The graduate student regretted ______ so much time on non-academic activities during the final semester.
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: C. having wasted
- Step 1: Analyze verb complementation: 'Regret' followed by a gerund or perfect gerund expresses remorse over an action already committed in the past.
- Step 2: The perfect gerund 'having wasted' correctly indicates a completed prior action.
Answer
having wasted.
Why not the others: 'to waste' is used to announce bad news in the present (e.g., 'I regret to inform you'); 'waste' is an uninflected base form; 'wasted' cannot function as a direct object without a relative clause.
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