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Thread: wish and would

  1. #1
    ridvann is offline Member
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    Default wish and would

    Hello,

    When we want to talk about situations we are not happy about and where we want someone else to change them, we use to wish followed by would + infinitive:

    I wish we would answer their letter.

    I wish we would stop smoking.

    Can we use the pronoun 'I' with 'we' together? Because the pronoun 'we' contains the pronoun 'I'?

    Thanks...

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    emsr2d2 is online now VIP Member
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    Default Re: wish and would

    Quote Originally Posted by ridvann View Post
    Hello,

    When we want to talk about situations we are not happy about and where we want someone else to change them, we use to wish followed by would + infinitive:

    I wish we would answer their letter.

    I wish we would stop smoking.

    Can we use the pronoun 'I' with 'we' together? Because the pronoun 'we' contains the pronoun 'I'?

    Thanks...
    There's no reason why you can't have "I" and "we" in the same sentence but neither of your sentences are entirely natural. It's the combination of "we" and "would" that doesn't work.

    I wish you would answer their letter.
    I wish we had answered their letter sooner.
    I wish we could answer their letter.

    I wish we could stop smoking.
    I think we should stop smoking.
    I wish you would stop smoking.
    I wish they would smoke less.

    "We would" just doesn't go after "wish".
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    ridvann is offline Member
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    Threadstarter / Original Poster

    Default Re: wish and would

    So we can't use it in that way. Thanks for the answer. Because my teacher in school said we could use them together, and after that I was confused. Thanks...

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    emsr2d2 is online now VIP Member
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    Default Re: wish and would

    Quote Originally Posted by ridvann View Post
    So we can't use it in that way. Thanks for the answer. Because my teacher in school said we could use them together, and after that I was confused. Thanks...
    If your teacher can give you an example sentence using the construction and you can post it here, I'd be interested to see it.
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    ridvann is offline Member
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    Threadstarter / Original Poster

    Default Re: wish and would

    It is the first sentence I have given. He is not a native person and a new teacher maybe for this reason he is confused about it.

    Thanks all the answers... I always note all the answers you give.

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    Default Re: wish and would

    Quote Originally Posted by ridvann View Post
    Hello,

    When we want to talk about situations we are not happy about and where we want someone else to change them, we use to wish followed by would + infinitive:

    .
    Not a teacher.

    I think we use wish to express regret that things are not different and the sentence followed by wish is unreal and impossible.

    I wish it would rain today.(It appears that it won't rain)


    Thank you.

    I wish I would go home soon.(It appears that I won't go home soon)


    For your question I think it is possible to use we after I.

    Lets assume we are playing a cricket match. We need to score 40 runs in a over. In that position we can't win the match but I feel it will be nice if we win the match.

    I say: I wish we would win the match.(We represents the entire team).


    I am not sure about my answer.So,let us wait for a teacher to reply.
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    5jj
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    Default Re: wish and would

    As emsr2d2 said, that sentence is not correct. It would not be correct with 'will', either.
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    Context is always important; labelling is rarely important.


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    ridvann is offline Member
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    Threadstarter / Original Poster

    Default Re: wish and would

    Lets assume we are playing a cricket match. We need to score 40 runs in a over. In that position we can't win the match but I feel it will be nice if we win the match.

    I say: I wish we would win the match.(We represents the entire team).

    I think it is impossible as the teachers have said.

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    5jj
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    Default Re: wish and would

    Quote Originally Posted by ridvann View Post
    I think it is impossible as the teachers have said.
    'Impossible' is too strong a word, in my opinion. You will frequently hear native speakers using constructions that any grammar book or teacher will tell you are 'unacceptable'. Sometimes it is even possible to dream up unlikely situations in which the 'unacceptable' is possible.

    However, emsr2 has given very sound advice. If you follow it, you will (almost) never produce an unacceptable utterance.

    ps. I inserted '(almost)' before 'never' only because I have learnt from bitter experience that somebody will prove me wrong as soon as I use the unmodified words 'always' or 'never'.
    Last edited by 5jj; 23-Jan-2012 at 11:02. Reason: typo
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    Default Re: wish and would

    I totally agree with emsr2d2. The use of would after wish implies that your wish depens on someone else or something else, i.e. that it is totally out of your control.

    In your examples COULD would be acceptable though


    I wish I would could go home soon.(It appears that I won't go home soon) /


    However, I think it is possible to use we could after I though in the examples you provided


    Lets assume we are playing a cricket match. We need to score 40 runs in a over. In that position we can't win the match but I feel it will be nice if we win the match.

    [COLOR="rgb(46, 139, 87)"]Let me just say that I don't really know much about how cricket works, however I think it would be more correct if you said[/COLOR]
    I say: I wish we would could win the match.(We represents the entire team).



    Hope this will help
    Last edited by shannico; 23-Jan-2012 at 11:44. Reason: formatting fix
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