the enigmatic optative mood with “if only”

M. Abdessalami

“If only closed minds came with closed mouths!”

_____________________________________The Enigmatic Optative Mood with “If only”

M. Abdessalami 2

Table of contents � Abstract………………………………………………………….………………………… 3 � Introduction………………………………………………………………………….……. 4

� The mysterious nature of “if only” clause………………………………………….…….. 5 � If only it were true! ............................................................................................................. 6 � Converting a wish about the present into the conditional …………………………..……. 6 � “If only” + subjunctive (1)

Expressing a wish about the present ……………………………………….. 7 � “If only” + subjunctive (2)

Expressing exaggerated unreal wishes …………………………………….. 9 � The multi-functional role of “If only” ………………………………………………….. 12 � A wish about the future…………………………………………….………………….. 13

� If only + past perfect Expressing impossible wishes……………………………………………....14

� Conditional type III……………………………………………………………………..16

� “If only” in Creative Writings…………………………………………………………..18

� Conclusion …………………………………………………………………………….. 19

� Bibliography …………………………………………………………………………… 19

Key words

Linguistics, grammar, conditionality, modality, protasis, apodosis, optative,

desiderative, wish, if only, if-clause, type II, type III, irealis, antecedent, diglossia.


M. Abdessalami 3

Abstract

This paper aims at questioning “wish

constructions” and the amount of ambiguity “if only” brings

about when an optative mood is expressed discretely. It also

aims at seeking the possibility of the if-clause unreal types to

resolve the potential ambiguity created by the exclamatory wish-

clause, to eventually see to what extent the fundamental

communicative needs are provided in interlocution.

“If only” or “wish” utterances can be measured in

terms of epistemic scale. So, the consequence is generally

unpredictable because it abides by the speaker’s logic and

intentions. In other words, this paper can be viewed as a

simplified linguistic outlook over conditionality for interested

students who “wish” to take up studying the English language.

For EFL students, the diglossia and the instability

of grammar makes simplifying linguistics a tough task because

this branch of scientific studies of language already uses lots of

terms that have no equivalent in current speech. Therefore,

taming linguistics for the main stream grammar learners to

grasp is full of risks, I admit it.

The volitive construction with “if only” is very often

unstable itself especially in the dominion of acculturation for it

could easily be understood but wrongly; hence the ambiguity

and the enigma of most isolated pronounced wish constructions.


M. Abdessalami 4

Introduction

Languages cannot do without the “If only” clause as it

is of great significance within circumstances such as when we

need to express a wish or to regret a deed. People are used to

it and tolerate it despite the fact that they don’t actually trust

it because it has no effect on reality. Most wishes never come

true, and most regrets are not more than appeasing shallow

words.

“If only” phrase is a couple of prototypical words

grouped for a fanciful service desiring change that can be

neither real nor possible. It is intelligently controlling

optative and desiderative constructions particularly. Instead

of saying, “I desire …” explicitly, you can disguise the openly

expressed desire using “if only” phrase. However, the purpose

of the desire is generally unsaid because the wishers prefer to

keep it for themselves. Anyone who utters a discrete wish

about the present using “If only” needs to explain themselves.

The wish is indeed for a hidden purpose that could be

anything for us, and that only the “wisher”, so to speak, has

the secret for that specific wish. On the other hand, a wish

about the past tells more as it is explicit and mostly used to

express regret.

The second and third conditionals come to reveal the

hidden purpose of wishes. By the way, be it exclamatory or

assertive, “If only I …” can be used interchangeably with “I

wish …”


M. Abdessalami 5

The mysterious nature of “ ‘if only’ clause” .

To begin with, this uncanny combination of “if” and “only” is in itself a

reason enough to launch a kind of meticulous investigation into the enigmatic and

puzzling world of wishes. It broadly implies that the speaker is after only one

thing: to change what is or what was. Nevertheless, the mysterious nature of

this combination will lead us into the wonderland of unreasonable trends.

Therefore, it has a distrustful side.

Wishes with “if only” hide a lot of secrets when they are out-of-context.

