A Dictionary of Cont..

egret 416
eschew in favor of a more explicit word, and
has led to even vaguer uses in which register
can mean to feel, to notice, or to be aware of
(as in I couldn’t tell whether he heard me or
not; he just didn’t seem lo register). These last
uses are not standard.
regret. This verb may be followed by an infinitive
when speaking of the present or the future, as
in I regret lo say I cannot come. It may be
followed by the -ing form of a verb when
referring to something that is past, as in I regret
saying I could not come. In the United States,
regret may also be followed by a clause, as in
Z regret Z did not go. British grammarians condemn
this and say that a direct object, such as
il or rhe fact, must be placed between regret and
a clause, as in I regret it that I did not go, or an
infinitive construction substituted, as in I regret
io say I did not go.
regret; be sorry; deplore; lament. Regret is the
formal term meaning to feel sorry about (Mr.
Stuyvesant Silver regrets that he will be unable
fo accept the kind invitation of Mr. Joab
lohnson for the sixteenth). It is used as often
as the informal sorry, which tends to be used in
set constructions (Sorry! Sorry, to hear ir) and
has acquired, especially in popular songs, a
sentimental tinge (Z’m sorry Z mnde you cry).
Deplore means to regret deeply, and implies
disapproval (He deplored the conduct of compatriots
in European cities). It is a favorite
more-in-sorrow-than-anger word and has acquired
more than a tinge of condescension and
hypocrisy in many contexts. Lament means to
feel or express sorrow or regret for. Unlike
deplore, lament implies an outward and vocal
manifestation of sorrow (He paused to lament
the brave men who were not there to hear him
speak). Used for merely an inner feeling, as it
often is (I lament that your conduct has made
it necessary for me to speak to your father),
it is stilted. See also repent.
regretful; regrettable. Regretful means full of
regret, sorrowful because of what is lost, gone,
done (And love, grown faint and fretful,/ With
lips but half regretful/ Sighs, and with eyes forgetful/
Weeps that no loves endure). Regrettable
means admitting of or calling for regret
(They were sullen and in no way regretful for
their regrettable performance). It is often used
as a term of mild condemnation.
regular. See normal.
rehearse. See repeat.
reindeer. The plural is reindeers or reindeer.
reiterate. See repeat.
rejoinder. See answer.
relation; narrative. Narrative is now the general
term for a story of an event or events told for
any purpose and with or without much detail.
Relation, which properly means the act of narrating
or telling (The relation of these events
took up the better part of the night), is now
used as a synonym for narrative, though it has
a faintly archaic flavor. It is used particularly to
describe that type of narrative known as an
account-a factual story of the past told in-
formally, often for entertainment, with emphasis
on details of action (I was amused by his relation
of the exploits of Davy Crockett).
relation; relative. Both relation and relative are
used to describe a kinsman. Though there is
little to choose between them, relative is preferred.
Relation is slightly rustic, slightly oldfashioned,
qualities which give it an added force
of homeliness in certain contexts.
relatively. See comparatively.
relative pronouns. The words who, whose, whom,
which, and that, are relative pronouns when
they represent a noun or pronoun appearing
earlier in the sentence and also form part of a
subordinate clause, as who in those who know
him speak well of him. See the individual words,
and also what and as.
As a rule the relative pronoun is the first
word in the subordinate clause. There are three
recognized situations in which a relative may
be the second or third word in the clause:
(1) it may follow an -ing form, as in saying
which; (2) it may follow a preposition, as in
to whom; (3) or it may be part of an of phrase,
as in all of whom. Expressions such as these
may open a relative clause. Most grammarians
claim that with these exceptions the relative
must be the opening word. Many great writers,
including Defoe, Swift, Shelley, have used and
to introduce a relative clause, as in a man of
low rank, heavily built, and who kept his face
mufled, and an excellent house indeed, and
which I do most seriously recommend. Textbook
rules of composition call for some word
such as one before the relative in both of these
sentences in order to make the relative the first
word in its clause. Or they require a preceding
relative clause which the and who or nnd which
will be parallel to, as in a man who was of low
rank and heavily built and who kept his face
mufled, and a house which is excellent indeed,
and which I do most seriously recommend.
Dickens often disregards the rules completely,
as in my father, rhe many reasons for not insulting
whom you are old enough to understand
and I might take leave of Mr. Wickfield, my
old room in whose house I had not yet relinquished.
These are successful sentences, but
dangerous to imitate.
A relative clause follows the word it qualifies.
When two clauses qualify the same word, the
second applies to the word as already qualified
or limited by the first, as in they murdered all
they met whom they thought gentlemen. This is
similar to a series of adjectives standing before
the noun, in that each element qualifies the
noun as qualified by all the intervening elements.
See adjectives.
The number and person of a relative pronoun
is determined by its antecedent. (See agreement:
verbs.) The case of a relative pronoun depends
on its function in the subordinate clause. In
English, who is the only relative pronoun that
shows case. See who; whom.
A relative pronoun that is the subject of a
verb must usually be expressed, as in the book