In certain structures that refer to a situation which doesn’t exist, past tenses are used to refer to the present or future.

if (the second conditional)
If I lived closer to my work I wouldn’t have to spend so long in my car every day.
For more information on the second conditional, see page 142 of the Student's Book.

it’s time, it’s high time, it’s about time
It’s (about/high) time we looked more seriously at alternatives to cars.
It’s high time and it’s about time are stronger than it’s time, and generally express criticism:
No money has been invested in railways for years. It’s high/about time the government did something about it.
These phrases are mostly used in informal English.

if only and wish
If only / I wish people drove more carefully.
I wish this bus weren’t/wasn’t so full.
These are mostly used with a past tense when the speaker (or the subject of the sentence) would like a present situation to be different from what it is. The structures are most common in informal English.

if only and wish + would
These are used when the speaker (or the subject of the sentence, e.g. John) is complaining about the present situation, and wants something to happen in future, but thinks it unlikely. The structures are most common in informal English.
If only / John wishes you would keep your eyes on the road.
Many people wish the government would spend more on education.

would rather
This means the same as prefer and is mostly used in informal English.
I’d rather you didn’t go by car.


These activities practise this Grammar: