English: Regret + gerund or infinitive. Again we are reviewing a word whose meaning changes depending on the use of the gerund or infinitve following it. Since ‘regret’ is a word were we are already sorry about something, we don’t want to use it incorrectly.
REGRET + GERUND
- Use ‘regret + gerund’ to express that you are sorry about something you have said or done.
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- He really regrets not calling you. (He wishes he had called.)
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- My daughter regrets telling her best friend her secret. (She wishes she didn’t tell her.)
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REGRET + INFINITIVE
- Use ‘regret + infinitive’ (with to) before giving someone bad news.
- I regret to tell you that your sister didn’t make it out of surgery. (I’m sorry, but…)
- We regret to inform you that your payment has not been accepted. (We have bad news…)
Memory trick!
“ING = I messed up.”
(It was a mistake and I feel sorry about it.)
“TO = Tough message.”
(Here comes some bad news.)
English Grammar
Now that you have seen ‘English: Regret + gerund or infinitive’, take a look at our other English Grammar posts:
Grammar: remember + gerund or infinitive
Grammar: transitive and intransitive verbs in less than 5 minutes