Our main objective here is to question some of the usual grammatical rules and

to go beyond the grammarians’ jargon to find out what lies beneath the semantic

complexity in connection with context. Therefore, the main purpose here is to

seek the hidden messages in isolated wishes telling why. I mean, why someone

wishes an action to be done or undone, as most wishes come without any

validation. People cannot normally infer why the wish is wished unless it comes

into a holistic distinct framework. But with discrete wishes, we generally go

astray in our inferences, guesses and interpretations.

Examine Alan’s statement,

Alan: “If only Betty were a little taller!”

“If only” is a mono-clausal construction. It leaves room for imagination. Although

the main clause is omitted, here, we can readily understand that Betty is not tall

enough. This is easy to deduce. However, what we can’t actually imagine is why

Alan would desire she were taller. Maybe it is because Alan and Betty are dating,

and Alan looks very tall beside her, or Betty is relatively too short for him. This

is just a vague impression. According to the standard thought process, we can

say that perhaps Alan is considering getting engaged, that’s why he is really

concerned about this disparity in size. Now, what if Alan converted the sentence

into the if-clause construction so that we can effortlessly know for sure what

the reason behind the wish in fact is? - If Betty were a little taller, she would get me the box on the upper shelf.

- If Betty were a little taller, she would be a good basketball player.

- If Betty were a little taller, she could enrol in the army.

- If Betty were a little taller, nobody would ever think about harassing her.

- And so on

I’m sorry that some of you got disappointed as such reasons for the wish weren’t

expected in the least. Hence, as far as it is out of context, the wish sentence is

always subject to various guesses, and it is by converting it into the conditional

that makes it possible to avoid any kind of ambiguity or misunderstanding.


M. Abdessalami 6

If only it were true! .

Whatsoever thing you wish, it is not true at all. If only I could advise

everybody not to use these two “cheerless” words. However, we are humans and

we are weak. We want things to be better, but we cannot change what is, we only

can wish it were different. We sometimes deeply wish some past events would

be undone. Alas! Expressing regret openly doesn’t change anything of what had

effectively happened. + I can’t bear watching that old woman starving. If only I had some food to offer her.

This sentence is justifying the speaker’s incapacity to help the starving old

woman. He has no food to give her; therefore, the burden of responsibility

towards her, with this utterance, has diminished remarkably. If he had food, he

would give it to her; but since he can’t help, he wishes he could, and this

obviously has a lot to do with probity. Thanks to those wish words; the person

can keep his or her emotional stability and poise intact or at least reanimated

after the sorrowful stroke. Wish-words allow us such extraordinary possible

stance as to be unreal, imaginative and dreamy, though sorrowful. We know for

sure everything with these two words (if only / I wish) is mere illusion and

fantasy, they change nothing, but they are often comforting, conciliatory and

soothing though bitterly.

Despite all, the most shocking thing is that there is no “will” with “if only”

or “I wish”. You can never say “If only I will…” or “I wish I will …”. This implies

that doing something is better than wishing it done. Expressing oneself using “If

only”, explicitly reveals one’s helplessness, despair and grief. Here, I’d like to

borrow Mercedes Lackey’s words, “‘if only'! Those must be the two saddest words in the world."

Converting a wish about the present into the conditional

Some people often use “only” after “if” in second and third conditionals to

gain more effect. That is because both the wish expression and the two

conditional types are unreal. Yet the conditional, though hypothetical and

counterfactual itself, provides the result of the condition. Conversely, when

expressing a wish, people don’t necessarily explain why the wish is made. Apart

from their being unreal and imaginary, they also have more common features,

grammatically speaking.

Rewrite the following sentences with the words given 1. She is not rich enough, so she cannot help the poor.

If _________________________________________________________

2. “I am not rich enough” she said

She wishes _________________________________________________


M. Abdessalami 7

Both sentences are to be treated in the same way according to the rules:

Firstly you should always go one step back in tense (present becomes past

subjunctive). Secondly, the affirmative form becomes negative and vice-versa.

