Using two verbs together to add information about actions
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Kinds of information represented by double-verb structures | page 2 of 6 |
Using double-verb structures to talk about "time"
The first verb provides information about the stopping, starting or continuing of an action:
He said he started smoking cigars at the age of 14 and now smokes an average of five a day. (SCMP 18/9/92)
Here is a list of "time" verbs commonly used in double-verb structures of this type:
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Note that all these "time" verbs can be followed by the -ing form. However, some of them (those marked with an asterisk) can also be followed by either an infinitive or the -ing form with no great change in meaning.
Introduction
Using double-verb structures to talk about "time"
