[Grammar] I regret lying/ having lied to her.

[wotcha]

1. I regret lying to her.

2. I regret having lied to her.


I just read a book and it say only 2 is grammatically correct and I want to know the book is right.


Thank you.

 

[Raymott]

1. I regret lying to her.

2. I regret having lied to her.


I just read a book and it say only 2 is grammatically correct and I want to know the book is right.


Thank you.

I can't see why the book would say that. What is the book?

 

[wotcha]

The writer is Japanese and it is translated into Korean. The book says "when you especially regret something you did in the past you have to say regret having PP not just regret ~jng"

 

[Raymott]

The writer is Japanese and it is translated into Korean. The book says "when you especially regret something you did in the past you have to say regret having PP not just regret ~jng"

Considering that everything you've done is in the past, that clause seems unnecessary. You can't regret something you're only doing now, or that you haven't done yet.
Anyway, it's wrong.

 

[Tdol]

The book's wrong- you can use having lied when it's important to locate something in the past as opposed to habitual lies, but if the distinction is not essential then the first example is more natural as most regrets are about past behaviour, and the habitual regret is a forced interpretation.