Choose the option that conveys the intended meaning of expressing sorrow regarding an impending formal announcement:
The university senate regrets ________ all enrolled candidates that tuition subsidies for international postgraduate programs will be discontinued next semester.
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: A. to inform
Answer: to inform. Why not the others: 'informing' and 'having informed' mean that the senate feels remorse over having communicated the news in the past; 'to have informed' ungrammatically blends the future-oriented announcement with perfective aspect.
- Step 1: Analyze the semantic distinction between 'regret + to-infinitive' and 'regret + gerund': 'regret + to-infinitive' is used in formal correspondence to deliver unfortunate news contemporaneously, whereas 'regret + gerund' refers to remorse over an action already performed in the past.
- Step 2: The announcement is about to be delivered now in the letter, requiring the to-infinitive: 'regrets to inform'.
Practise more Participle Clauses, Non-Finite Verb Forms, and Modifier Placement.
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