Is a Wish a hope or a Regret?

We talk about wishes in English, but what do they mean in English? Are they a hope or not.

This website does a great job of summarizing the details of how "wish" is generally used in English.

http://useit.vn/content/view/1899/399/lang,english/

"Although wish is generally associated with hope, it is actually used mainly for regrets.

For example:
- I wish I had a better job. (I don't have the job I want now)
- I wish my kids could have a better education.

Wish is used with unreal situations, so like all unreal situations in English the sentence goes one tense back in time.
If the sentence is about the present then, we use wish with the Past Pimple.

For example:
- I want more time now => I wish I had more time.
- It's too hot now => I wish it wasn't so hot.

And if the sentence is about the past, we use wish with the Past Perfect.

For example:
- I wanted more time => I wish I had had more time.
- It's too hot now => I wish it hadn't been so hot.

Wish ... would

Wish ... would is used to complain about a present situation.

For example:
- I wish he would speak louder..
- Don't you wish countries could stop fighting?
- I wish it would stop raining.

Wish .. would is used only for actions, not states or situations.

For example:
- I wish I would be at home. - Incorrect.
- I wish I was at home / I wish I were at home. - OK

Subjunctive

The subjunctive is a little used mood now found mainly in a few stock English phrases. Simply put it means that with if and wish, you can use were with I/he/she/it. It's particularly common with the pronoun "I", for example:
- I wish I was a rich man. OK
- I wish I were a rich man. OK
- If I was a rich man... OK
- If I were a rich man... OK

As with most older English, this is found mainly in British English.

English is a Confusing Language

No doubt about it English is a confusing language.

And the best way to get through any serious study, is with a bit of humor. Language is constantly moving, changing and reforming. If we don't have a sense of humor as we go through our studies, it will be a long journey. So sit back, have a good laugh, at yourself. It's the best thing to do!

Check out this poster that addresses some of the funnier and confusing aspects of English.

http://busyteacher.org/uploads/posts/2011-09/1316734840_crazy-language-poster-small.png

Essay Writing

Now is about that time when students are sending in University essays. Just to confuse the foreign language learner there are a number of rules that apply to essays that don't apply in conversation English.



Check out OWL's MLA Format page for some rules.

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/

Don't forget the importance of a good structure.

Introduction with a thesis

Supporting Material (at least 3 paragraphs)

Conclusion where you restate the thesis.

Hint: Each paragraph should have a minimum of three sentences!


If you need help or coaching editing an essay, thesis, or presentation get in contact and I will help you write like a professional!

Idioms, Slang, and Phrasal Verb Practice

Test yourself!

Now that you know a bit about Idioms, Phrasal Verbs, and Slang practice some of the tests on this website!


Self- Study

Phrasal Verbs

A Phrasal Verb is a complex verb made up of a verb (usually one of action or movement) and a prepositional adverb--also known as an adverbial particle (of direction or location).

There are hundreds of phrasal verbs in English, many of them with multiple meanings!



Portuguese to English Site on Phrasal Verbs:

http://www.sk.com.br/sk-twow.html

Phrasal Verb Lists and links to Practice

http://www.englishclub.com/vocabulary/phrasal-verbs-list.htm

Idioms

An idiom is a phrase where a combination of words together have a meaning that is different from the dictionary definition of the individual words. This makes idioms especially tricky for ESL students. There are over 8,000 idioms in the English language.

Check out a bit about Idioms:
http://www.rong-chang.com/idioms.htm

Especially these videos:
http://www.22frames.com/idiomlist.aspx

Slang

Learning to speak more fluently is about learning what slang words are used commonly. Also it's important to learn when it's appropriate to use them, and when not.



Check out some of these slang words and their meanings:

http://www.englishdaily626.com/slang.php?012

And some commonly used American slang:

http://www.manythings.org/slang/