regret

[whl626]

I regret damaging your book.

I regret that I've damaged your book.

I wonder if the second sentence is much better than the first ? Somehow I find it is not suitable to use the first as a ' gerund ' can be replaced by ' to+infinitive ', then it just sounds illogical.

eg I regret to damage your book. Or I regret to have damaged your book.

Both don't seem right to me from the logical point as I choose ' I regret that I've damaged your book ' myself.

 

[RonBee]

Re:

• I regret damaging your book.

That is a perfectly good sentence.

Re:

• I regret that I've damaged your book.

That one is also good. (The first one is, I think, more likely. Also more likely is: "I'm sorry I damaged your book.") You could also say: "I regret having damaged your book."

Re:

• I regret to damage your book.

Or:

• I regret to have damaged your book.

Neither of those sentences is English in structure.

(Say: "Neither seems right" or "Both are wrong", but you can't use "both" in the negative (with "not").)

• I have no reason for regret.
  No, I'm not sorry--not yet.

 

[Tdol]

Regret + infinitve is used when we aresorry before the action:

I regret to say that yourapplication has been unsuccessful.
;-)

 

[whl626]

Hmm, now the ' regret ' has become crystal clear to me Thanks