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ESL forum >
Grammar and Linguistics > Verbs of perception
Verbs of perception
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KHAWLA ALZIOD
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Verbs of perception
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Hello everyone ,
I would be grateful if you shared me your experience .
Some verbs of perception are followed by ing- form (GERUND) or base form.
Example : I saw the boy running quickly . I saw the boy run quickly .
Is there a clear difference in meaning or structure . Or it doesnt matter .
Please reply.
Thank you . |
18 Jul 2013
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florimago
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Hi, If we want to say that we heard or saw the whole action from beginning to end, we usually use bare infinitive. Otherwise, we �ll use -ing form .
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18 Jul 2013
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yanogator
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The -ing form is usually used when you want to emphasize the process over time. If you are considering an event (as if it were just a point in time), you would use the simple present/bare infinitive. We use "watch" more often than "see" for processes over time, except as in your example when the running was over a period of time, but the seeing was at a point. I saw you hit your sister - a single event. I saw you hitting your sister - I observed what seemed to be an ongoing action. Flori �s answer covers it pretty well. Bruce |
18 Jul 2013
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