All the same, the wish sentence keeps its purpose secret. I mean, we still don’t

know why she wishes she were rich. On the contrary, the main clause, or the

apodosis in the “if-construction” gives us the answer of why she desires to be

rich.

1. If she were rich enough, she could help the poor.

2. She wishes she were rich enough.

The assertive wish sentence hides the reason behind the wish. Maybe she wishes

she were rich enough to buy the most luxurious car in the world, or to go to

Hawaii on vacation. We truly don’t know. We need to know what purpose lies

beneath. Unless the wish sentence is converted into the conditional, we’ll never

know.

“If only” + subjunctive (1) .

Expressing a wish about the present

A wish about the present is a kind of desire to change what is, or tending

to imagine a better or a different situation. Yet reality cannot be swept like

that by just a wistful helpless wish,

What you really can appreciate about this construction is its ability to set

your imagination free.

- If only I were a bird!

- If only I had wings!

- If only I could live forever!

- If only I could see angels!

Most of these wishes are apparently senseless. This proves that there are no

boundaries in the world of wishes. As they are unreal, imaginary, irrational and

unexpected, so let’s push it to the farthest. “If only” is the exclusive key

capable of opening the gates of the fantastic world of imagination,

- If only I weren’t here!

- If only I were an extraterrestrial!

- If only today weren’t Monday!

- If only I could turn to be a child again!

- If only my dog could talk!

- If only there were other women like my mother!

- If only I weren’t born!


M. Abdessalami 8

The miraculous thing here is that nobody can blame you for your wishes

although sometimes they look atypical, and they very often rise above the

common sense. People agree that a wish is permitted for everybody, themselves

included. Still, the reason why people wish what they wish is most often

mysterious and unpredicted.

+ If only I had wings!

Most of the time, we cannot immediately understand why people wish what they

wish unless it comes in a defined context, or else the utterance should be

expressed in the conditional Type 2 construction using the “if” as introducer to

find out what the unspoken result is. So, why would you wish to have wings?

Maybe you want to have an eye-view of your city, or to get somewhere faster, or

simply this,

+ If I had wings, I’d be able to fly.

When the wish is converted into an if-clause construction, the secret result is

given away and this is what could roughly be referred to as the Irrealis modality.

- If only she were a fish!

Think about it,

+ If she were a fish, someone would fry her for dinner.

+ If she were a fish, the cat would eat her.

+ If she were a fish, the oceans would quickly dry up.

+ If she were a fish, I’d take great care of her.

+ If she were a fish, I would invite ants to a stinky meal.

+ If she were a fish, I’d surely take up diving lessons.

Even if these wishes are somehow fanatical, they seem up to standard and often

funny; however, they don’t change anything about reality. They are generally a

sign of helplessness or distress, yet the positive psychological effect is granted.

They are compensating, refreshing and moral uplifting.

“If only”, on the other hand, needs some guessing.

- If only I could make it. (Maybe this is a motivational wish or a hapless one)

- If only I were the wealthiest person in the world. (Maybe this is a noble wish or a

greedy one)

- If only I had super powers. (This could be a heroic or a wicked wish)

Well, guess!

+ What would I do if I could make it?

+ What would I do if I were the wealthiest person in the world?

+ What would I do if I had super powers?


M. Abdessalami 9

It is the subjunctive or the unreal present which can illuminate us through the

conditional. Whatever the result is, don’t just be astonished. Everything is

possible.

One of my high school students looked thoughtful; then she said;

+ If only I were a boy!

The other students’ short wicked laugh showed that they were baffled in their

guesses about her “weird” wish. What did she want to say? That’s the question.

We urged her to tell us a little more about her “absurd” wish when she resumed,

+ If I were a boy, I wouldn’t behave childishly like my classmates.

We understood that she didn’t approve her classmates’ mindless behaviour, and

she expressed that in an expletive wish.

Since it is a totally fanciful world, the world of hypothesis, let’s recall the 1949

song written by Pete Seeger and Lee Hays, Sung by Peter Paul & Mary. “The

Hummer song” is actually a positive wish,

If I had a hammer I'd hammer in the morning I'd hammer in the evening all over this land I'd hammer out danger, I'd hammer out warning I'd hammer out love between my brothers and my sisters All over this land.

