Representing thinking, perceiving, liking and desiring

Using verb patterns to represent perceptions

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Verb followed by an if/whether clause

The verbs in this category can be followed by an if/whether clause, typically related to a yes/no question, which represents the fact which is seen, judged, identified, etc:

Customs officers raiding game stores could easily identify whether copying was taking place. (SCMP 21/4/94)

Here is a list of verbs which can be followed by an if/whether clause:

identify  find out  judge see learn tell

Introduction
Participants associated with perception verbs
Grammatical patterns associated with the phenomenon
Verb followed by a noun group
Verb followed by a that clause
Verb followed by an object and the bare infinitive
Verb followed by an object and the -ing form
Verb followed by a wh-clause
Verb followed by an if/whether clause
Verb followed by an object and an adjective/-ed participle clause
Ellipsis with perception verbs
Present simple v present continuous tense
A note on the order of participants