Grammar challenge: 'Wish' & the past perfect

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was originally broadcast in 2008 on the BBC Learning English website.

We hope you enjoy it.

Welcome to Grammar Challenge from BBC Learning English dot com.

Let's meet this week's challenger.

Hello, my name is Daewon.

I'm from South Korea and now in London.

I study at English Studio, near Holborn Station.

Actually, it's my first time for broadcasting,

so I'm nervous and afraid.

I want to start with a question, Daewon.

Do you know what a regret is?

Well, yes.

Yeah? What is it? Can you explain?

I want to change my past,

so if it could be, I will go back to my past

and choose another choice.

I think this is 'regret' meaning.

That's absolutely right, yeah.

A regret is where we did something in the past

that, if we could go back into the past and change it, that's what we'd do. OK?

Now, we're going to listen to some audio clips of Mark and Eleanor,

talking about their regrets.

See if you can hear what it is they wish they had done differently.

Yeah, OK.

I went for a walk in the park yesterday,

but it started raining and I got really wet.

I wish I had taken my umbrella.

I wish I hadn't bought a rather expensive dress in the sales,

because I actually never ended up wearing it at all

and I thought I was getting a bargain, but I wasn't.

How's that?

Mark didn't take his umbrella

and second, she bought a expensive dress, so she regret.

Excellent, OK.

So, now we're going to listen to our grammar expert, Catherine,

talking about this grammatical structure, 'I wish I had'.

Hi, Daewon! Well done.

Mark didn't take his umbrella to the park, and now he regrets it.

Elena bought an expensive dress, and she regrets that too.

Here's Mark.

I wish I had taken my umbrella.

Let's break that down.

Mark used 'I wish', with the past perfect.

Now, remember, the past perfect has three parts —

a subject, like 'I', 'you', 'he',

then 'had' and finally, the past participle,

for example, 'take', 'took', 'taken' — taken is the past participle.

So 'I had taken' is past perfect.

So, when Mark says...

I wish I had taken my umbrella.

..he's using 'I wish' with past perfect, to talk about past regrets.

Mark regrets something that didn't happen —

he didn't take his umbrella, and he wishes he had.

But Elena regrets something that did happen —

she bought an expensive dress, but she never wore it.

So, she uses 'I wish' with 'I hadn't bought' — that's a negative past perfect.

Here she is again.

I wish I hadn’t bought a rather expensive dress in the sales.

One more thing, if you're talking about he or she,

don't forget to say 'wishes' instead of 'wish' —

so if you're talking about Elena, say 'she wishes she hadn't bought that dress'.

OK, Daewon, good luck with your grammar challenge!

Do you know what? I think that we're ready for the Grammar Challenge.

This is what we're going to do.

I'm going to give you a sentence with a regret

and you're going to turn it into a sentence

using 'I wish I had' or 'I wish I hadn't'. OK?

— OK. — OK.

Andrew's train was late and he's missed a meeting.

He wishes he had, he had take a train.

Mm-hm. His train was late, so what does he wish about his train. Try it again.

OK. He wishes the train hadn't been late.

Perfect.

He didn't take his umbrella, but now it's raining.

He wishes he hadn't bring... taking, taking his umbrella.

He didn't take his umbrella, so he wishes...

He wishes he had taken his umbrella.

Perfect. OK, one more.

She bought a dress, but now she regrets it.

She wishes she hadn't bought a new dress.

That's absolutely perfect.

I think you did really, really well with that Grammar Challenge.

It's very difficult and you did excellently.

Grammar Challenge from BBC Learning English dot com.

Now, Daewon, do you have any regrets?

Well, when I land in this city, I disappointed, the weather,

expensive cost.

You were disappointed by London?

And British meals.

British food? You didn't like British food?

So, if I go back to my choose the country,

I will...

Uh-uh, what's the grammar? I wish...

I wish... I wish I had gone to America or Canada.

Sorry, but...

I can't, I can't believe I'm hearing this. I can't believe I'm hearing.

This is the BBC, do you realise what you're saying?

BBC Learning English dot com.