Fill in the gap with one of the words from the box:
We have carpeted the floor in our daughter’s bedroom, and it is already covered with stains. We have chosen the wooden floor instead.
Mark and Stacy reserved a gazebo on a lake for their wedding, and it rained all day. I am sure they that they had reserved a church instead.
We have bought our equipment before coming to the mountains. It is so expensive here!
It’s impossible to find a job in my field. I really choosing that major.
I deeply my decision to invest all my savings into my brother’s startup.
I had checked the reviews of that hotel before booking it.
Paraphrase regrets using the words in brackets. Change the grammar of the sentence if necessary.
ex. I regret not visiting Venice when I had a chance.
_______ (should) → I should have visited Venice when I had a chance
If only I hadn’t stayed in the office late that day!
(regret)
If I had found a job a bit earlier, I wouldn’t have gotten into debt.
(wish)
I really shouldn’t have trusted Stephen with this project.
(if only)
I’m sorry to hear about your accident. I bet your mom now wishes she hadn’t bought a car for you.
(regret)
We regret calling our dog “Granny,” it’s really weird to call for her in the park.
(should)
If I hadn’t forgotten to set the alarm, I would have made it to the airport in time.
(wish)
Read a story about Jenny’s day yesterday and continue the four sentences describing what Jenny probably regrets now.
Vocabulary to help you!
to donate - give to an organization
to ease - to become less
to pull out - to drive onto a road
to pull into - to drive into an area for parking
to ache - to hurt (as in a muscle)
to shriek - scream
to recuperate - to feel better again
calamities - very unpleasant events, disasters
turn out - happened
masseur - someone who gives massage
twisted her wrist - to hurt your wrist by turning it too suddenly
pass out - to become unconscious, to lose the ability to move and feel
Yesterday, Jenny decided to donate some old books to a local library. While she was walking downstairs with a large heavy bag of books, she tripped and fell. She hit her arm hard and it hurt. Jenny thought it might be a good idea to stay home or call a taxi, but in a few minutes the pain seemed to ease, so she decided to drive. She got into her car and pulled out into the street.
The library was only a few blocks away. When Jenny was pulling into the library parking lot, she turned the wheel with the aching arm and suddenly it hurt so bad she shrieked. She gave herself a minute to recuperate, then took the bag to the library only to find a notice on the door that the library was closed that day due to electric repairs.
Jenny decided it was time for a cup of coffee and a piece of cake. She went to a nearby French café, sat at a table outside, and tried to calm down and relax.
A man sitting at a table next to her asked her if she was okay, so she told him about her calamities. As it turned out, he was a masseur. He asked to take a look at her arm and said she had twisted her wrist and he could help her right away. Jenny agreed gladly. The man pulled her arm and…
The next thing Jenny knew she woke up in a hospital bed! The doctor told her she had passed out in a café, the staff had called an ambulance, she had a displaced fracture of the wrist, and her purse and her car were missing.
What would Jenny say to someone to express her regrets?
I wish I hadn’t
I should have
If only I hadn’t
I really regret
