There is a small difference
in meaning when a verb of perception is followed by the simple form
of the verb, and when it is followed by the 杋ng form,
as in these sentences:
| (a) |
Before we realized it, we saw a deer run
across the road just in front of our car. Thankfully, he got to
the other side safely, because we could not have avoided hitting
him. |
| (b) |
Before we realized it, we saw a deer running
across the road, right in front of us. We put on our brakes quickly
and just missed hitting him by an inch, as he leapt quickly out
of the path of the car. |
Sentence (a) describes a completed
action; the observer saw the entire action of the deer抯 running across
the road. Sentence (b) describes an incomplete action; the deer was
in the middle of running across the road when we saw him. This sentence
could be paraphrased to read: 搮we saw a deer while he was running
across the road.?/p>
The simple form of the verb,
after a verb of perception, gives the idea that the action was observed
from beginning to end during the time of perception, as in sentence
(a) above and sentence (c) below.
The 杋ng
form of the verb, after a verb of perception, gives the idea that the
action is in progress but not completed at the time of perception, as
in sentence (b) above and sentence (d) below:
| (c) |
When we were driving upstate, we heard the Eastern
Regional Symphony play Beethoven抯 Fifth Symphony.
It was excellent from beginning to end.
|
| (d) |
When we were driving upstate, we heard the Eastern Regional
Symphony playing Beethoven抯 Fifth Symphony.
It was excellent, but unfortunately we couldn抰 hear all of it
because we got out of range of the radio station. |
Here抯 one more:
| (e) |
Did you see the accused strike
the victim?
|
| (f) |
Did you see the accused striking the victim? |
Clearly, sentence (e) refers
to one complete action, a strike, while sentence (f) refers to a continuous
action of striking, with no indication of beginning or end.
Sometimes the meanings are
not so clearly differentiated, as in these sentences:
| (g) |
It抯 wonderful to see a baby smile
and hear a baby laugh.
|
| (h) |
It抯 wonderful to see a baby smiling and
hear a baby laughing. |
Still, as a general rule,
the simple form of the verb in these cases describes one complete action,
while the 杋ng form describes an incomplete part of
an action.