Remember, it was written straight after World War II. The hammer stands for

the moral and physical tools necessary to maintain peace, equality, hope, justice;

in two words, “noble values”. The context has a lot to do with the clarity of

connotation.

A sentence in the conditional is open and clear, whereas a discrete wish

sentence is enigmatic, gloomy and puzzling because the purpose behind the wish

is obscure in most cases. “If only” + subjunctive (2) .

Expressing exaggerated unreal wishes

In addition to what has been stated above, we need to explore the other

mystifying semantic facets of the wish about the present which is completely

unexhausted source of fantasy. How come one wishes something that is never

true to life like:

+ “If only today were Sunday!”


M. Abdessalami 10

Maybe this utterance is the most absurd thing you have ever heard, yet you very

often use it yourself, and nobody objects on that. You are confident it has no

effect on reality, still you insist on repeating it from time to time.

In fact today is NOT Sunday. The speaker has to do with it. He had no

other options, unfortunately. Wishing it were Sunday will never make it Sunday.

A wish is a wish; it is unreal and a total fantasy. Yet, in an “if-clause”, the aim

behind the wish would be clearer;

+ If today were Sunday, I’d stay at home and rest.

+ If today were Sunday, I’d go fishing.

+ If today were Sunday, I would not be obliged to go to work.

+ If today were Sunday, Monday would be the next day. (Brilliant)

The aims depend on each speaker alone. The cracking thing about wishes is this

mysterious nature. When, for instance, a person says,

- If only I were a lion!

Everyone would wonder why! Imagine what a person would wish to be a lion for,

+ If I were a lion, I’d roar and growl my anger out.

+ If I were a lion, I'd swagger and strut.

+ If I were a lion, I'd acclimatize myself to the life of the jungle.

+ If I were a lion, I'd understand the meaning of “might is right”.

+ If I were a lion, I’d equip my den with internet connection.

+ If I were a lion, I’d proscribe bullying in schools.

+ If I were a lion, I’d be feared / fearsome.

Nonetheless, the wisher, should NOT just forget that

- If he were a lion, he’d be filthy and stinky.

- If he were a lion, he’d be chased and hunted.

- If he were a lion, he’d be put into a cage to be stoned by silly kids.

- If he were a lion, he’d lose his friends.

- If he were a lion, his family wouldn’t recognize him.

- If he were a lion, he’d never live among people.

- If he were a lion, he would never enjoy mint tea.

Don’t just be upset; these are only wishes that will never come true. All the

same, they allow people to express their buried desires and bottomed thoughts

towards their conditions and surroundings.

+ If only I were a ghost! Guess what?

* If I were a ghost, I’d travel abroad without a visa.

+ If only I had a hammer! Guess what?

* If I had a hammer, I‘d hammer my nightmares.


M. Abdessalami 11

In normal cases, there are situations where these optative and desiderative

constructions are used properly. For example, a friend of mine has recently

decided to sky dive, but he is not trained enough for that dangerous sport. I

advised him not to, but he insisted. I wonder, + “If only I could make him change his mind!” (But I can’t)

In fact, he is stubborn, hard-headed and obdurate like a mule. The worst of all

scenarios is when he hurts himself. In this case, he has to repeat this,

+ “If only I had taken your advice!” (But he didn’t)

The wish construction here is more than just a wish. It rather expresses a

bitter regret par excellence. The user of these two words is telling more than

what the pronounced words say. He says “I am awfully sorry for not taking your advice”. (We’ll come to this later on)

The zest of exaggeration with “if only” never fades away, and it seems to have

no limits. If it happens that you come across a discrete sentence expressing a

wish, there are a lot of things that you have to take into consideration so as not

to read it wrong. Without the “who” said it, when and where, the utterance is

blurring and could mean anything for anyone. Take the following,

+ If only I were a billionaire!

