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Stenka25 Posted 15 years ago
Grammar
Regret to see vs. regret seeing
1. We conceal it from our sight because it afflicts us, and if it be pleasant we regret to see it vanish away.
2. We hide it from our sight because it distresses us; and, if it is agreeable, we regret seeing it slip away.
The above sentences are two other versions of the same sentence in a translated book, Pensees by Blaise Pascal.
What I want to ask is each version has other object of the verb 'regret,' one 'to see' and another 'to seeing.'
But I know there is a difference in meaning between 'to infinitive' and '-ing' when they are used with 'regret.'
Here is the account of 'regret' in the Webster's leaner's dictionary.
[+ obj] 1 : to feel sad or sorry about (something that you did or did not do) : to have regrets about (something)
? I bitterly regret ever having mentioned it.
? She does not regret leaving him.
? He regrets not traveling more when he was younger.
2 not used in progressive tenses -used formally and in writing to express sad feelings about something that is disappointing or unpleasant
? We regret to inform you that we have offered the job to someone else. [=we are sorry to tell you]
Could you tell me why?
2. We hide it from our sight because it distresses us; and, if it is agreeable, we regret seeing it slip away.
The above sentences are two other versions of the same sentence in a translated book, Pensees by Blaise Pascal.
What I want to ask is each version has other object of the verb 'regret,' one 'to see' and another 'to seeing.'
But I know there is a difference in meaning between 'to infinitive' and '-ing' when they are used with 'regret.'
Here is the account of 'regret' in the Webster's leaner's dictionary.
[+ obj] 1 : to feel sad or sorry about (something that you did or did not do) : to have regrets about (something)
? I bitterly regret ever having mentioned it.
? She does not regret leaving him.
? He regrets not traveling more when he was younger.
2 not used in progressive tenses -used formally and in writing to express sad feelings about something that is disappointing or unpleasant
? We regret to inform you that we have offered the job to someone else. [=we are sorry to tell you]
Could you tell me why?
Top answer
Basically, Regret to see is before the fact (it hasn't yet vanished), Stenka, and regret seeing is after the fact (it has vanished). In the case of your #1 and #2, Pascal is simply viewing the potential (future) disappearance (1) from a nearer future perspective and (2) from a farther future perspective.
- Basically, Regret to see is before the fact (it hasn't yet vanished), Stenka, and regret seeing is after the fact (it has vanished).
- In the case of your #1 and #2, Pascal is simply viewing the potential (future) disappearance (1) from a nearer future perspective and (2) from a farther future perspective.
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4 Answers
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Basically, Regret to see is before the fact (it hasn't yet vanished), Stenka, and regret seeing is after the fact (it has vanished). In the case of your #1 and #2, Pascal is simply viewing the potential (future) disappearance (1) from a nearer future perspective and (2) from a farther future perspective.
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Typically "regret -ing" is a regret about something that has already occurred; "regret to - " is about something that is about to occur.
In the Pascal excerpt the timeless present is used, which is neither past nor future, so either form seems acceptable -- though personally, I would have chosen "regret seeing" had I been the translator.
CJ
In the Pascal excerpt the timeless present is used, which is neither past nor future, so either form seems acceptable -- though personally, I would have chosen "regret seeing" had I been the translator.
CJ
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CalifJim -- though personally, I would have chosen "regret seeing" had I been the translator.CJ
I also would have used 'regret seeing' in both of those sentences.
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