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Anonymous Posted 16 years ago
Grammar
Which sentences are correct?
Hello!
Can you tell me which sentences are correct?
1 He regrets playing badly in the last game.or:
2 He regrets to play badly in the last game.
1 She regrets saying she can`t come.or:
2 She regrets to say she can`t come.
1 I don`t remember to buy the newspaper.or:
2 I don`t remember buying the newpaper.
1 He will be busy to write the report at the weekend.or:
2 He will be busy writing the report at the weekend.
Thank you!
Can you tell me which sentences are correct?
1 He regrets playing badly in the last game.or:
2 He regrets to play badly in the last game.
1 She regrets saying she can`t come.or:
2 She regrets to say she can`t come.
1 I don`t remember to buy the newspaper.or:
2 I don`t remember buying the newpaper.
1 He will be busy to write the report at the weekend.or:
2 He will be busy writing the report at the weekend.
Thank you!
Top answer
1 He regrets playing badly in the last game -- YES 2 He regrets to play badly in the last game. -- Not grammatical 1 She regrets saying she can`t come -- Okay, but she said it in the past and wishes she hadn't. ) 2 She regrets to say she can`t come.
- 1 He regrets playing badly in the last game -- YES 2 He regrets to play badly in the last game.
- -- Not grammatical 1 She regrets saying she can`t come -- Okay, but she said it in the past and wishes she hadn't.
- ) 2 She regrets to say she can`t come.
- -- Okay, but she is saying now she cannot come to this future event, and is sorry about that.
- 1 I don`t remember to buy the newspaper -- Not grammatical.
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14 Answers
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1 He regrets playing badly in the last game -- YES
2 He regrets to play badly in the last game. -- Not grammatical
1 She regrets saying she can`t come -- Okay, but she said it in the past and wishes she hadn't. (Perhaps she can come now and doesn't know if she is still invited.)
2 She regrets to say she can`t come. -- Okay, but she is saying now she cannot come to this futu
2 He regrets to play badly in the last game. -- Not grammatical
1 She regrets saying she can`t come -- Okay, but she said it in the past and wishes she hadn't. (Perhaps she can come now and doesn't know if she is still invited.)
2 She regrets to say she can`t come. -- Okay, but she is saying now she cannot come to this futu
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2 He regrets to play badly in the last game. -- Not grammatical
But you can say
He regrets to have played badly in the last game (= He regrets playing badly..or He regrets (that) he played badly....).
But you can say
He regrets to have played badly in the last game (= He regrets playing badly..or He regrets (that) he played badly....).
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Ivanhr
But you can say
He regrets to have played badly in the last game. No, this is just as bad.
He regrets (that) he played badly. Yes, this is okay, but the "that" is required.
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Grammar GeekIvanhrBut you can say
He regrets to have played badly in the last game. No, this is just as bad.
Thank you GG. Can you , please, elaborate on that?
I've done some investigating myself and it seems that 'regret' is normally followed by a gerund rather than an infinitive. But I've seen some exceptions to this
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I shouldn't say that they are bad grammar. I still sometimes forget that there are other dialects of English, and that may be a common way to say it there.
Those are all very unnatural in AMERICAN English.
We would say, I regret doing it, I regret not buying, I regret not playing.
We would not say I regret to have done it, etc.
Those are all very unnatural in AMERICAN English.
We would say, I regret doing it, I regret not buying, I regret not playing.
We would not say I regret to have done it, etc.
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The verb 'regret' can be followed by either a gerund or an infinitive (sorry, my mistake earlier) with a difference in meaning.
"I regret to ***" means that you regret something you are doing now; for example, I regret to tell you that you did not make the team. I regret to inform you that ... etc.
"I regret ***-ing" means that you re
"I regret to ***" means that you regret something you are doing now; for example, I regret to tell you that you did not make the team. I regret to inform you that ... etc.
"I regret ***-ing" means that you re
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Yes, I know, as I pointed out the same difference in the post above, with She regrets to say and She regrets saying.
Your prior examples were not infinitives; they were present perfect: regrets to have done; regrets not to have bought, etc.
Your prior examples were not infinitives; they were present perfect: regrets to have done; regrets not to have bought, etc.
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Sorry, that was in response to Ivan. I missed that part of your earlier post 
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Hi Ferdis,
Sorry, the original sentence was
He regrets playing badly.....
If you say he regrets having played badly .... this just doesn't sound right.
Sorry, the original sentence was
He regrets playing badly.....
If you say he regrets having played badly .... this just doesn't sound right.
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