The speaker, here, is implicitly confessing that he is not rich, and he is yearning

to have plenty of money, too much in fact. We also can go further and infer why

he would desire to be a billionaire. He would perhaps help the poor, or may be

buy luxurious fast cars or own a private jet. We actually cannot say for sure why

the speaker would wish to be a billionaire. Still, we could probably hear a

completely unexpected intention behind the wish, if the utterance is expressed

in the conditional construction

+ If I were a billionaire, I’d buy plenty of cookies [this is a kid, for sure]

Normally, the if-clause or protasis and the main clause or apodosis work

together to make the content of the statement clear. In her book, From

Etymology to Pragmatics*, Eve E. Sweetser states that content-based

conditionals are understood by relating the content of the two clauses to each

other. However, when we have to take the speaker’s subjective reasoning, the

conditional is in an epistemic stance. The speaker’s subjective evaluation of the

antecedent comes out with a surprise (new knowledge) (Akatsuka: 1985)

___________________________________________________________ * Eve E. Sweetser has classified conditional semantics into three domains, the content

domain, the epistemic domain, and the speech act domain.


M. Abdessalami 12

The multi-functional role of “If only” .

What is also exceptionally interesting about this type of expression is its

ability to incredibly imagine anything. All depends on the speaker’s belief, mood

or state of mind at the moment of speaking. “If only” is the suitable agent for

unreal and impossible missions.

1. It ignites and flames the imagination with unreal wishes

� If only I had a time machine! � If only I were invisible! � If only my wife were a serene! � If only I never got angered!

2. It can also deal with very funny situations � If only I were him! (he is wealthy, honest, respectful or strong, for instance)

� If only I could read my doctor’s hand writing! � If only I were Lucky Luck, (I would be faster than my shadow).

� If only he didn’t snort! (but he does, and this wakens the neighbours)

3. It is the best way to express sorrowful feelings

� If only my father were still alive! � If only she knew what she’s done to me! � If only they knew how it feels to be an orphan! � If only she knew how much I suffer from her love! � If only I could forget her! � If only she hadn't said “Good bye”!

4. It externalizes Vengeance tendencies � If only her tongue were made of glass! (I would shatter it once for all, or I’d

smash it into tiny pieces)

� If only he were a cockroach! (I’d smash him flat)

� If only I had authority! (I’d put all my enemies in jail)

5. Complaining about a disapproved behaviour

When the wish expresses impatience, annoyance or dissatisfaction with a

given act or a situation, the speaker uses the modal verb “would”, and this will

become a general rule in those particular situations or circumstances.

+ If only you wouldn't make that noise whenever you come in. + If only he would keep his mouth shut. + If only she would stop talking. + If only he would drive a little slower. + If only she would tell us what disturbs her that much. + If only they would take off their shoes before they get in.


M. Abdessalami 13

6. It is one way of expressing envy

As people are almost unpleasantly dissatisfied with what they have,

everybody always compares themselves to others unfavourably. They look at

what the others have with envy although what they wish is not necessarily

something valuable or enviable. People -consciously or unconsciously- desire what

others have, but those others don’t have what those people have. Not only is

envy deplorable and hostile, it is also illogical itself. If anyone wants to wish

what another has, he must wish to have everything; I mean the good and the bad

things. It is known that envious people don’t see but the bright side of the moon,

and overlook the dark side, hence the blind resentment, jealousy and envy.

a) A young woman envying an old lady.

+ “If only I had her jewellery!”

Comment: You are healthy, but she has kidney and heart deficiency. Would you

wish to take the whole pack?!

b) An old lady envying a young woman.

+ “If only I had her shape!”

Comment: It is true that she is beautifully shaped, but she has cancer.

c) A healthy handsome young man looking at his successful boss,

+ “If only I had his intelligence!”

Comment: The boss is ugly and physically disabled.

d) Look around you! Everyone is looking for perfection which is actually no more

than a wish or a mirage. People “wish” to change only the part of their life which

is deplorable according to them, and they are not satisfied with. That’s why a

wish remains a wish everlastingly. People should understand that in life no one

can get it all the way they wished.

A wish about the future .

