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Myid Posted 17 years ago
Grammar

Regret doing vs regret having done

I know the difference in the meaning between "regret + gerund" and "regret + infinitive"

(A) regret + doing: feel sorry about what I did in the past.
(B) regret + to do: feel sorry about what I will do now.

However, I don't exactly understand what difference exists in the below two sentences.
Could you please explain it to me?

(A) I regret not working harder.
(B) I regret not having worked harder.
  

Top answer

myid However, I don't exactly understand what difference exists in the below two sentences below . Could you please explain it to me? (A) I regret not working harder.

— Cool Breeze

  • myid However, I don't exactly understand what difference exists in the below two sentences below .
  • Could you please explain it to me?
  • (A) I regret not working harder.
  • (B) I regret not having worked harder.
  • In actual usage there's no real difference.
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3 Answers
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myidHowever, I don't exactly understand what difference exists in the below two sentences below.
Could you please explain it to me?

(A) I regret not working harder.
(B) I regret not having worked harder.
In actual usage there's no real difference. Theoretically, the present gerund
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It's very commendable to know gerunds, infinitives (split or otherwise) pronouns etc., etc., and all the correct grammatical terms and usages, but I sometimes think intelligent people, such as yourself, should ease up on the academic pursuit of grammatical terminology and just step back for a moment and, as Obi-Wan Kenobi might say to Luke Skywalker, 'feel the force' by just 'feeling' the sentence
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(A) ; it's not be too late to put the matter right.

Sorry, typo - My error. Should have read: (A) ; it's not too late to put the matter right.
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