]Representing thinking, perceiving, liking and desiring
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Using verb patterns to represent perceptions | page 7 of 13 |
Verb followed by an object and the -ing form
The verbs in this category can be followed by an object and the -ing form which represents the event which is spotted, noticed, caught, etc:
The measure would make it no easier to catch tourists buying a few discs over the border, knowing they were fakes, he said. (SCMP 10/5/94)
Note that it is also possible to use these verbs in the passive voice:
The measure would make it no easier for tourists to be caught buying a few discs over the border, knowing they were fakes, he said.
The following verbs can be followed by an object and the -ing form:
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The verbs marked with an asterisk can also be followed by an object and the bare infinitive, with only a slight change in meaning:
She said she saw him strike Kin-kei. (SCMP 29/8/92)
She said she saw him striking Kin-kei.
In the first example, the use of the bare infinitive suggests that the speaker is referring to a complete action, so we can assume that Kin-kei was struck only once. However, in the second example, the use of the -ing form would indicate that the action of striking was repeated, so in this case, the unfortunate boy would have received more than one punch.
Introduction
Verb followed by an object and the -ing form
