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Anonymous Posted 10 years ago
Grammar

wish + would (someone or something else)

Hi.

According to Michael Vince, you use "would" in wish-constructions when you want someone or something else to change. I was all clear to until I found this sentence on a site run by Americans:

I wish he knew it. (Instead of "I wish he would know it.)

Can someone please help clear the confusion here?
  

Top answer

Anonymous clear the confusion "know" is stative; it doesn't represent a physical action. The pattern is therefore different. I wish he would jump.

— CalifJim

  • Anonymous clear the confusion "know" is stative; it doesn't represent a physical action.
  • The pattern is therefore different.
  • I wish he would jump.
  • / I wish Larry would pay me.
  • / I wish Tom would stop in and see me.
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6 Answers
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Anonymousclear the confusion
"know" is stative; it doesn't represent a physical action. The pattern is therefore different.

I wish he would jump. / I wish Larry would pay me. / I wish Tom would stop in and see me.
I wish he knew what to do. / I wish Marilyn understood calculus. / I wish Lana lived closer to us.

CJ
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I see. Thanks. Would "I wish Marilyn would understand me." be wrong then?
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AnonymousI see. Thanks. Would "I wish Marilyn would understand me." be wrong then?
In my opinion it is wrong.

That doesn't mean that nobody would use it, especially if they view "understand" as the action of coming to understand (for the first time), though that is not the most likely interpretation.

CJ
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Thanks. What about "I wish he was coming with us."? "Come" is an action verb, but the verb preceding it is "was" not "would".
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AnonymousI wish he was coming with us.
OK. The wish is for the present. He is not coming with us, but I wish he were.

I wish he would come with us can suggest something planned for the future.

CJ
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AnonymousThanks. What about "I wish he was coming with us."?
That's fine. He's already decided not to come with you.
More formally, you can say, "I wish he were coming with us."
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