I was told by an English teacher that the main difference between
the verbs hope and wish is that when we use hope
we do not know all the facts (a kind of future meaning) and
when we use wish we know all the facts already. For instance,
'I hope you will be OK' and 'I wish you were here' (from Pink Floyd).
This led me to think about Christmas time. Why should I say 'I wish
you a Merry Christmas' instead of 'I hope you a Merry Christmas'?
Is there any grammatical explanation on this issue?
The
answer is that the verb wish is used in a variety of different
ways and hope cannot be used as a 'stand alone' verb in a
sentence, other than in the expressions 'I hope so' or 'I hope not.'
Let's
look at wish first of all.
In
your 'Merry Christmas' example, or when you wish someone good luck
or Happy Birthday, you are expressing the hope that they will have
good luck in the future, often in connection with a particular event,
or that they will enjoy their birthday which is to come. Thus we
have expressions like:
'I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.'
'Remember it's Sarah's birthday tomorrow. Don't forget to wish
her many happy returns.'
'They wished me all the best in my new job.'
'I wish you good health and every happiness in the New
Millennium.'
As
you suggest, wish is also used when you wish that something
were the case or you would like it to be the case even though you
know that it is impossible or unlikely. In this sense, the verb which
follows wish has a past tense inflection. Thus we have:
'We wish you could be here.'
'He wished he hadn't said that, for Fiona was terribly
upset.'
'It rained every day. I do wish I hadn't gone there
for my holidays.'
'I wish you didn't have to work so hard.'
Wish,
as in 'wish to', is also sometimes used as a slightly more formal
alternative to 'want to'. So we have:
'They were very much in love and wished to get married
as soon as it could be arranged.'
'I don't wish to see him ever again,' she said, five
months after they were married.'
'He could do most of his work from home, if he wished.'
'I don't wish to interrupt (your conversation), but
the potatoes are burning dry.'
'I don't wish to be rude, but that red dress really
doesn't suit you.'
Now
let's take a brief look at hope. We speak of people's 'hopes
for the future' and hope normally signals future intentions.
If you hope to do something, you want to do it and intend
to do it if you possibly can.
Like
wish it can be used with to, plus infinitive. So we
might have:
'I hope to be a millionaire by the time I'm thirty.'
'I was hoping to catch the 5.30 train and would have caught
it, if Jennifer hadn't phoned.'
However,
when a new subject is introduced, hope must be followed by
a clausal construction. Thus, we would find:
'I hope (that) she'll
like these flowers.'
'Her mother hoped (that) Judith would become
a doctor, but her heart was always set on the stage.'
'I hope (that)
you won't think me rude, but that red dress that you're wearing definitely
doesn't suit you.'
'They were stranded on the side of the mountain
and hoped (that) the rescue team would reach them before nightfall.'
Hopes and wishes! It is my hope and wish that all of you out there
reading this column will enjoy good health and every happiness in
the New Millennium. Or, to put it in two other ways: I wish you
good health and every happiness in the 21st Century. I hope
you'll enjoy good health and every happiness in the 21st Century.
