Tonight’s song is a list of wishes. The singer wishes he were all sorts of things: a radio playing a song, a sailor, a messenger… Each wish says something about the person he wants to be.
Learn from Songs · Unit 9d: Wishes, regrets and preferences · B1–B2
Wishlist
Pearl Jam’s gentle list of wishes: I wish I were…, I wish I could…, wish + past simple for the present, If only…, and the difference between wish and hope, with Philo, Sophia, Marcos and Demetria.
SOPHIA
DEMETRIA
A list of wishes? I could write one of those.
SOPHIA
Good, because at the end of the lesson you will. Listen to the grammar: I wish I was, I wish I were.
PHILO
Wishes tell you who someone really is.
Before you listen: the song
Seattle, 1998
Pearl Jam formed in Seattle in 1990 and became one of the biggest bands of the “grunge” years, together with Nirvana. Their singer, Eddie Vedder, is known for his deep voice and for writing about loneliness, kindness and freedom.
“Wishlist” was written by Vedder and is on the album Yield (1998). It is a quiet, simple song: a list of wishes, one after another, over a repeating guitar. It was released as a single and became one of the band’s most loved songs.
In the song, he wishes he were many different things. The wishes are small, strange and kind: things that would make someone else happy, or help him understand the world.
Some wishes come true if you work for them.
Listen: the list
PHILO
Listen once. Write down as many of his wishes as you can. Which is your favourite?
SOPHIA
Then answer Section A.
⭐ Listen to the song: “Wishlist” (Eddie Vedder, 1998), by Pearl Jam.Find the recording →
📜 Read the words while you listen: “Wishlist”, Pearl Jam.Read the lyrics →
I wish I were…
MARCOS
I wish I were taller. I wish I was a sailor. I wish it weren’t raining.
SOPHIA
wish + past simple for the present: the situation is not true, and we want it to be. With be: were (careful) or was (informal). I wish I had a dog = I don’t have one.
I wish I could…
DEMETRIA
I wish I could fly. I wish I could speak Latin.
SOPHIA
wish + could for abilities we don’t have: I wish I could sing. Never “I wish I can”.
If only… Wish or hope?
PHILO
If only I knew the answer! I hope you pass the exam. I wish I had more time.
SOPHIA
If only + past = a stronger I wish. hope + present / will for things that are possible: I hope it doesn’t rain. wish + past for things that are not true or are impossible now.
Sophia’s comparison: Solomon’s wish and Midas’s wish
PHILO
God appeared to young Solomon in a dream and said: ask for whatever you want. Solomon didn’t ask for riches or a long life. He asked for a wise and understanding heart, to judge his people well.
SOPHIA
And King Midas asked Dionysus that everything he touched would turn to gold. It did: his bread, his wine, even his daughter. A wish says a lot about the wisher.
Sophia’s summary
| Words and forms | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| wish + past simple | present situation not true | I wish I had a dog. |
| wish + were / was | be in wishes | I wish I were taller. |
| wish + could | ability we don’t have | I wish I could fly. |
| If only + past | strong wish | If only I knew! |
| hope + present / will | a real possibility | I hope you pass. |
Practice
Listen to the song for Section A, then do the rest. Press “Check my answers” at the end. You can try again as many times as you like.
A · Listen: the song
Listen to the song and choose the best answer.
1. What is the song?
2. What are the wishes like?
3. Who wrote it?
4. Where were Pearl Jam formed?
5. Which album is it on?
6. What kind of music were Pearl Jam famous for?
B · Grammar and vocabulary
Write the missing word or words.
7. I wish I taller. (be)
8. I wish I fly. (can)
9. I wish I a dog. (have)
10. If I knew the answer!
11. I you pass the exam. (it’s possible)
12. I wish it raining. (not be)
C · Right or wrong?
Is the sentence correct English?
13. “I wish I can swim.”
14. “I hope you feel better soon.”
15. “I wish I have more time.”
16. “If only I were older!”
Talk and write
Discussion and writing
My wishlist. Write your own wishlist of six lines: I wish I were…, I wish I could…, I wish I had… Make some funny and some serious. Read it to a partner.
Discuss. 1. If you could have one wish, what would it be? 2. Which wishes can you make come true by working for them? 3. What does Solomon’s wish tell you about him?
Write (100–120 words). Three wishes. Write about three wishes: one for yourself, one for someone you love, and one for the world. Use wish, If only and hope correctly.
Now play the gamebook: a lamp seller, three wishes, and a wise choice.Play the gamebook →