[Grammar] Wish

[beachboy]

a) I wish you weren't so noisy.
b) I wish you wouldn't be so noisy.
c) I wish the elevator would be faster.

Is sentence b right (if I meant the I know that you will refuse to stop making noise)? In what context would you use b instead of a? Is c right?

 

[emsr2d2]

b is OK. c isn't.

 

[beachboy]

b is OK. c isn't.

Is the context I pointed out in sentence b right? Can sentence b have 2 different meanings, i.e., can it mean that I am asking you not to make noise?

 

[emsr2d2]

I would say "I wish you weren't so noisy" if I were referring to someone's general habit of being noisy.
I might say "I wish you wouldn't be so noisy" if I were speaking to someone who was being noisy at the time. However, at that point, I would be more likely to say "I wish you would stop making so much noise" or "Please stop being so noisy".

 

[beachboy]

What if I know that somebody hates parties, and I know that he won't accept my invitation for tomorrow's party? Would there be a difference between these two sentences?

1) I wish you would come to my party tomorrow.
2) I wish you would be here tomorrow.

I'm asking these questions because I want to come to a conclusion about the use of "wish - would - be".

 

[emsr2d2]

1 is OK provided, as you said, the person has already declined your invitation. 2 isn't. 2 should use "hope" in "I hope you will be here tomorrow/I hope you will come tomorrow". However, that wouldn't work if they had declined already.

 

[beachboy]

1 is OK provided, as you said, the person has already declined your invitation. 2 isn't. 2 should use "hope" in "I hope you will be here tomorrow/I hope you will come tomorrow". However, that wouldn't work if they had declined already.

I can't understand why I can use verb to come but not verb to be in the same context, i.e., when I know that somebody won't come to my party (or won't be there).

 

[andrewg927]

That is because "be here" is not at all clear. Where is "here"?

 

[beachboy]

That is because "be here" is not at all clear. Where is "here"?

Here at the party. I wish you would be at the party.

 

[emsr2d2]

We just don't use it for future desires in that way.

I wish you were coming to the party. (We know the person has said they're not coming.)
I hope you [will] come to my party. (We don't know if the person plans to come or not.)

 

[beachboy]

But what if the person won't be at party because he doesn't like parties, and always declines invitations? What I understand is, if I can't control it, I can say "I wish you would come to the party", but, for the same reasons, I can't understand why I can't use verb to be - "I wish you would be at the party"

 

[GoesStation]

Perhaps we internally make a list of the order the events would occur in. You have to come to the party in order to be there. Since the person in question never goes to parties, it's clear they won't come to it. It would be a little absurd to talk of them being there without first having come.

 

[beachboy]

Perhaps we internally make a list of the order the events would occur in. You have to come to the party in order to be there. Since the person in question never goes to parties, it's clear they won't come to it. It would be a little absurd to talk of them being there without first having come.

On the phone:

"Hi, Michael, it's me, Beachboy. My birthday is coming up, and I'm giving a party in my place on Sunday. I've invited most of my close friends, and I'm sure at least 20 of them are coming. I know you're not much for parties, and I understand you won't be here. I do wish you would be here."

What you think?

 

[emsr2d2]

On the phone:

"Hi, Michael, it's me, Beachboy. My birthday is coming up, and I'm [STRIKE]giving[/STRIKE] having a party [STRIKE]in[/STRIKE] at my place on Sunday. I've invited most of my close friends, and I'm sure at least 20 of them are coming. I know you're not much for parties, and I understand you won't be here. I do wish you would [STRIKE]be here[/STRIKE] come."

What you think?

Honestly, I don't know how many other ways we can tell you that "I wish you would be here" just doesn't work.

 

[GoesStation]

On the phone:

"Hi, Michael, it's me, Beachboy. My birthday is coming up, and I'm giving a party at my place on Sunday. I've invited most of my close friends, and I'm sure at least 20 of them are coming. I know you're not much for parties, and I understand you won't be here. I do wish you could be here."

What do you think?

It doesn't work with would. If you change that to could (see above), it's OK - but "I wish you could/would come​" is more natural.

 

[beachboy]

Honestly, I don't know how many other ways we can tell you that "I wish you would be here" just doesn't work.

You haven't explained WHY it doesn't work. You just said that it doesn't. I know that it doesn't. But then, I'll come up with a sentence like 'I wish you wouldn't BE noisy", and somebody will tell me that it works.

 

[beachboy]

It doesn't work with would. If you change that to could (see above), it's OK - but "I wish you could/would come​" is more natural.

I understand that "I wish you could/would come" is ok.

You can't come - I wish you could come
You won't come (because you don't want to) - I wish you would come
You are noisy (and you won't stop) - I wish you wouldn't be so noisy/ I wish you weren't so noisy
You won't go - I wish you would go
You won't eat - I wish you would eat
You won't be here - *

* This is what I can't understand. The difference between verb to be and the other verbs, when it comes to using wish - would.

 

[andrewg927]

You haven't explained WHY it doesn't work. You just said that it doesn't. I know that it doesn't. But then, I'll come up with a sentence like 'I wish you wouldn't BE noisy", and somebody will tell me that it works.

First of all, you can't say "I wish you wouldn't COME noisy". That would not make any sense. You have to use "be" in that case because you have no other choice.

Second, the only situation where I find "I wish you would be here" is when the party is under way, I am at the party and talking to my friend over the phone. That's the only case it makes sense to use "be here". LIke GS explained, if it is a future event, the person has to come to the party first before they can be there.

Third, you could say "I wish you would be there." I don't find that particularly natural but I believe it is acceptable.

 

[andrewg927]

You won't be here - *

* This is what I can't understand. The difference between verb to be and the other verbs, when it comes to using wish - would.

You are not here at the moment - I wish you would be here.
You won't be here - I wish you would be there.

 

[emsr2d2]

You are not here at the moment - I wish you would be here.
You won't be here - I wish you would be there.

Maybe there's an AmE vs BrE difference then. For me "You won't be here" leads to "I wish you were going to be there", not "I wish you would be there".