Song lesson - Nicest thing by Kate Nash

Practise I wish constructions with this song and and a couple of exercises

Unreal Past

What is Unreal Past?

Unreal Past is the use of past tenses to talk about hypothetical situations. We use Past Simple, and sometimes Past Continuous, to talk about unlikely or unreal situations in the present and future, and Past Perfect for unlikely or unreal situations in the past.

We use Unreal Past in the following:

• Unreal or hypothetical conditionals - second, third and mixed
• The constructions I wish ... and If only ...
• Expressing a preference with I'd rather, I'd sooner, I'd prefer, I'd just as soon
• Hypothesising with What if, supposing, imagine
• After as if and as though when we think the situation is unlikely
• It's time
• Being tentative - If ... were to
• Idiom - If it wasn't for / weren't for / hadn't been for

I've already talked about unreal conditionals here, and have gone into some detail on I wish and If only here, so in this post I'm going to be concentrating on the other uses of Unreal Past. But I do look at two expressions sometimes used with unreal conditionals - were to and if it weren't for.

Song lesson - 'She's got issues' by the Offspring

This song is rich in contemporary expressions to do with relationships and personal psychology, such as: to have issues, baggage, closure, validation, as well as alluding to possible past incest. It also has some interesting verb phrases and a couple of grammar points.

1. Pre-listening vocabulary matching exercises
2. Lyrics gapfill exercises
3. Grammar exercises 1 - if type questions
   Grammar exercises 2 - constructions with I wish and if only