VOA慢速英语2020--英语中表达遗憾的三个短语

Three Phrases for Expressing Regret in English

Can you think of something recent that you wish you had done differently? I can.

Last weekend, I decided¹ to paint my living room walls a new color. But the green I chose was a huge mistake! After painting two walls, I looked up and realized the color was terribly drab.

I regret painting the walls that green. I wish I had not hurried to paint the room. I should have tested the color first.

To regret means to feel sorry for, sad about or disappointed in something you did or did not do.

There are a lot of ways to express regret in English. Today on our program, we will look at three phrases Americans use to talk about regrets big or small. They are: I regret, I wish and I should have.

I regret...

The first phrase is "I regret." When we use this phrase, we usually follow it with some form of noun², such as a gerund, noun phrase or noun clause³.

It is quite common for English speakers to follow the phrase "I regret" with a gerund. You may remember that gerunds are nouns⁴ ending in -ing.

Listen to this speaker use a gerund after the phrase:

I regret coming here. I want to go home now.

Did you find the gerund? It was "coming."

A short time ago, I too used a gerund when I said, "I regret painting the walls that green."

Sometimes we follow the phrase "I regret" with a noun phrase. Listen for the noun phrase in the following sentence:

I regret that purchase. It was a huge waste of money.

Did you hear the noun phrase? It was "that purchase."

Other times, we follow the words "I regret" with a noun clause. You may remember that a clause is a part of a sentence with its own subject and verb. Noun clauses⁵ act as nouns.

Listen for the noun clause in our next example:

I regret what I said yesterday. It was not fair. I'm sorry.

Did you find the noun clause? It was "what I said yesterday."

I wish (that)...

Next up is the phrase "I wish."

This phrase has a few uses in English. When used to express regret, we are saying we feel sorry that something was not different in the past. For example, earlier I said, "I wish I had not hurried to paint the room."

As you hear this next speaker use the phrase, make a mental note of the verb tense he uses.

I wish I had studied harder for the entrance exam.

Did you note the verb tense? It was past perfect and the verb was "had studied." When we use "I wish" to express regret, the usual verb tense is the past perfect.

However, in spoken English, Americans sometimes use the simple past tense instead, like this:

I wish I studied harder for the entrance exam.

It is also worth noting that noun clauses generally follow the verb "wish," just like in the entrance exam example and in my own statement about the paint project. You can learn more about noun clauses on earlier Everyday Grammar programs.

I should / shouldn't have...

Our final phrase for today is "I should have." When someone uses this phrase, it means something did not happen but we wish it had happened. For example, I said, "I should have tested the color first."

You may remember that the verb "should" is a modal verb. The word "have" in the phrase is part of the present perfect verb tense. The one I used was "have tested."

Now, listen to this speaker using "I should have" and take note of the verb:

I was late for work today. I should have woken up earlier.

He used the present perfect verb "have woken up."

We can also use the negative form -- "I should not have" -- to express the same general ideas, like this:

I was late for work today. I should not have slept so late.

Now, you try it! Use one or two of the phrases from this program to talk about a regret or something you wish you had done differently.

I'm Alice Bryant.

Things Americans Say...

You might hear an American say something like this: "I wish I would have studied harder for the entrance exam."

Technically⁶, the structure "I wish I would have..." is not grammatically⁷ correct. The word "would" should not be used with the phrase "I wish" in formal English. However, in spoken American English, it is quite common and often considered acceptable⁸.

Words in This Story

drab – adj. not bright or colorful

disappointed – adj. feeling sad, unhappy, or displeased⁹ because something was not as good as expected

phrase – n. a group of two or more words that express an idea but do not usually form a complete sentence

clause – n. a part of a sentence with its own subject and verb

verb tense – n. a form of a verb that is used to show when an action happened

modal verb - a verb (such as can or should) that is used with another verb to express possibility, necessity¹⁰ or permission

negative – adj. expressing denial or refusal

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 noun   

n.名词

参考例句：

• What kind of noun is this?这是哪类名词？
• This word is a collective noun.这个词是个集体名词。

3 clause   

n.（正式文件或法律文件的）条款，从句，分句

参考例句：

• The sentence consists of a main clause and a subordinate clause.这句中有一个主句和一个从句。
• What clause do you require in the contract?你要求在合同中订上什么条款？

4 nouns   

n.名词；名词( noun的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns. 法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Nouns join to form compounds. 名词和名词结合构成复合词。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 clauses   

从句( clause的名词复数 )； （法律文件等的）条款

参考例句：

• Relative pronouns and adverbs introduce attributive clauses. 关系代词和关系副词引导定语从句。
• Please underline the noun clauses in the passage. 请用线画出短文中的名词性从句。

6 technically   

adv.专门地，技术上地

参考例句：

• Technically it is the most advanced equipment ever.从技术上说，这是最先进的设备。
• The tomato is technically a fruit,although it is eaten as a vegetable.严格地说，西红柿是一种水果，尽管它是当作蔬菜吃的。

7 grammatically   

adv.符合语法规则地

参考例句：

• This essay is grammatically smooth and readable. 这篇作文写得还顺。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Grammatically, the Sanskrit paradigm exemplifies the concept of radical. 从语法的观点看，梵语的变格范例明确了词根的概念。 来自辞典例句

8 acceptable   

adj.可接受的，合意的，受欢迎的

参考例句：

• The terms of the contract are acceptable to us.我们认为这个合同的条件可以接受。
• Air pollution in the city had reached four times the acceptable levels.这座城市的空气污染程度曾高达可接受标准的四倍。

9 displeased   

a.不快的

参考例句：

• The old man was displeased and darted an angry look at me. 老人不高兴了，瞪了我一眼。
• He was displeased about the whole affair. 他对整个事情感到很不高兴。

10 necessity   

n.必要性，需要；必需品

参考例句：

• I look upon this as an absolute necessity.我认为这是绝对必要的。
• You must understand the necessity of education.你必须懂得教育的必要性。