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JungKim Posted 12 years ago
Grammar

must V or must be V+ing

The context is that the speaker talks about a person (he) who made his decision, which the speaker thinks is wrong. So the speaker would like to express his subjective judgment that his regretting his decision is inevitable. But the speaker does not want to convey a continuous meaning to the act of regretting.
Which of the following is possible?
(1) He will regret his decision.
(2) He will be regretting his decision.
(3) He must regret his decision.
(4) He must be regretting his decision.
  

Top answer

JungKim The context is that the speaker talks about a person (he) who made his decision, which the speaker thinks is wrong. So the speaker would like to express his subjective judgment that his regretting his decision is inevitable. Which of the following is possible?

— Laborious

  • JungKim The context is that the speaker talks about a person (he) who made his decision, which the speaker thinks is wrong.
  • So the speaker would like to express his subjective judgment that his regretting his decision is inevitable.
  • Which of the following is possible?
  • Of your sentences, #1 (He will regret his decision), in my opinion, fits best in the context you have.
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39 Answers
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JungKimThe context is that the speaker talks about a person (he) who made his decision, which the speaker thinks is wrong. So the speaker would like to express his subjective judgment that his regretting his decision is inevitable. But the speaker does not want to convey a continuous meaning to the act of regretting.Which of the following is possible?
Of your
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Thanks, Laborious.
Could you please tell me why you think the others don't work in the aforementioned context?
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JungKimCould you please tell me why you think the others don't work in the aforementioned context?
For the following reasons: 

I wouldn't say "He will be / must be regretting his decision" becasue the speaker, as you said, doesn't want to convey a continuous meaning for the act of regretting. 

I wouldn't say
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This might be a tricky question, but does the presence of 'be + participle' always guarantee the continuous meaning? For example, when someone is leaving, they could be saying "I'll be going" instead of "I'll go" without intending any continuous meaning to the act of their leaving, could they not? I was wondering if the same could apply to the OP's examples.
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JungKimdoes the presence of 'be + participle' always guarantee the continuous meaning?
Do you mean a form of 'be' such as 'is / am / are' + a present participle (an ing form of a verb), in examples such as "I'm going to her house" or "I'm replying to your questions"? If so, then "yes". In such cases there's always a progressive / continuous / on-going meaning
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Thanks, Laborious, for your laborious response. No pun intended.Emotion: smile
I agree with you in that there is a difference in meaning betwe
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Oh, there are a lot of points and a few misunderstandings in this thread. I'll take them one at a time.

(1) He will regret his decision. The speaker is expressing either certainty or determination that this will happen in the future. There is no indication of the duration of the regret.

(2) He will be regretting his decision. The speaker is indicating certainty that
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LaboriousI wouldn't say "He will be / must be regretting his decision" becasue the speaker, as you said, doesn't want to convey a continuous meaning for the act of regretting.
But these two do not carry a 'continuous' in the sense of 'long-lasting' shade of meaning.. Bot suggest limited duration.

The 'must be regretting' expresses a logical certainty
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fivejedjonHe will be regretting his decision. The speaker is indicating certainty that this is happening now.
Wouldn’t that be He is regretting his decision?
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Thanks for coming... Emotion: smile
fivejedjonBut these two do not carry a 'continuous' in the sense of 'long-lasting' sh
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