In this context, people can wish things be better in the future. Here the

modal verb “would” is almost the most prevailing to emphasis the wish about the

future. It is here that “wish” and “hope” could converge.

+ If only customers would come to our shop in great numbers. + If only more students would give importance to education. + If only my father would increase my pocket money. + If only she would accept to marry him. He is an honest man. + If only the teacher would give me a second chance.

In such cases, some people would rather use “I wish” instead of “if only”

as the effect would be more insistent. It’s only a matter of styles.


M. Abdessalami 14

Not with standing the fact that “if only” facilitates expressing tantalizing

thoughts, it remains enigmatic when used separately in discrete utterances. In

other words, discrete wishes are generally to be suspected because they are

misleading, and the guesses are mostly not exact.

It is worth mentioning that the “If-clause” surpasses “if only” clause in

several cases. One of them, whereas “if clause” is always backed up with a main

clause (apodosis), the “if only” clause stands alone. This particularity of syntax

allows “if-clause” to commonly unveil the consequence while the “if only” clause

expresses the wish but cannot go further. Moreover, the “if only” clause cannot

paraphrase a construction made exclusively for the “if-clause” in many instances.

Contemplate these statements and see if you can convert them using “if only”,

+ If I weren’t a teacher, I’d prefer to be one.

+ If my jacket were permeable, I’d be wet and sick by now.

+ If he smoked, he would be turned down.

+ If I knew already, why should I ask?!

+ If he took her advice, he wouldn’t be in such a pitiful condition now.

If only + past perfect .

Expressing impossible wishes

A wish about the past is totally an impossible wish because what is done is

done and can never be undone. It is generally known for expressing Regret.

What we wish is something that had or hadn’t happened, and we wish it hadn’t or

had happened. Take the following situation

I missed the first lecture because I didn’t arrive to the campus in time. And now

I regret it, so I say,

- If only I had arrived to the campus in time. (But I didn’t, and so I missed the

first lecture)

- If I had arrived to the campus in time, I wouldn’t have missed the first lecture.

� If only I had met her before! (But unfortunately I didn’t)

� If only she hadn’t married that crook! (But she did)

� If only I hadn’t told her “I love you”! (But I did, and I cannot change it now)

� If only I had revised my lessons! (too late, I failed the exam)

� If only he had taken his umbrella! (As it rained a few minutes after he had left)

� If only I hadn’t been there! (But I regrettably was)

� If only I hadn’t been born! (weird)


M. Abdessalami 15

Unlike wishes about the present, wishes about the past implicitly reveal most of

why the wishes are made. Most of them are triggered by a mistake in the past

done by the speaker or happened in special circumstances. We can imagine the

result in case the opposite was what had happened, but all that we can do is just

imagining, not more.

� If only I hadn’t told her my secret.

This sentence obviously indicates that the secret was divulged. Now the

speaker is showing regret. Still, nothing is sure. It could be a different result

for telling her the secret that triggers the regret expression.

+ If I hadn’t told her the secret, she couldn’t have blackmailed me.

We understand that she started blackmailing him after she had

discovered the secret. The question is still there, does this sentence change

anything of what happened? Alas, No! It would be better not to mean what you

say when you use this kind of construction because it is already too late to mend.

That is only painful and saddening.

Anyone can build a different story from a given wish about the past. Tell what

possibly happened if you hear something like,

+ If only I had remembered to take my cell phone with me!

We understand that the person regretted not taking his mobile phone

with him when he left home or the office. It is clear that he was stuck

somewhere, he got lost, he had an accident or else. In brief, he found himself in

a difficult situation which required the cell phone to call someone for help. Since

he didn’t bring his phone with him, he was disconnected from the world and

consequently underwent hard times. The rescue could have been quicker if he

had taken his cell phone with him from the beginning. Still, these are just vague

guesses.

There are many other scenarios to take into consideration. One of them

may be that this is a patient who went to the doctor's and found the line was

long at the waiting room, so he had to kill time. He wished he had brought his

cell phone to make some business calls, to listen to music, to play games, or to

use it to keep himself busy or entertained while waiting for his turn.

