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Question to native English speakers?
Hey, guys, I've got this language question.
Officially, grammar books say that regrets about the past can be expressed in English by these:
* 3rd Conditional clauses (e.g. "If I had left earlier, I would have been on time!")
* I wish / if only (e.g. "I wish / if only I had kissed her!")
* should have and ought to have (e.g. "I should have / I ought to have been a better father!")
Can you think of any other ways you use to express regret about the past? For example, merely the use of Past Simple: "Oh, didn't turn the light off!" also express regret in the past, right?
3 Answers
- icqanneLv 79 years agoFavorite Answer
"Oh, I didn't turn the light off!" is just a statement, just like this it does not express any regrets. In spoken language the non-verbal part of the communication can: a sad face, the tone of voice can express relief, regret, surprise etc., but in written language one needs to add something (if not wanting to change the verb): Darn, / I am sorry, / Oops etc. The mere "Oh" might mean anything, even relief.
- ErikaLv 45 years ago
Since English is this sort of largely spoken language, persons discover it average that non-local audio system carry their possess accessory into it. The factor is, Americans rarely be taught a overseas language ample to talk it they usually in no way fairly attempt to pronounce accurately. They simply take it with no consideration, the truth that each person will have to talk English. And then there is the ancient stereotype approximately Americans being good... now not very wise.... Another motive would be large emmigration from far and wide the sector closer to the US and persons coming again to thier local nation after a couple of years and having a daft accessory and pretending to have forgotten their possess language.
- 9 years ago
It should be 'Oh, I didn't turn the light off!' (or 'Oh, I didn't turn off the light!'). But yeah, you can express regret that way. There are a some other words you could use instead of 'oh', such as 'damn' or 'crap', plus a few that Yahoo! would censor if I wrote them.
You could also have 'I can't believe I did/didn't [do something]' or 'How could I (not) have [done something]'.
