Grammar Point – Past Perfect Pronunciation 2007/06/03

Grammar Point – Past Perfect Pronunciation

To express regrets about past events, we use the subject, followed by wish/wishes,
followed by the past perfect (subject + had/hadn't + past participle).
There is a long form and a short form of pronunciation.

Regrets about the past:
To express regrets about past events, we use the subject, followed by wish/wishes,
followed by the past perfect (subject + had/hadn't + past participle).
Positive: I wish I had bought a new coat
Negative: I wish I hadn’t bought a new coat
Question: Do you wish you had bought a new coat?

Pronunciation - long form:
In the past perfect clause, the subject and 'had' are pronounced separately.
I wish I had bought a new coat.
I wish you had bought a new coat.
I wish he had bought a new coat.
I wish she had bought a new coat.
I wish we had bought a new coat.
I wish you had bought a new coat.
I wish they had bought a new coat

Pronunciation – short form:
In the past perfect clause, the subject and 'had' are pronounced together: the had is
shortened to 'd.
I wish I'd bought a new coat.
I wish you'd bought a new coat.
I wish he'd bought a new coat.
I wish she'd bought a new coat.
I wish we'd bought a new coat.
I wish you'd bought a new coat.
I wish they'd bought a new coat.

General regrets
To express general regrets about states or things which happen regularly, we use the
subject, followed by wish/wishes, followed by the past simple (subject + verb).
Positive: I wish I had more money
Negative: I wish I wasn't so fat
Question: Do you wish you lived in the city?

Pronunciation
We don’t usually use a short form when we use wish to talk about general regrets.
I wish I'd more money – WRONG
I wish I had more money – RIGHT

Problem areas
Problems with listening and pronunciation of sentences with 'wish' occur for 2 reasons:
1. The listener can't hear the 'had' when past perfect is used.
2. The past simple form of some verbs is the same as the past participle.
1. The listener can’t hear the 'had' when past perfect is used.

This can happen when the speaker is talking very quickly.

For example:
I wish she'd worked harder' might sound like 'I wish she worked harder
I wish you'd listened to me' might sound like 'I wish you listened to me

It is an especially common problem when the verb after 'had' begins with a t or d.

For example:
I wish you'd told me' might sound like 'I wish you told me
I wish I'd danced with you' might sound like 'I wish I danced with you

In the above the meaning changes from a general regret to a specific past regret when
'had' is used.

The past simple form of the verb is the same as the past participle. All the above
sentences are grammatically correct, even though the meanings are different.

When the past simple form is not the same past participle, it is easier to work out whether
the speaker said 'had'.

For example:
I wish you'd taken your medicine
I wish you took your medicine
To deal with these problems, you need to listen carefully to both the pronunciation and
the grammar of the sentence.

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Study without desire spoils the memory, and it retains nothing that it takes in.

Leonardo da Vinci
Italian engineer, painter, & sculptor (1452 - 1519)