Now see what scenarios you can think of for these wish sentences,

+ If only I had had a driving license!

+ If only I had taken up English lessons!

+ If only I hadn’t been busy that day!

+ If only I hadn’t trusted them!

+ If only I had known!


M. Abdessalami 16

Conditional type III .

There is a noticeable interconnection between the wish about the past and

the third conditional. Both constructions belong to the same clan in the realm of

speech. They both talk about things that never happened in the past. In this

respect, the result of the third condition doesn’t always confirm the regretful

impression that the “if only” utterance usually give. It expresses the

impossibility of the action.

+ If only I had known! (But in fact I didn’t know)

+ If only Leila accepted to marry him! (But she didn’t)

+ If only the test hadn’t been difficult! (But the test was in fact very tough)

Nevertheless, this “if only” construction in the past could generally give us clues

about what happened that we don’t actually approve, still nothing is sure.

+ “If only I had the chance to meet her even for a second!”

This means that nothing happened in reality. I didn’t actually see her, and now

I’m just wishing the impossible version: to have met her for a little while. I am

regretting the fact that I didn’t meet her.

Likewise,

+ If only I had revised my lessons well!

+ If only I hadn’t told her off!

+ If only I had been nice to her!

+ If only nothing of these had happened!

Nothing of these happened. I did not revise my lessons, I told her off and

I wasn’t nice to her. The only explanation for these impossible situations is

showing regret, and this changes nothing of what happened, but it helps

recognizing and regretting one’s faults.

+ Ben, “If only my parents hadn’t locked the front door last night.”

What did really happen? Ben’s parents locked the front door last night.

The consequence of that, according to Ben’s wish, is not something that Ben

appreciated.

Apparently this sentence expresses regret, and this is totally

incontrovertible as far as it is in the “if only” construction, but it could express

gratitude or thanks if we just turn it into the conditional. Do you think that it

has given enough indications about what happened last night? And about what

could be the consequence if the action of “locking the front door” didn’t take

place?

It seems that Ben spent the night outside because he wished his parents

hadn’t locked the front door. This utterance shows that the parents effectively


M. Abdessalami 17

locked the front door. Accordingly, Ben didn’t sleep in his bed that night. He

manifestly couldn’t get in as the front door was locked. This is what we could

conclude until we get the confirmation from the following statement.

+ Ben, “If my parents hadn’t locked the front door last night, I could have spent the night at home”.

Unfortunately, they didn’t leave the front door unlocked so that Ben could

get in. He had to spend the night outside, as a result. Now instead of regretting

the fact that the parents had locked the door, Ben should regret the fact that

he didn’t get back home a little earlier. That would be reasonable. The poor

parents are always to blame.

Miraculously the scene could be viewed from another angle,

+ Ben, “If my parents hadn’t locked the front door last night, the burglars would have robbed my iPad Air”.

Thank God, the expensive iPad was not stolen; otherwise the parents would

be the first to blame for not locking the door. Now, the parents are not to be

blamed at all. On the contrary, they are to be thanked and shown gratitude.

In brief, converting the “if only” wish construction into the conditional can

reveal the secret of the wish, yet it is not always the very same secret we

supposed.

Ted, Ben, Brian and Kim haven’t met John for a week, and they wish they had

seen him! Can we guess why?

� Ted:

� Ben:

� Dan:

� Kim:

Ted: “If I had seen John, I would have asked him to lend me money.”

Ben: “If I had seen John, I’d have asked him to give me my money back.”

Dan: “If I had seen John, I would have punched him right on the nose.”

Kim: “If I had seen John, I’d have advised him to give up gambling”

Ted, Ben, Dan and Kim: “If only we had seen John!”

A wish about the past is an impossible regretful desire which might have

numerous hypothetically divergent results. But in all cases nothing really

happened, it is impossible action anyway to change the past. The third

conditional, thus, is extraordinarily capable of unveiling those results as it copes

“If only I had seen John!”


M. Abdessalami 18

with people’s various moods and intentions which themselves didn’t happen,

either.

“If only” in Creative Writings .

