Preposition: that

• government: It is regrettable that the government has not framed or adopted any guidelines or standards to be followed for choosing the software.

• matter: It is regrettable that matters that are better dealt with privately have had to be dealt with in the public domain.

• people: A good and highly profitable time was had by all and it is only regrettable that not more people were able to attend.

• reaction: It's regrettable that a reaction to an unconventional casting choice might actually keep Bond fans from seeing a Bond movie.

• quote: It is therefore regrettable that selective quotes have only be used to satisfy media sound bites.

Infinitive complement

• see: It would be regrettable to see teaching becoming makeshift and spread by colleagues trying to improvise as philosophers or science historians.

• lose: It would be most regrettable to lose the timing gains now available.

Modifies a noun

• necessity: Is business, for music, a regrettable necessity or a spur to creativity?

• legacy: The tragedies of the past have left a deep and profoundly regrettable legacy of suffering.

• incident: This was a regrettable incident resulting from a genuine error.

• consequence: His failure in the former respect was to have regrettable consequences for the college's future.

• mistake: The bombing of the Chinese Embassy was a deeply regrettable mistake.

• lack: The committee has warned: ' There are many reasons for the regrettable lack of democratic legitimacy.

Modifying Another Word

• deeply: The bombing of the Chinese Embassy was a deeply regrettable mistake.

• profoundly: The tragedies of the past have left a deep and profoundly regrettable legacy of suffering.

• extremely: It was extremely regrettable that numerous lapses were again to be noted in recent months.

• highly: It is highly regrettable that the Council's way forward has been further delayed.

• particularly: In 1998 the detention of families was ' particularly regrettable ' , according to the Home Office.

• however: In other words, however regrettable it is, there will always be poor people all over the world.

Used with adjective complement

• seem: It seems very regrettable that so many sporting events are now arranged to take place on the Lord's Day.