import re
regex = re.compile(r"(?:dear|to our|estimated).*?(?:sincerely|yours|best regards)(?:\W+\w+){0,5}", flags=re.MULTILINE | re.IGNORECASE | re.DOTALL)
test_str = ("Some random text here\n"
" \n"
"Dear Shareholders We\n"
"are pleased to provide you with this semiannual report for Fund for the six-month period ended April 30, 2018. For additional information about the Fund, please visit our website a, where you can access quarterly commentaries. We value the trust that you place in us and look forward to serving your investment needs in the years to come.\n"
"Best regards \n"
"Douglas\n\n"
"Random text here as well")
matches = regex.finditer(test_str)
for match_num, match in enumerate(matches, start=1):
print(f"Match {match_num} was found at {match.start()}-{match.end()}: {match.group()}")
for group_num, group in enumerate(match.groups(), start=1):
print(f"Group {group_num} found at {match.start(group_num)}-{match.end(group_num)}: {group}")
Please keep in mind that these code samples are automatically generated and are not guaranteed to work. If you find any syntax errors, feel free to submit a bug report. For a full regex reference for Python, please visit: https://docs.python.org/3/library/re.html