Wish / If only – English Grammar Exercises for B2
A Tech Blogger is writing a review/making a video about a highly anticipated, expensive flagship smartphone that suffers from terrible battery life.
Choose the best option (A, B, C, or D) to complete each sentence.
1 “This phone costs $1,200 I really wish it ______ a better battery life to justify that premium price tag.”
(A) has
(B) lacked
(C) had
(D) having
2 “The standby drain is aggressive. If only the manufacturer ______ this issue in the next software patch.”
(A) would fix
(B) will fix
(C) would ignore
(D) would to fix
3 “The OLED screen is gorgeous, but I wish the phone ______ down so quickly when playing high-end mobile games.”
(A) doesn’t heat
(B) didn’t heated
(C) wouldn’t cool
(D) didn’t heat
4 “If only they ______ a fast charger in the box instead of forcing consumers to buy it separately.”
(A) excluded
(B) included
(C) include
(D) would including
5 “I wish the pre-installed background applications ______ my battery while the device is locked.”
(A) would drain
(B) won’t drain
(C) wouldn’t drain
(D) wouldn’t drained
6 “It’s frustrating to charge this twice a day. If only the physical battery capacity ______ larger than a measly 3000mAh.”
(A) were
(B) weren’t
(C) is
(D) be
7 “I genuinely wish the software developers ______ to the community’s feedback regarding this severe battery bug.”
(A) would listened
(B) will listen
(C) would listen
(D) wouldn’t listen
8 “If only the so-called ‘fast-charging’ feature ______ actually fast. It takes over two hours to reach 100%!”
(A) wasn’t
(B) is
(C) was being
(D) were
9 “I wish this flagship device ______ a more energy-efficient processor to preserve power.”
(A) features
(B) lacked
(C) featured
(D) would lacking
10 “If only my screen ______ to maximum brightness automatically every single time I unlock the phone.”
(A) didn’t jump
(B) hadn’t jump
(C) didn’t drop
(D) doesn’t jump
11 “The camera is phenomenal, but I wish it ______ the battery by 10% after recording just one 4K video.”
(A) would consume
(B) wouldn’t consume
(C) won’t consume
(D) wouldn’t consumed
12 “If only the tech giant ______ prioritizing extreme thinness over practical battery endurance.”
(A) would to stop
(B) would stop
(C) wouldn’t stop
(D) stops
13 “I really wish this premium phone ______ reverse wireless charging so I could charge my earbuds on the go.”
(A) was supported
(B) support
(C) supported
(D) blocked
14 “If only the brand ______ pushing bloatware updates that constantly run in the background.”
(A) wouldn’t keeping
(B) won’t keep
(C) would keep
(D) wouldn’t keep
15 “I wish I ______ to carry a heavy power bank with me everywhere I travel.”
(A) didn’t have
(B) don’t have
(C) didn’t refuse
(D) hadn’t have
16 “If only the ‘Ultra Battery Saver’ mode actually ______ a noticeable difference in daily usage.”
(A) makes
(B) made
(C) ruined
(D) had making
17 “I love the aesthetics, but I wish the back panel ______ made of pure glass, as it traps all the heat and ruins battery longevity.”
(A) weren’t
(B) isn’t
(C) hadn’t be
(D) were
18 “If only the company ______ a software update soon to address these thermal throttling issues.”
(A) will release
(B) would to release
(C) would release
(D) would delay
19 “I wish the operating system ______ so heavily reliant on constant cloud syncing.”
(A) wasn’t be
(B) were
(C) weren’t
(D) isn’t
20 “If only consumers ______ to sacrifice battery life for a slim and sleek phone design.”
(A) don’t have
(B) haven’t
(C) didn’t have
(D) had
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (C)
- Why it is correct (Key): Wish + Past Simple (had) is used to express a desire for a present situation or feature to be different (wishing the phone had better battery).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake (using Present Simple); (D) is a Structural Error; (B) is a Meaning Trap (wishing it “lacked” battery life contradicts the review).
2 (A)
- Why it is correct (Key): If only + someone + would + V is used to express a strong desire for someone (the manufacturer) to take a future action (fix the issue).
- Distractor Analysis: (B) is a Common Mistake (using Future Simple “will”); (D) is a Structural Error (adding “to” after would); (C) is a Meaning Trap (wishing they would “ignore” it is illogical).
3 (D)
- Why it is correct (Key): Negative Past Simple expresses a wish that the phone currently did not behave this way (heating up).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake (Present Simple); (B) is a Structural Error (didn’t + past tense verb); (C) is a Meaning Trap.
4 (B)
- Why it is correct (Key): Past Simple (included) reflects a wish for a feature that is currently missing from the box.
