Wish / If only – English Grammar Exercises for B2
A hard lesson from a disastrous trip. A group of friends is planning a trip for this year, recalling the incident of getting lost in the woods last year due to not hiring a guide. They use this past regret as a premise to establish mandatory survival rules for the upcoming trip.
Choose the best option (A, B, C, or D) to complete each sentence.
1 “We wouldn’t have to pay for this expensive GPS app now. If only we ______ a local guide last year!”
(A) hired
(B) had hired
(C) have hired
(D) hadn’t hired
2 “I’m not letting us go alone this time. If only we ______ to the park ranger’s warning before entering that trail!”
(A) listened
(B) wouldn’t listen
(C) didn’t listen
(D) had listened
3 “We spent three freezing nights in the woods. I wish we ______ a proper map with us.”
(A) had lost
(B) had brought
(C) brought
(D) have brought
4 “This year, everyone stays together! If only Tom ______ away from the group to take photos.”
(A) didn’t wander
(B) had wandered
(C) hadn’t wandered
(D) wouldn’t wander
5 “I still have nightmares about that trip. I wish we ______ so overconfident about our survival skills.”
(A) hadn’t been
(B) weren’t
(C) had been
(D) wasn’t
6 “To avoid repeating that disaster, we need to pack smart. If only we ______ more water instead of heavy snacks last time!”
(A) packed
(B) hadn’t packed
(C) had packed
(D) had packing
7 “The rescue team told us we were lucky. If only we ______ the emergency flares in the car.”
(A) hadn’t left
(B) had left
(C) didn’t leave
(D) wouldn’t leave
8 “Rule number one: we check the weather. I really wish we ______ the forecast before hiking up that slippery mountain.”
(A) checked
(B) had checked
(C) had ignored
(D) have checked
9 “We are booking a professional guide this time, no arguments! If only we ______ to save a few bucks on our safety last year.”
(A) didn’t try
(B) had tried
(C) wouldn’t try
(D) hadn’t tried
10 “If only we ______ the compass reading seriously, we wouldn’t have ended up walking in circles for hours.”
(A) had taking
(B) hadn’t taken
(C) had taken
(D) took
11 “I wish I ______ my phone battery on playing games during the drive. I couldn’t even call for help!”
(A) hadn’t wasted
(B) hadn’t saved
(C) didn’t waste
(D) haven’t wasted
12 “Let’s agree to turn back if it gets dark. If only we ______ that basic rule during our previous hike.”
(A) had broken
(B) had followed
(C) followed
(D) would follow
13 “We are renting satellite phones. I wish we ______ a way to communicate when we lost the cellular signal.”
(A) had
(B) would have
(C) had lacked
(D) had had
14 “This itinerary is strictly fixed. If only we ______ off the designated path to find that ‘secret’ waterfall.”
(A) didn’t go
(B) hadn’t gone
(C) had gone
(D) wouldn’t have gone
15 “Look, we have to prepare for the worst. If only we ______ the severe drop in temperature into account.”
(A) took
(B) hadn’t taken
(C) had borne
(D) had taken
16 “Our ignorance almost cost us our lives. I wish we ______ a blind eye to the ‘Do Not Enter’ signs.”
(A) hadn’t kept
(B) didn’t turn
(C) hadn’t turned
(D) had turned
17 “We are hiring a local expert because I wish we ______ that false sense of security last year.”
(A) hadn’t harbored
(B) didn’t harbor
(C) hadn’t eliminated
(D) hadn’t harbor
18 “If only we ______ the courage to admit we were lost earlier, we wouldn’t have strayed so deep into the wilderness.”
(A) had mustered
(B) mustered
(C) had lost
(D) would muster
19 “We cannot afford to be stingy this time. I wish we ______ corners when buying our camping gear.”
(A) didn’t cut
(B) hadn’t trimmed
(C) had cut
(D) hadn’t cut
20 “Let this be a lesson. If only we ______ caution to the wind, we wouldn’t have to be this paranoid now.”
(A) didn’t throw
(B) hadn’t thrown
(C) had thrown
(D) hadn’t threw
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (B)
- Why it is correct (Key): The structure “If only + Past Perfect” expresses regret over something that was not done in the past (hiring a guide).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake (using Past Simple instead of Past Perfect); (C) is a Structural Error (Present Perfect is never used here); (D) is a Meaning Trap (wishing we hadn’t hired a guide contradicts the logic).
2 (D)
- Why it is correct (Key): Expresses regret for not listening to the warning in the past.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; (B) is a Structural Error; (C) is a Meaning Trap (wishing we didn’t listen).
