UNREAL PAST and UNREAL PRESENT:

1) Would rather 2) Had better 3) high time 4) As if 5) Wish/if only

(present reference)

(past reference)

1.WOULD
RATHER

PREFERENCE FOR SB ELSE

1.1.I’d rather you didn’t smoke in here.

(I don’t want you to smoke here now)

PREFERENCE FOR SB ELSE

1.2.I’d rather you hadn’t smoked in my house

(context: you smoked in my house and I regret it)

OUR PERSONAL PREFERENCE

1.3.I’d rather not discuss it now.

(would rather + [not] V1)

OUR PERSONAL PREFERENCE

1.4.I’d rather not have heard that.

(would rather + not have V3)

2. HAD
BETTER

AFFIRMATIVE

2.1. I had better leave now.

(I should leave now) (had better + V1)

NEGATIVE

2.2. You had better not go there.

(I shouldn’t go there) (had better + not V1)

3. AS IF

(She is not my mother)
3.1. She is behaving as if she were my mother.

(he may know a lot about literature)
3.2. He speaks as if he really knows a lot about literature.

4. IT’S
TIME

SIMPLE
(we should leave now)

4.1. It’s high time we left now.

PROGRESSIVE
(you should be thinking about your future now)

4.2. It’s time you were thinking about your
future.

5. WISH
IF ONLY

PRESENT PREFERENCE

5.1. I wish my parents weren’t so poor!

(they are poor and I hate it)

PAST PREFERENCE

5.2. I wish I hadn’t told her the truth.

(I regret telling her the truth)

It’s high time you did the following exercise:

1. The time has come to talk to our son. => It’s high time we talked to our son.

2. Shouldn’t you be doing homework at the moment?________________________________________________________
3. It’s so late, we really ought to leave. ___________________________________________________________________
4. This reports need to be sent as soon as possible. __________________________________________________________

5. Don’t you think you should finally start earning some money? _______________________________________________
6. It’s getting dark, why don’t we switch on the lights. ______________________________________________________

7. I feel I need some rest. ______________________________________________________________________________

8. You look like you haven’t slept for days. _______________________________________________________________
9. You’re 18, you should know about things like that. _______________________________________________________

10. My children usually go to sleep at this late our and so should yours.___________________________________________

1. I wouldn't go there if____________(be) you. => You had better….
2. It's high time you ____________(mend) your boat. => You had better….
3. She behaves as though she____________ (be) the Prime Minister of Greece. => She had better….
4. He talks to us as if we ____________ (be) stupid. => He had better….
5. If only I____________ (find) the answer now. => I had better….
6. If only I____________ (talk) to the boss yesterday. => I would like….
7. They always talk as if I _______________ (not be) in the room. => I’d rather…
FILL IN THE GAPS and TRANSFORM INTO SENTENCES with “PREFER”
1. It's high time you___________ (go) out and ______________ (start/look) for a job.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. I wish it______________ (be) so late. I don't want to leave.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. I wasted a lot of time at school. I wish I ______________ (study) harder.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. I wish you ______________ (post) this letter as soon as possible.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
5. If only I________________ (know) that you wanted to meet her.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
6. I'd rather he_______________ (go) to the theatre with me this Saturday.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
7. I'd rather________________ (visit) the museum last week. I had waited for it for months!
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
8. I'd rather _____________________________ (not /study) maths now, I have more important stuff to do.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
9. I'd rather you_______________________ (give) it to him sooner, yesterday was already too late.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
10. I's rather you_______________ (discuss) it with me before you gave the O.K.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________

AS IF + PRESENT SIMPLE = true, AS IF + PAST SIMPLE = false

The past subjunctive after as if / as though indicates an unreal situation in the present. However, if the situation is true, we
use a real tense expressing present time:
He looks as if he knew the answer. (he gives the impression that he knows the answer, but he doesn't know, probably doesn't know
or we don't know whether he knows or not)
He looks as if he knows the answer. (he probably knows the answer)

Present Simple => Past Simple = Unreal Present Past Simple => Past Simple (no change)
He looks as if he knew the answer. (he doesn’t know it)
He looked as if he knew the answer. (we don’t know whether he knew it or not => context

Consequently, the meaning of this sentence can only be deduced from the context.

The past perfect subjunctive after as if / as though is used to refer to an unreal past situation. If the situation is true, we use a real
tense expressing past time:
He seems as if he hadn’t slept for days. (it seems that he hasn't slept for days, but he has, he probably has or we don't know if he
has or not)
He seems as if he hasn't slept for days. (he hasn't slept for days)
He talks about Rome as though he had been there himself. (but he hasn’t)
He behaves as if he owned the place. (but he doesn’t own)
He talks as though he knew where she was. (but he doesn’t know)
He orders me about as if I were his wife. (but I am not)

It looked as though an agreement had been reached yesterday between the two sides. (it wasn’t reached)
(but there was no agreement or we don’t know whether there was an agreement or not)

It looks as though an agreement was reached yesterday between the two sides. (it probably was)
(Was would be the incorrect tense to use in this situation since this is a subjunctive mood and not an indicative mood.)

The question here is what attitude, state of mind or intent did the speaker want to convey? In the given sentence, if you think the
speaker meant to express doubt about the success of the negotiation, then the correct tense to use would be the past perfect to
indicate an unreal situation in the past.

1. You must help us before it is too late. 2. I don’t want you to help me write it.
3. It’s a pity you didn’t help us before it was too late. 4. I must finish my homework now, there’s not much time left.
5. Please stop borrowing my stuff without even asking me. 6. I think drinking green coffee is healthier than the black one.

1. It would be better for us if she found a job somewhere nearer her house.
2. She wants to find a job somewhere nearer her house.
3. She doesn’t like the fact that her boyfriend lied to her parents.
4. They don’t like the fact that I spoke to their son.
5. He doesn’t want to visit his grandparents anymore.
6. It would be better for me if I stopped asking so many questions.
7. They don’t like the fact that he cheated during the exam.
8. My mum doesn’t want to me to do any extreme sport but I love it too much to stop.
9. My teacher would like us to stop talking during all his lessons.
10. Mark stole his friend’s bike which was a big mistake, his parents said.
11. I don’t like the fact that she asks me for help every single day.
12. I don’t like the fact that they criticized me without any justification.
13. I really regret the fact that I told you my secret.
14. She now regrets that she ever met you.

1. My boyfriend has just left me and I am feeling very sad.
2. Would you like to go to the cinema with me?
3. Could I borrow this book from you?
4. I had a very fierce argument with my parents yesterday.
5. I’ve lost my keys and I can’t get into the house.
6. Sally has to choose between studying medicine and music.
7. Would you like to watch a horror movie tonight?
8. Jeremy is dying of cancer and has only 6 more months to live.
9. John and Marry don’t have money to buy their own house.
10. How about going to that new restaurant?
11. Would like to have milk, coffee or tea?
12. I am planning to tell my husband that I don’t love him anymore.
13. My parents are very old and there’s no one to take care of them.
14. John’s new album isn’t selling very well.

15. Everyone in my family is always complaining, which I hate.

Why did you sell my shoes? I’d rather you never did that again. / You’d better never do that again.