QUIZ: I’d Rather, I Wish, I’d Better

 

I’d Rather, I Wish, I’d Better

Fill in the blanks.

1. I would rather you ........................... on Monday.

don't come

didn't come

wouldn't come

2. I'd rather you .................................. fight with me in public.

don't

didn't

wouldn't

3. You'd better ............................. now before he gets angry.

leave

to leave

left

4. I 'd rather you ............................. me with the housework.

help

helped

had helped

5. You'd better .................................. smoking.

stop

stopped

to stop

6. We'd better ................................... seats.

reserve

to reserve

reserved

7. I wish I ............................... there when they arrived.

was

had been

will be

8. I wish I ............................... like that.

didn't behave

hadn't behaved

don't behave

9. I wish I .................................. out of school at 14.

didn't drop

wouldn't drop

hadn't dropped

10. I wish I ................................... handsome.

was

have been

had been

11. I wish that it ………………………….. stop raining soon.

will

would

did

12. I wish dad ……………………… come soon.

will

would

had

Answers

1. I would rather you didn’t come on Monday.
2. I’d rather you didn’t fight with me in public.
3. You’d better leave now before he gets angry.
4. I’d rather you helped me with the housework.
5. You’d better stop smoking.
6. We’d better reserve seats.
7. I wish I had been there when they arrived.
8. I wish I hadn’t behaved like that.
9. I wish I hadn’t dropped out of school at 14.
10. I wish I was handsome.
11. I wish that it would stop raining soon.
12. I wish dad would come soon.

Source: https://www.englishgrammar.org/id-rather-i-wish-id-better/

 

Which is correct: “I wish I was…” or “I wish I were…”?

Which is correct: “I wish I was…” or “I wish I were…”?

Picture it. You’re texting your buddy, and you type out “I wish I were.” But there’s that pesky autocorrect, trying to change it to “I wish I was.” Is autocorrect ducking with you, or are you about to commit a grammar faux pas? 

First, a little grammar lesson …

Were and was are both past tense versions of the verb to be. But were is usually used in relation to second person singular and plural pronouns such as you, your, yours. It is also used with select first and third person plural pronouns such as we, they. 

We use was, on the other hand, when we’re using the first person singular pronoun I or using the third person singular such as he or she. 

For example, you wouldn’t say “You was going to the store.” You would say “You were going to the store.”

But you would say “I was going to the store,” rather than “I were going to the store.”

Got it? 

Why we say “I wish I were”

So, what happens when you’re talking about “I wish I were …” ? I is a first person singular pronoun, which is what makes using were seem confusing. Shouldn’t we always use was after I?

Nope!

“I wish I were” is actually the preference of grammar experts because you’re talking about something that hasn’t actually occurred. 

For example, “I wish I were on a beach right now with a pile of books” is something a dedicated
bibliomaniac
might say, and we’d love to join them!

This is correct because of something linguists call the subjunctive mood. Subjunctive refers to words that describe doubtful or hypothetical situations … like wishes for things that aren’t real!

However, sometimes we still hear “I wish I was” …

But, wait a second! 

“I wish I was a little bit taller, I wish I was a baller …” and Pearl Jam’s “Wishlist” is littered with variations of “I wish I was.”

Well, let’s face it: Some of our favorite songs are chock full of grammatical errors. These 90s favorites aren’t exactly wrong. They’re simply non-standard. 

While grammarians will tell you to stick to “I wish I were” to follow the rules of the subjunctive, language has evolved, and the non-standard “I wish I was” has become increasingly popular. Our advice? 

If you’re looking to write a hit song, it’s fine to use the less formal “I wish I was.” If you’re writing a paper for your English professor, on the other hand, stick with the grammarians, and use “I wish I were.” 

Source: https://www.dictionary.com/e/wish-it-were-vs-was

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