- Distractor Analysis: (C) is a Common Mistake; (D) is a Structural Error; (A) is a Meaning Trap (wishing they “excluded” it).
5 (C)
- Why it is correct (Key): Wishing for an annoying, repeated action (apps draining battery) to stop. Wouldn’t + V is perfect for complaining about dynamic behaviors.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) is a Common Mistake (won’t); (D) is a Structural Error; (A) is a Meaning Trap (wishing they would drain it).
6 (A)
- Why it is correct (Key): Subjunctive were is used for unreal present states.
- Distractor Analysis: (C) is a Common Mistake; (D) is a Structural Error (bare infinitive without auxiliary); (B) is a Meaning Trap.
7 (C)
- Why it is correct (Key): Urging the developers to change their current behavior and listen.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) is a Common Mistake; (A) is a Structural Error; (D) is a Meaning Trap.
8 (D)
- Why it is correct (Key): Subjunctive were expressing a wish contrary to the present fact (the charging is not fast).
- Distractor Analysis: (B) is a Common Mistake; (C) is a Structural Error; (A) is a Meaning Trap (wishing it wasn’t fast).
9 (C)
- Why it is correct (Key): Past Simple (featured) for a hypothetical present feature.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; (D) is a Structural Error; (B) is a Meaning Trap.
10 (A)
- Why it is correct (Key): Negative Past Simple expressing a wish against a current annoying habit of the phone.
- Distractor Analysis: (D) is a Common Mistake; (B) is a Structural Error; (C) is a Meaning Trap (wishing it “didn’t drop” implies wanting it to stay bright).
11 (B)
- Why it is correct (Key): Complaining about a specific, annoying action the camera does (consuming battery).
- Distractor Analysis: (C) is a Common Mistake; (D) is a Structural Error; (A) is a Meaning Trap.
12 (B)
- Why it is correct (Key): Strongly urging the tech giant to cease a bad corporate habit.
- Distractor Analysis: (D) is a Common Mistake; (A) is a Structural Error; (C) is a Meaning Trap (wishing they wouldn’t stop doing it).
13 (C)
- Why it is correct (Key): Past Simple (supported) indicating a wish for a missing present capability.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) is a Common Mistake; (A) is a Structural Error (passive voice is incorrect here); (D) is a Meaning Trap.
14 (D)
- Why it is correct (Key): Wishing the brand would stop an annoying recurring action (pushing bloatware).
- Distractor Analysis: (B) is a Common Mistake; (A) is a Structural Error; (C) is a Meaning Trap.
15 (A)
- Why it is correct (Key): Expressing a wish against a current obligation (having to carry a power bank).
- Distractor Analysis: (B) is a Common Mistake; (D) is a Structural Error (“hadn’t have” is invalid); (C) is a Meaning Trap.
16 (B)
- Why it is correct (Key): Past Simple (made) reflecting an unreal present outcome.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; (D) is a Structural Error; (C) is a Meaning Trap.
17 (A)
- Why it is correct (Key): Subjunctive weren’t expressing a wish against the current design material.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) is a Common Mistake; (C) is a Structural Error; (D) is a Meaning Trap.
18 (C)
- Why it is correct (Key): Urging the company to take a specific future action (release an update).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake (will); (B) is a Structural Error; (D) is a Meaning Trap (wishing they would “delay” the update).
19 (C)
- Why it is correct (Key): Subjunctive weren’t for an unreal present state of the operating system.
- Distractor Analysis: (D) is a Common Mistake; (A) is a Structural Error; (B) is a Meaning Trap.
20 (C)
- Why it is correct (Key): Negative Past Simple expressing a wish against a current reality for consumers.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; (B) is a Structural Error; (D) is a Meaning Trap.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
- Two Ways to Review: When reviewing tech products, you will use two main structures. Use Wish + Past Simple to talk about hardware or built-in features you wish the phone currently had (e.g., I wish it had a bigger battery). Use Wish + would + Verb to complain about dynamic software behaviors or to demand that the manufacturer take action/release an update (e.g., I wish they would fix this bug).
- The “Will” Mistake: Even though you are talking about future updates (like a software patch), you cannot use “will” after wish/if only. A common B2 mistake is saying If only they will release an update. Always shift “will” to “would”.
- The Academic Subjunctive: When wishing a state were different (using the verb “to be”), use were instead of was for all subjects, even singular nouns like “the battery capacity” or “the back panel” (e.g., I wish the battery capacity were larger).
- Meaning Traps in Tech Contexts: Pay close attention to tech vocabulary. Examiners will often use correct grammar but insert a verb that completely contradicts a tech reviewer’s logic—such as wishing the phone lacked a processor, or wishing the company would ignore user feedback. Read the context carefully!