3. Rewrite the letter using wishes or if-clauses as in the example.

Dear Mandy,

I’m writing to you feeling completely frustrated. As you know, I have to give a reception every year to entertain my husband’s business associates so I have to go to a lot of trouble. Well, disaster struck again! In my attempt to appear an original hostess, I ordered some Chinese and Thai food to be served with chopsticks. Needless to say, my guests disapproved. I also booked a Latin band to come and play live, but our middle-aged guests found it hard to dance so energetically. My husband has no sympathy for me and is mad at my choice of entertainment. I must confess I want to get out of organizing such social gatherings. It’s a pity you weren’t here; you missed out on a unique opportunity to see my husband dancing the salsa!

Model: I wish I didn’t feel so frustrated. If I didn’t have to give…

4. Read the information about Scott and Tracy and do the tasks that follow.

Scott has been with his girlfriend, Tracy, for 3 years. They met when Scott was having a relationship with Sharon, Tracy’s best friend. It was love at first sight, so he decided to finish his relationship with Sharon and start one with Tracy.

In the beginning, they spent most of their time together and got along perfectly.

About a year ago, however, Tracy got promoted at work and since then she has been spending more time at the office and less time with him. It has resulted in a lot of problems and arguments. Even though Scott finished with Sharon to be with Tracy they decided to keep in touch as friends and have been in regular contact over the last few years.

About a month ago Scott spent the evening with Sharon, while Tracy was working overtime, and ended up telling her about the difficulties he and Tracy were experiencing.

Sharon confessed that she wasn’t upset to hear that their relationship wasn’t as perfect as she’d imagined and admitted that she was still in love with Scott.

Scott spent the night with Sharon, but the next day woke up and instantly regretted it. He realised that Tracy is definitely the one he wants to be with, despite their problems.

For the last month Scott has been worrying himself sick about his actions, so much so that it’s been affecting his job and his boss has warned him that if his work doesn’t improve soon he will be fired.

So what is about Tracy?

Tracy has been with her boyfriend, Scott, for 3 years. Scott was having a relationship with her best friend, Sharon, when they met. She’s sorry that she caused the split of their relationship, and has felt too guilty to keep being friends with Sharon, but felt instantly attracted to Scott.

Tracy and Scott couldn’t see enough of each other at the start of their relationship but recently they’ve been spending less and less time together and have been having more and more arguments.

She got promoted to office manager at work about a year ago and since then has had to spend a lot more time at the office. She loves her new position and the

challenges it brings and doesn’t understand why Scott isn’t more supportive of her.

Tracy has noticed that within the last month Scott has become more distant and irritable. If she asks him any questions about where he was or what he was doing he loses his temper and accuses her of not trusting him.

She doesn’t know why but her intuition tells her that it has something to do with Sharon. She hopes that she is wrong.

4.1 Answer the following questions.

1. How long have Scott and Tracy been going out?

2. How did they meet?

3. Why do you think Tracy’s promotion caused problems between them?

4. How does Scott feel now about his cheating?

5. Why does Tracy suspect that Sharon may be involved?

4.2 Complete the speech bubbles below with Scot’s possible wishes and regrets.

4.3 Imagine a conversation between Scott and Tracy where they finally decide to sit down and talk honestly to each other about their feelings, their wishes and their regrets.

Tracy: Scott, can you sit down? I think it’s about time we discussed a few things, don’t you?

Scott: Well, I suppose you’re right. There’s something that I think I really need to get off my chest.

Tracy:

Scott:

Tracy:

Scott:

Tracy:

Scott:

Tracy:

Scott:

Tracy:

Scott:

Tracy: So, now what shall we do?

Grammar in Context

1. Read the story and do the tasks that follow.

The Three Wishes

Once upon a time a woodcutter lived happily with his wife in a pretty little log cabin in the middle of a thick forest. Each morning he set off singing to work, and when he came home in the evening, a plate of hot steaming soup was always waiting for him.

One day, however, he had a strange surprise. He came upon a big fir tree with strange open holes on the trunk. It looked somehow different from the other trees, and as he was about to chop it down, the alarmed face of an elf popped out of a hole.

'What's all this banging?' asked the elf. 'You're not thinking of cutting down the tree, are you? It's my home. I live here!'

The woodcutter dropped his axe in astonishment. 'Well, I...' he stammered.

'With all the other trees there are in this forest, you have to pick this one. Lucky I was in or I would have found myself homeless.'

Taken aback at these words, the woodcutter quickly recovered, for after all the elf was quite tiny, while he himself was a big hefty chap, and he boldly replied, 'I'll cut down any tree I like, so ...

'All right! All right!' broke in the elf. 'Shall we put it in this way: if you don't cut down this tree, I grant you three wishes. Agreed?'

The woodcutter scratched his head. 'Three wishes, you say? Yes, I agree.' And he began to hack at another tree. As he worked and sweated at his task, the woodcutter kept thinking about the magic wishes.

'I'll see what my wife thinks...'

The woodcutter's wife was busily cleaning a pot outside the house when her husband arrived. Grabbing her round the waist, he twirled her in delight.

'Hooray! Hooray! Our luck is in!'

The woman could not understand why her husband was so pleased with himself and she shrugged herself free. Later, however, over a glass of fine wine at the table, the woodcutter told his wife of his meeting, with the elf, and she too began to picture the wonderful things that the elf's three wishes might give them. The woodcutter's wife took a first sip of wine from her husband's glass.

'Nice', she said, smacking her lips. 'I wish I had a string of sausages to go with it, though...'

Instantly she bit her tongue, but too late. Out of the air appeared the sausages, while the woodcutter stuttered with rage.

'... what have you done! Sausages... What a stupid waste of a wish! You foolish woman. I wish they would stick up your nose!' No sooner said than done. For the sausages leapt up and stuck fast to the end of the woman's nose. This time, the woodcutter's wife flew into a rage.

'You idiot, what have you done? With all the things we could have wished for ...' The mortified woodcutter, who had just repeated his wife's own mistake, exclaimed:

'I'd chop...' Luckily he stopped himself in time, realising with horror that he'd been on the point of having his tongue chopped off. As his wife complained and blamed him, the poor man burst out laughing,

'If only you knew how funny you look with those sausages on the end of your nose!' Now that really upset the woodcutter's wife. She hadn't thought of her looks.

She tried to tug away the sausages but they would not budge. She pulled again and again, but in vain. The sausages were firmly attached to her nose.

Terrified, she exclaimed, 'They'll be there for the rest of my life!'

Feeling sorry for his wife and wondering how he could ever put up with a woman with such an awkward nose, the woodcutter said, 'I'll try.'

Grasping the string of sausages, he tugged with all his might. But he simply pulled his wife over on top of him. The pair sat on the floor, gazing sadly at each other.

'What shall we do now?' they said, each thinking the same thought.

'There's only one thing we can do ...' ventured the woodcutter's wife timidly.

'Yes, I'm afraid so...' her husband sighed, remembering their dreams of riches, and he bravely wished the third and last wish, 'I wish the sausages would leave my wife's nose.'

And they did. Instantly, husband and wife hugged each other tearfully, saying, 'Maybe we'll be poor, but we'll be happy again!'

That evening, the only reminder of the woodcutter's meeting with the elf was the string of sausages. So the couple fried them, gloomily thinking of what that meal had cost them.