I Wish I Had... Study the article by yourself or read it before your English class. We all have regrets in our lives. Perhaps we regret a relationship that went wrong. Perhaps we missed out on the job of our dreams. Maybe we just got drunk and made a fool of ourselves at the office party. We ve all thought, I should ve done this that... or I wish I hadn t done that If this was your last day of life, what would your biggest regret be? According to a nurse who has recorded the most common regrets of the dying, the top five regrets of people when they die are these: 1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me. "This was the most common regret of all. When people realize that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled." 2. If only I hadn't worked so hard. "People regret missing their children's youth and their partner's companionship.." 3. I should have had the courage to express my feelings. "Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming." 4. I should have stayed in touch with my friends. Many had become so caught up in their own lives that they had let golden friendships slip by over the years. There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved. 5. I wish that I had let myself be happier. "This is a surprisingly common one. Many did not realize until the end that happiness is a choice. Fear of change had them pretend that they were content, when deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again." What's your greatest regret so far, and what will you set out to achieve or change before you die? Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/feb/01/top-five-regrets-of-the-dying Preparatory Reading 1. Who recorded these top five regrets? 2. Whose regrets are these? 3. True or False? i. People regret missing their children growing up. ii. People wish they had hidden their feelings. iii. People wish they had had better friends. iv. Happiness is a personal choice. v. People regret not following their dreams. 4. Use words from the article to complete the following sentences If I hadn t drunk so much. People not being happier. People let friendships. I hadn t worked so hard. So many dreams have gone. They settled for a existence. 5. What are your hopes for your life?
A - Discussion Questions: Talk with your partner Prepare your answers before your class. Then talk with your partner. 1. Have you made any mistakes recently? 2. Have you ever done anything that you regret? 3. Do you have any hopes and dreams for your life? B - Mingling Activity: Stand up and ask questions of your classmates Ask questions to your classmates. If your classmate answers Yes write his or her name and ask some more questions. Name Find someone who... Details has made a mistake recently never regrets anything has lots of regrets wishes his / her life were different had an argument recently wishes he / she had studied more forgot to do something recently was embarrassed recently C - Vocabulary: Match the words to their meaning regret!!!! to feel bad about your past actions screwed up!!! a fool idiot!!!!! made a bad mistake hangover!!!! visit many bars pub crawl!!!! feel ashamed about something you did overslept!!!! feel happy due to the effects of alcohol embarrassed!!! to have a headache because you drank too much drunk!!!! to wake up late
D - Conversation: Use the words to fill the gaps regret idiot hangover embarrassed screwed up pub crawl overslept drunk IZUMI: Hey, what s up? DAVID: I really! I and missed my final exam. IZUMI: Oh, no. That s serious. What happened? DAVID: It was my mate s birthday last night. We went on a and got really. I woke up at ten with a terrible. I can t believe I did that! have been OK. I should ve had one quick drink and gone home. I m such an! IZUMI: Don t be so hard on yourself. Everyone s an idiot sometimes. DAVID: It gets worse too! I was so drunk I made a fool of myself. I tried to pick up a girl. Of course she said no. I m so. I wish the ground would open up and swallow me. IZUMI: Oh, man. I told you that you shouldn t have gone drinking the night before a test. I knew you would it. IZUMI: Oh, well. No point crying over spilt milk. It s done now. You ll just have to take the exam again next time. DAVID: Yeah, I know. I wish I d stayed home and studied. If I hadn t drunk so much it would DAVID: Agh! If only I weren t such an idiot! Comprehension Questions 1. What mistake has David made? 2. Why was he embarrassed? 3. What should he have done? 4. What did the girl say to him? 5. Why does he think he s an idiot? Personalization Questions 1. What have you done that you regret? 2. Have you ever got very drunk? 3. Have you ever embarrassed yourself? 4. Are you too hard on yourself? 5. Do you believe there is no point crying over spilt milk? Is it a bad thing to have regrets?
D - Language Focus: Unreal Past Conditional 3rd Conditional (If + had / hadn t + past participle, would have + past participle) What would have happened if I hadn t overslept? If I hadn t overslept, I wouldn t have failed my exam. If I had gone to bed early, I wouldn t have overslept. 1 2 Match the halves of each sentence. 1. If I had studied harder a. I wouldn t have been late. 2. If I hadn t missed my bus b. I could ve been rich. 3. If I had bought Microsoft shares c. I wouldn t have failed the exam. 4. If I hadn t stayed up so late d. she wouldn t have married that guy. 5. If only I had asked her to marry me e. I wouldn t be so tired. Rewrite as 3rd conditional sentences. 1. I overslept. I missed my bus. If I hadn t overslept I wouldn t have missed my bus. 2. I missed my bus. I was late for my job interview. 3. I was late for the interview. I didn t get the job. 4. I didn t get the job. I couldn t buy a new car. 5. I drank too much. I got a bad hangover. 3 Complete the sentences about history with your ideas. 1. If the television hadn t been invented. 2. If Paul McCartney hadn t met John Lennon. 3. people wouldn t have gone to the moon. 4. If.
E - Express Yourself Expressing Regret I wish I had studied harder. I wish I hadn t done that. If only I had studied harder. I should ve studied harder. I shouldn t have done that. 1 2 3 4 Read the story and underline the phrases that refer to regrets. On vacation in Italy Mike met a beautiful girl named Sophia. Mike was from Australia and Sophia was from a small town in France. They knew each other for only two days, but fell in love. Mike s had to get a plane back to Australia the next day. Sophia and Mike decide to meet in a small local cafe before Mike left and exchange phone numbers and e-mail addresses. Unfortunately, Mike was so happy he drank too much the night before his flight. In the morning he overslept. He didn t have time to go to the cafe and say goodbye and exchange phone numbers. He rushed to the airport just in time to catch his flight back to the US. Now he can t forget about Sophia and he can t even remember the name of the town in France that she came from. Complete the sentences about Mike s regrets. Then explain to your partner. 1. He should ve. 2. He probably wishes he had. 3. He shouldn t have. 4. If only he d. 5.. Fill in the blanks with your ideas. 1. A: I have a terrible hangover. B: 2. A: I failed my exam. B: 2. A: My girlfriend dumped me. B: Agree or disagree with each quotation. Discuss in your group: 1. Regrets are the natural property of grey hairs. - Charles Dickens 2. There are no regrets in life, just lessons. - Jennifer Aniston 3. Your regrets aren't what you did, but what you didn't do. So I take every opportunity. - Cameron Diaz 4. To regret deeply is to live afresh. - Henry David Thoreau