Only authors and poets excel at using fantastic and fictitious language to

depict the imaginary world they build and dwell in. To share the experience with

us, they need to use “if only” recurrently to transcend the exasperating real

world they, or their characters, sometimes do not seem to enjoy and long to

escape keenly. Enjoy the following very few examples,

[A]

Let’s start with Henrik Ibsen’s play Doll's House, Act II, Nora (begins to unpack the box, but soon pushes it away from her). If only I dared go out. If only no one would come. If only I could be sure nothing would happen here in the meantime. Stuff and nonsense!

[B] Lewis Carroll, in the novel Through the Looking Glass, wrote, (1) “I don't care about the colour,' the Tiger-lily remarked. 'If only her petals curled up a little more, she'd be all right.”

(2) … [Alice] went on. “It's a great huge game of chess that's being played — all over the world — if this IS the world at all, you know. Oh, what fun it is! How I WISH I was one of them! I wouldn't mind being a Pawn, if only I might join — though of course I should like to be a Queen, best.”

[C] In his novel, 1Q84, Haruki Murakami, the famous Japanese writer says “I've been lonely for so long. And I've been hurt so deeply. If only I could have met you again a long time ago, then I wouldn't have had to take all these detours to get here.”

[D] In addition to that, ancient Arab poets have amazingly and magnificently used “if only” for expressing compulsive feelings. I have to mention some

superb verses of one of the most outstanding lovers, Qays ibn al-Mulawwah, known as “Majnun Layla” (Possessed by madness for Leila);

(1) “They say Leila is in Iraq very sick, If only I were the healing doctor.” (2) “If I had two hearts, I’d live with one, and leave the other enduring your love.” (3) “Kids were we herding cattle, if only, up to now, we hadn’t grown up, and neither had the cattle.”

[E] Abu Al Atahyah, another more ancient outstanding poet, says, - “If only the time of youth would return, then I’d tell it what gray hair had done (to me)”


M. Abdessalami 19

Conclusion .

Enigmatic and as it is, the “if only” combination has a vital role to play in

people’s lives. Although it is misty and so much fact hiding, it is often an outlet

and a buoy in difficult situations such as when people desire things they cannot

afford or achieve, or when they did something that shouldn’t have been done, or

when they missed something they should have seized. In the end, “if only” is a

long story that has always got an open ending.

On the whole, expressing a wish, be it about the present or about the past,

doesn’t change a thing of reality; but it helps people get rid of the negative

sensations they bottle up when they can’t change an existing reality or undo an

action that had been recklessly performed in the past. Thanks to “if only”

tranquilizer, people can get accustomed to the shocking things that take place

from time to time, and life is full of such things, isn’t it?!

Imagine, when Celia Johnson says,

- “If only it was somebody else's story and not mine”,

Victoria Holt would respond,

- “Never regret. If it's good, it's wonderful. If it's bad, it's experience.”

To conclude, Mercedes Luckey says, “If only. Those must be the two saddest words in the world”, and that’s right. If only “if only” phrase were so

magic that it miraculously changed a miserable face into a contented smiling one!

But it can’t. On the contrary “Hope” can, so let’s keep hope and carry on.

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Bibliography

1. Sweetser, Eve E. From Etymology to Pragmatics: Metaphorical and cultural aspects of semantic structure - Cambridge University Press (1990)

2. Akatsuka, Noriko, Conditionals and the Epistemic Scale. Language 61(3):625–639. (1985)

3. Dancygier. B, Sweetser, E. E: Mental Spaces in Grammar: Conditional Constructions - Cambridge University Press New York (2005)

4. Patrick Georg Grosz, On the Grammar of Optative Constructions - John Benjamins Publishing Company

5. Panther, K-U. and Thornburg, L. (2011) Emotion and desire in independent complement clauses. John Benjamins Publishing Company.

6. Mackie, John Leslie, (2003) Truth, Probability and Paradox: Studies in Philosophical Logic (Kinds of if-sentences) - Oxford University Press Inc. 1973

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the enigmatic optative mood with “if only”

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