Regrets about your appearance - Unreal Past and modals practice

Regrets about your appearance - Unreal Past and modals practice

Choose one thing below, read it out, listen to your partner’s advice, and then respond. Discuss for longer if you like, then take turns doing the same with other lines below, choosing any you like (not worrying about which are true for you).

• I wish I was taller.
• I wish I hadn’t had a tattoo.
• I wish I had never had piercings.
• I wish I didn’t have to wear contact lenses.
• If only I wasn’t going bald.
• I wish I wasn’t going grey.
• I should have got more of a suntan last summer.
• I shouldn’t have had my hair cut so short.
• I wish I didn’t cut myself so much while shaving.
• I wish I could grow more of a beard.
• If I only I didn’t have such a terrible haircut in my graduation photos.
• I wish I had longer legs.
• I should have tried to put on more muscle when I was younger.
• I wish I didn’t need to spend so long getting ready in the morning.
• I should do more exercise, but I can’t afford to go to the gym.
• I wish I had bigger biceps.
• If only my thighs weren’t so fat/ chubby.
• I wish my nose wasn’t so big.
• I wish I could lose weight.
• I should reduce the fat around my belly.
• If only I hadn’t dyed my hair green.
• I wish I didn’t have such bushy eyebrows.
• If only I didn’t have hairy legs.
• I shouldn’t have had a perm.
• It only I had a square jaw/ square chin.
• I wish I had blue eyes.
• I should have taken more photos of my children when they looked cute.
• I wish I knew how to be more fashionable.
• I wish my children dressed more smartly.
• I wish I had enough money to have plastic surgery.
• If only someone would destroy the photos of me when I was a teenager.
• If only I could fit into all my old clothes.
• I shouldn’t have bought a bum bag/ fanny pack.
• I wish I could wear different clothes at work.
• I should have spent more time getting ready this morning.
• I wish getting ready in the morning didn’t take so much time.
• I wish I could walk in high heels.
• I should think more carefully about ethics when I buy clothes and cosmetics.
• I wish I was brave enough to wear more revealing clothes.
• I wish I had experimented with more hairstyles when I was younger.
• I wish I could get my nails done.
• I wish I hadn’t bought a novelty tie.
• I should’ve had more piercings when I was younger.
• If only I could have clothes tailor made.
• I should have taken my wellies with me when I last went on holiday.
• I wish capes were more fashionable.
• I shouldn’t have worn flip flops last weekend.
• I wish I had better eyesight.
• If only I had more opportunities to dress up.
• I should never have worn a shell suit.
• If only I had good enough legs to wear a miniskirt.
• If only I didn’t have to shave so much.
• I wish all men would shave off their moustaches.
• I regret wearing a kilt.
• Looking back, using Photoshop on my ID photo was not a good idea.
• I hope to show off my midriff next summer.
• I hope that I never need to wear a wig.

When your teacher stops you, ask about anything you don’t understand, working together to give advice each time.

Change groups. Say one of the phrases that could be true about you (even if it isn’t) and see if your partner can guess if it is true or not, perhaps after asking you questions about that regret.

Without looking above, write different forms that can go after each of these:

I wish +                                              

I wish +

 

If only +                                                         

If only +

 

I should(n’t) +                                     

I should(n’t) +

 

Check above.

What are the differences in meaning between the different forms?

Write the opposite reality for six unreal situations above, making sure you choose one for each of the six forms that you wrote above (2 x “I wish”, etc, e.g. “My son doesn’t dress smartly” for “I wish my children dressed more smartly”).