Double-click on any word and see its definition from Cambridge Dictionaries Online.
The word wish is similar in meaning to the expression "would like":
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I wish I had a big house = I would like to have a big house. |
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I wish I had been there = I would like to have been there. |
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I wish you would stop talking = I would like you to stop talking. |
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I wish to see the manager = I would like to see the manager. |
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I wish you a Merry Christmas = I would like you to have a Merry Christmas. |
Its main use is to express regret that things are not different. It is possible to use wish in this way to talk about both the present/future and the past:
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I wish (that) I weren't here now. |
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I wish (that) I didn't have to go to school tomorrow. |
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I wish (that) I had studied harder when I was at school. |
Notice that the verb tenses that follow wish are the same as those used in the second and third conditionals (see Grammar definitions).
Also notice the word that can be omitted in more informal speech.
The expression wish … would is used to talk about (lack of) willingness to do things:
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I wish you would tidy your room. |
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I wish you wouldn't always come home so late. |
In a formal style, wish + (object) + infinitive can be used in the same way as "want":
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I wish to speak to the director. |
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Do you wish me to serve refreshments, sir? |
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Wish is also used in some fixed expressions: |
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I/we wish you a Merry Christmas (and a Happy New Year). |
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I/we wish you well/all the best. |
For more information on the different uses of wish see:
http://faculty.washington.edu/marynell/grammar/wish.html
For some quizzes using wish see:
http://www.better-english.com/grammar/wish1.htm
http://www.better-english.com/grammar/wishes.htm
http://www.better-english.com/grammar/wish2.htm
To see many examples of the use of wish see the Web Concordancer:
http://vlc.polyu.edu.hk/scripts/concordance/WWWConcappE.htm
Type wish into the "search string" field, select any corpus in the "select corpus" field, and click on the "search for concordances" button.
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