): Regret over a lack of past assistance.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; (D) is a Structural Error; (B) is a Meaning Trap (“withdrawn” means pulled back, which is the opposite of helping).
15 (B)
- Why it is correct (Key): Collocation “heed a warning” (pay attention to). Past Perfect is required here.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; (D) is a Structural Error; (C) is a Meaning Trap.
16 (A)
- Why it is correct (Key): Phrasal verb “brush off” (dismiss/ignore). The reporter wishes they hadn’t dismissed the risk.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) is a Common Mistake; (C) is a Meaning Trap (wishing they had ignored it); (D) is a Structural Error (hadn’t brush).
17 (B)
- Why it is correct (Key): Passive Past Perfect. The areas needed to be evacuated by the authorities.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) is a Structural Error (Active voice implies the areas evacuated themselves); (C) is a Common Mistake; (D) is a Meaning Trap (“populated” means moving people in, not out).
18 (C)
- Why it is correct (Key): Idiom “turn a blind eye to” (ignore). The negative form implies they did ignore it, and the speaker wishes they hadn’t.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; (B) is a Meaning Trap; (D) is a Structural Error.
19 (D)
- Why it is correct (Key): Wishing the government had provided resources in the past.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; (C) is a Structural Error; (B) is a Meaning Trap (“withheld” means kept back).
20 (C)
- Why it is correct (Key): “Take measures” is the correct collocation. Past Perfect reflects regret over past inaction.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; (D) is a Structural Error (incorrect V3: had taken, not had took); (B) is a Meaning Trap.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
- Journalistic Social Commentary: In news reporting and social critique, If only / Wish + Past Perfect is a powerful rhetorical device. It is used not just to express personal regret, but to hold authorities accountable by highlighting how a past tragedy could have been prevented if different actions had been taken.
- The Passive Voice Trap: When talking about large-scale actions where the subject receives the action (e.g., roads being cleared, areas being evacuated, funds being cut), you must use the Passive Past Perfect: had / hadn’t + been + Past Participle. A common B2 error is forgetting the “been.”
- Meaning Traps in Context: In advanced reading and grammar tests, examiners frequently use verbs that are grammatically correct but logically absurd given the tragic context (e.g., wishing the authorities had ignored the warnings or had demolished the defenses). Always ensure the verb aligns with the critical, empathetic tone of the passage.
- Advanced Vocabulary: Master journalistic collocations and idioms such as heed a warning (listen to), turn a blind eye (ignore), brush off (dismiss), and take measures (act).