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OP
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This from a newspaper story: "Quite frankly, there's more I would have liked to have done."
Would this be considered correct? I'd be inclined to say: "...more I would like to have done." Or does it matter? To my mind, the two haves make it sound awkward.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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To me, the two haves version seems to indicate that the speaker has gotten over regretting the omissions that the single have version doesn't.
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old hand
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old hand
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I agree with Faldage. The first have shifts the time of the regret. I use "would've liked to've" quite often, in speech.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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I agree with Bean and Faldage.
At that time [sometime in the past], I would have liked to have done more. But due to circumstances, my hands were tied.
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old hand
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old hand
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awkward, alas, is not quite the opposite of correct , but I would almost bet the sentence was written by a non-native English-speaker
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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written by a non-native English-speaker
nah. I bet this is very common. matter-of-fact, I suspect it's the way I would say it... <runs and hides...> 
formerly known as etaoin...
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Carpal Tunnel
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I don't find it awkward at all. I find it to be more speciic in terms of pinpointing a time and perception during that time.
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OP
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Akshually, it was a quote from a court trial, and the speaker was an attorney (solicitor?)--presumably a native English-speaker--representing the defendant. From the context it was clear that he had had regrets in the past and continued to have them at the time he was speaking. I still maintain that the two have's result in ambiguity. Picky? Yeah, probably, but still.....
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Joined: Jan 2002
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enthusiast
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OP
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Akshually, it was a quote from a court trial, and the speaker was an attorney (solicitor?)--presumably a native English-speaker-- representing the defendant. From the context it was clear that he had had regrets in the past and continued to have them at the time he was speaking. I still maintain that the two have's result in ambiguity. Picky? Yeah, probably, but still.....
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addict
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addict
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Hi Slithy! I had a nagging suspicion that we did discuss something like this in the recent past, and would you believe it, was able to find the link in a jiffy, because of the high recall nature of the title! AnnaS, take a bow! If I remember right, the prior discussion ended somewhat inconclusively... http://wordsmith.org/board/showflat.pl?Cat=&Board=miscellany&Number=90957
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