3 (B)
- Why it is correct (Key): Regret for failing to bring a map.
- Distractor Analysis: (C) is a Common Mistake; (D) is a Structural Error; (A) is a Meaning Trap (wishing we had lost a map is illogical).
4 (C)
- Why it is correct (Key): Regret that Tom actually wandered away from the group (hadn’t wandered = wish he did not wander).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; (D) is a Structural Error; (B) is a Meaning Trap.
5 (A)
- Why it is correct (Key): Wishing they hadn’t been overly confident (Negative Past Perfect).
- Distractor Analysis: (B) is a Common Mistake; (D) is a Structural Error (was instead of were, and wrong tense); (C) is a Meaning Trap.
6 (C)
- Why it is correct (Key): A wish that they had packed more water instead of snacks.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; (D) is a Structural Error (had + V-ing); (B) is a Meaning Trap.
7 (A)
- Why it is correct (Key): Regret for leaving the flares behind (hadn’t left).
- Distractor Analysis: (C) is a Common Mistake; (D) is a Structural Error; (B) is a Meaning Trap.
8 (B)
- Why it is correct (Key): Wishing they had checked the weather forecast.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; (D) is a Structural Error; (C) is a Meaning Trap (wishing they had ignored it).
9 (D)
- Why it is correct (Key): Wishing they hadn’t tried to save money at the expense of their safety.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; (C) is a Structural Error; (B) is a Meaning Trap.
10 (C)
- Why it is correct (Key): Wishing they had taken the compass seriously.
- Distractor Analysis: (D) is a Common Mistake; (A) is a Structural Error; (B) is a Meaning Trap.
11 (A)
- Why it is correct (Key): Regret for wasting phone battery.
- Distractor Analysis: (C) is a Common Mistake; (D) is a Structural Error; (B) is a Meaning Trap (wishing I hadn’t saved).
12 (B)
- Why it is correct (Key): Wishing they had followed the rule.
- Distractor Analysis: (C) is a Common Mistake; (D) is a Structural Error; (A) is a Meaning Trap (wishing they had broken the rule).
13 (D)
- Why it is correct (Key): “had had” is the Past Perfect form of the main verb “have” (to possess a way to communicate).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake (only backshifting to Past Simple); (B) is a Structural Error; (C) is a Meaning Trap (“lacked” means not having).
14 (B)
- Why it is correct (Key): Wishing they hadn’t strayed off the path.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; (D) is a Structural Error; (C) is a Meaning Trap.
15 (D)
- Why it is correct (Key): Uses the correct collocation “take into account” in the Past Perfect.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; (C) is a Structural Error (Mixing up the idioms “bear in mind” and “take into account”); (B) is a Meaning Trap.
16 (C)
- Why it is correct (Key): The idiom is “turn a blind eye to” (ignore). “Hadn’t turned” expresses regret for ignoring the signs.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) is a Common Mistake; (A) is a Structural Error (wrong verb for this idiom); (D) is a Meaning Trap.
17 (A)
- Why it is correct (Key): Collocation “harbor a false sense of security” in the negative Past Perfect.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) is a Common Mistake; (D) is a Structural Error (hadn’t + bare infinitive); (C) is a Meaning Trap.
18 (A)
- Why it is correct (Key): Collocation “muster the courage” (to gather courage).
- Distractor Analysis: (B) is a Common Mistake; (D) is a Structural Error; (C) is a Meaning Trap.
19 (D)
- Why it is correct (Key): The idiom is “cut corners” (to do something poorly to save money or time).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; (C) is a Meaning Trap; (B) is a Structural Error (wrong verb for the idiom).
20 (B)
- Why it is correct (Key): The idiom is “throw caution to the wind” (to take a great risk).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; (D) is a Structural Error (“threw” is V2, not V3); (C) is a Meaning Trap.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
- Emphasizing a Lesson: In a communicative context, If only / I wish + Past Perfect is not just about expressing personal regret. It serves as a powerful rhetorical tool to deter or persuade others to follow a new rule based on the severe consequences of a past action (e.g., If only we had brought a map last year… so this time, no exceptions!).
- The “Had had” Structure: A common fear among B2 learners is using had had. However, this is perfectly correct in the Past Perfect tense when the main verb of the sentence is “have” (the first “had” is the auxiliary, the second “had” is the past participle).
- Collocations & Idioms: In advanced multiple-choice questions (like Q15-20), distractors often focus on pairing the wrong verb within an idiom (e.g., turn a blind eye, cut corners, throw caution to the wind). Mastering these fixed phrases ensures you won’t be tricked by structurally plausible but lexically incorrect options.