Teacher Discussion Forums

I was teaching an upper intermediate class the other day and came across the following sentence:

I wish I were going on holiday!

I wondered what the difference is with the following sentence:

I wish I went on holiday!

I'm not a native speaker and although I've searched every grammar book I have I didn't come up with something. I would appreciate some help.

The first one refers to a one-off "future" event that will not take/is not taking place and the second refers to a present habitual action or state that also does not take place.

I wish I were eating a massive ice-cream right now, but I'm not.
I wish I were coming with you tomorrow, but I can't.

I wish I ate more fruit because it's so good for you.
I wish I went on holiday, but I always stay at home.

I wish I were going on holiday -

The "were" and "I" indicates the hypothetical future - as in, I am not going on a specific holiday in the future, but I wish the situation were otherwise.
I wish I went on holiday - this sounds wrong wrong wrong to my ear! If the speaker is talking about a specific holiday on which they did not go in the past, then the sentence should be, I wish I had gone on holiday.

If, as Metal argues, I wish I went on holiday means holidaying in general, then holiday needs to be pluralized: I wish I went on holidays, or, more correctly in my opinion, I wish I took holidays.

If, as Metal argues, I wish I went on holiday means holidaying in general, then holiday needs to be pluralized: I wish I went on holidays, or, more correctly in my opinion, I wish I took holidays.

Do you say "How often do you go on holidays" in your variety of English?

If, as Metal argues, I wish I went on holiday means holidaying in general, then holiday needs to be pluralized: I wish I went on holidays, or, more correctly in my opinion, I wish I took holidays.

"Take holidays" can mean that you take a break from working: "Go on holiday/s" means that you go away from home.

lucy lace wrote:If, as Metal argues, I wish I went on holiday means holidaying in general, then holiday needs to be pluralized: I wish I went on holidays, or, more correctly in my opinion, I wish I took holidays.

In my English, I wish I went on holiday more often is perfectly acceptable and quite appropriate for the context Metal describes. There is no need to put holiday in the plural.

lolwhites wrote:
In my English, I wish I went on holiday more often is perfectly acceptable and quite appropriate for the context Metal describes. There is no need to put holiday in the plural.

And would this be quite normal in your English?

Do you go on holiday?

I wish I did. No, I always stay home.

I wish I went on holiday sounds funny to my ears too. It must simply be a dialect difference — though I liked Lol's improvement.

And would this be quite normal in your English?
Do you go on holiday?
I wish I did. No, I always stay home.

This question also sounds strange to me. Maybe we substitute holiday with vacation.

I agree with Jotham: I wish I went on holiday more often also sounds better to my ear than I wish I went on holiday. And I concur - "vacation" would please my ear most!

If I change the example to I wish I ate apple, I feel the same strange twinge of incorrectness; I need it to be I wish I ate apples, as in, more than one apple; as in, habitually.

But, I wish I ate apple more often, while not quite 'right', is more acceptable. It's as if the "more often" clarifies the habitualness of the action, thus negating the neccessity of the plural.

Of course, this is all according to my ear, not to any grammatical logic I am applying. I believe grammatically, both examples are correct.

I think a lot of things are getting mixed up here.

Holiday/holidays/vacation/vacations is a red herring and nothing to do with "I wish" plus the remote/past simple/past subjunctive/thingy:

"I wish I ____ed" = "I never ___, which is a pity"

where ____ is either a state or a regular occurrence, or something very similar.

"I wish I went on holiday/vacation more often" only sounds better than "I wish I went on holiday/vacation" because imagining someone who doesn't go on holiday at all is harder than imagining someone who'd like more holidays. If it were, say:

"I wish I ate caviar"

then there'd not be the same problem. It just means "I don't ever eat caviar, more's the pity" in the same way that "I wish I went on holiday" means "I don't ever go on holiday, unfortunately". Which seems more or less likely is up to you.

"apple" is uncountable. "My doctor says I mustn't eat apples" refers to those red and green spherical fruits. "My doctor says I mustn't eat apple" refers to the stuff. Like "meat". I don't see the connection with frequency, I'm afraid.

I believe grammatically, both examples are correct.

Indeed.

"I wish I ate caviar"

This still sounds strange, like it's missing something. Maybe "I wish I ate caviar once in a while."

I wish I went on holiday/vacation more often" only sounds better than "I wish I went on holiday/vacation" because imagining someone who doesn't go on holiday at all is harder than imagining someone who'd like more holidays.

I agree. It's not really a grammar thingy, but a socio-semantics thingy.

Lucy is comparing apples and oranges (or, at least, apples and holidays ). To go on holiday is a perfectly well formed expression, to eat apple sounds odd to me as I'd expect the countable form, not the mass form (unless you're a baby being fed purée)

jotham wrote:

"I wish I ate caviar"

This still sounds strange, like it's missing something. Maybe "I wish I ate caviar once in a while."

I wish I ate caviar, then I wouldn't feel such a commoner when I go to dinner parties. Thing is, I hate the stuff.

And would this be quite normal in your English?

Do you go on holiday?

I wish I did. No, I always stay home.

Nothing wrong with it at all, though it would probably elicit the response "Why don't you go on holiday then?". What it comes down to isn't whether it's "right" or "wrong", but how easy it is to think of a context where it'd be said and make sense.

The sentence I wish I went on holiday is an example of a sentence where you have to think pretty hard to think of a context, even though there are no "rules" that are being broken. Maybe a disenchanted hermit or a slave might say it; either way it would have to be someone who never went on holiday.