I've found that "want" can be followed by two types of structures:
1. I don't want you (to) worry.
2. I don't want you worrying about it.
When do we use "to" and when do we use an "-ing form" after
"want"?
J Hu
iblues@hotmail.com
Posted 03 December 2001
What an interesting question!
I see a parallel in the following:
I want you (to be) happy and safe.
I want her (to be) arrested.
I want him (to be) living on his own in his own apartment.
It appears that "worrying" in
your example is a present participle (not a gerund) derived from a progressive
infinitive with "to be" omitted,
as is often done in elliptical phrases.
I don't know if other verbs follow this pattern ?can anyone think of
others?
Betty Azar