Choose the correct alternative to change the following Assertive sentence into an Exclamatory sentence.
I wish I had met you ten years ago.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → If only I had met you ten years ago!
Assertive to exclamatory (a wish):
"I wish I had met you ten years ago" expresses regret about the past: I did not meet you then.
| Change | Assertive | Exclamatory | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening words | I wish | If only | “I wish” is replaced by If only, which states the same wish with strong feeling. |
| End mark | (.) | (!) | The full stop becomes an exclamation mark. |
| Full sentence | I wish I had met you ten years ago. | If only I had met you ten years ago! |
The past perfect had met stays.
Example: I wish I were taller. → If only I were taller!
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: To think that I had met you ten years ago! — Incorrect. "To think that ..." expresses surprise at a fact as if it had happened. The meeting never took place, so the regret is lost.
Option 3: Alas had I met you ten years ago! — Incorrect. "Alas" expresses sorrow over what has happened, and "had I met you" is the first half of a conditional that is left without its main clause.
Option 4: Nothing better than to have met you ten years ago! — Incorrect. It praises a meeting as the best thing, as if it had happened. The wish and the regret are lost.