the present I wished / hoped for

Question

Hi,I've used this phrase without thinking in a conversation today:...the present I wished for...Is this "expression" common and natural? What about "the present I hoped for"? Are there any other ways of saying the same thing?Thanks.P.S. Is the word order in my first sentence natural? To be honest, I'm not quite sure.

Inchoateknowledge · Accepted Answer

Hi

The present (that/which is ellipted) I wished for constitutes correct syntax: the noun clause postmodifies the noun: present.
Mind you , this is very formal, is saying wish.
With hope, you sound less formal.

BarbaraPA · Answer

Hi Pastsimple -

Ironically, you should have used the simple past "I used this phrase." The combination of "today" and what was probably a single use makes simple past appropropriate.

If you in fact did say it several times today and were planning on saying it again, then "I have used" would be okay - but I don't think that's what you meant.

If you had a "make a wish" situation (we do that when we blow out birthday candles, for example) then your "[that] I wished for" is fine.

In general, I think the most natural way to say it is "The present I have been hoping for..." because you didn't hope just once, but probably off and on for a long time.

Pastsimple · Answer

Grammar GeekHi Pastsimple -

Ironically, you should have used the simple past "I used this phrase." The combination of "today" and what was probably a single use makes simple past appropropriate.

If you in fact did say it several times today and were planning on saying it again, then "I have used" would be okay - but I don't think that's what you meant.

If you had a "make a wish" situation (we do that when we blow out birthday candles, for example) then your "[that] I wished for" is fine.

In general, I think the most natural way to say it is "The present I have been hoping for..." because you didn't hope just once, but probably off and on for a long time.

Thanks for the answer.

"The present I have been hoping for" sounds really nice but I'm sure I can change the tense depending on the context, can't I?

Examples:

1. A pair of socks?! The present I have been hoping for was a new car!

2. She got a new car for Christmas. It was the present she was / had been hoping for.

3. He got a pair of socks. However, the present he was / had been hoping for was a new car.

Could you answer some more questions, please?

Here they are:

- Are the tenses in the above sentences correct?
- Can I substitute the past progressive for past perfect progressive in those sentences (as shown) ? I'd say so because the context makes the meaning clear. Well, at least in my opinion.

- If I wanted to add the adverb "secretly", I'd insert it right before the verb "hoping" in all the above sentences, wouldn't I?

P.S. Surprisingly, I did first write "I used this phrase" and changed it to the present perfect only after I reread my post. Maybe I should think less when writing in English.

BarbaraPA · Answer

Maybe I should think less when writing in English.

It's a philosophy I try to adopt whenever possible.

Yes, you can change the tenses. Once you actually have the real gift (I'm going to say "gift" instead of "present" to avoid confusion with the "present" of tenses) in hand, the hoping part is over, so you could use the simple past. I got a pair of socks when what I had hoped for was a new car. On the other hand, if your "hoping" had been going on for a long time, you could use any of the ones you have shown.

I think secretly best goes right before the verb hope (in whatever form) but it wouldn't be wrong to say:

..., but secretly I had hoped

..., but I secretly had hoped (this is less natural sounding than the others)

the present I wished / hoped for

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