Level: Intermediate and Up
Pair with the Songs:
“Stressed Out” (Twenty-One Pilots, 2016)
“I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free” (Nina Simone)
Recommended Videos:
“Stressed Out”: the official video and the audio-only video
“I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free”: Nina Simone’s audio-only video and John Legend’s audio-only video

The construction wish + simple past is used to make a wish about the present–to express the idea that we want a present situation to be different. The song “Stressed Out” repeats the construction ten times (I wish I had a better voice, Wish we could turn back time, etc.), and Nina Simone’s “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free” uses it nine times. The worksheet below gives students practice with this construction. Permission is granted to reproduce for classroom use. For more activities to go with these songs, please see the Lesson Plan for “Stressed Out” and the Lesson Plan for “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free.”

wish worksheet.docx      wish worksheet.pdf          wish worksheet (webpage)

Preview:

Wish + Simple Past: Making a Wish About the Present 

A.  Read the sentences under the photo.

• I can’t visit my friends in Spain. I wish I could visit them.
• I don’t have time to exercise. I wish I had time to exercise.
• We are sick. I wish we weren’t sick.
• These sweaters are expensive. I wish they were cheaper.

To make a wish about the present, use wish + simple past.

B.  Complete the sentences.

1. I can’t remember his name.
I wish I ________________________   ________________________ his name.
2. I don’t know the answer.
I wish I ________________________ the answer.
3. I can’t go the party.
I wish I ________________________   _______________________ to the party.
4. I can’t speak Italian.
I wish I ________________________   ________________________ Italian.
5. I don’t have enough money to take a vacation.
I wish I ________________________ enough money to take a vacation.
6. I don’t know how to cook.
I wish I ________________________ how to cook.
7. I have a test tomorrow.
I wish I ______________________   ______________________ a test tomorrow.
8. My neighbors are noisy.
I wish they ________________________ quieter.
9. I have a small apartment.
I wish I ________________________ a bigger apartment.
10. My friends aren’t here.
I wish they ________________________ here.
11. The sleeves on this shirt are too short.
I wish they ________________________ longer.
12. The concert tickets are expensive.
I wish they ________________________ cheaper.
13. My sister lives far away.
I wish she ________________________ closer.
14. These oranges are sour.
I wish they ________________________ sweeter.
15. This laptop has a small screen.
I wish it ________________________ a bigger screen.

C.  Now write your own sentence. Make a wish about the present. Use wish + simple past.

I wish ____________________________________________________________.

Answer Key

Worksheet: Copyright © 2016 Sandra Heyer. All rights reserved. Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use.
Photo: © Piotr Marcinski  | Dreamstime. com. Used by permission.