student asking question

What does "upon" mean? I thought only "I'll wish a star" already make sense.

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

To "wish upon" can have two meanings. The first meaning of "wish upon" is to ask or plead for something, especially a superstitious charm or omen, to make one's wish a reality. This is what is being used in this particular clip. Ex: People from all over the country come to the statue, wishing upon it to better their lives in some way or another. The second meaning of "wish upon" is to desire that some person, situation, or circumstance, especially a negative one, happens to someone else. Typically used in negative constructions. In this usage, a noun or pronoun is used between "wish" and "upon." Ex: I wouldn't wish the death of a child upon my worst enemy. Ex: No, I wouldn't wish such a difficult task upon you. Ex: I just don't see the point in wishing bad things upon anyone else. "I'll wish a star" would be a grammatically incorrect sentence, as wish needs to be used in one of the below constructions, in order to be grammatically correct. - Wish + (that) + past simple - Wish + (that) + would - Wish + upon + something - Wish + something + upon + somebody - Wish + (that) + past perfect - Wish + to + infinitive - Wish + object + to + infinitive - Wish + somebody + something

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