Hi! Saskia for BBC
Learning English here,
and today
I'm going to tell you about
how we use verbs
of perception in English.
There are a number
of these verbs
but I'm just going to
look at two with you now:
see and hear.
When we use these verbs,
this is the form:
First, the verb
of perception.
Then, the object
of the sentence.
Then we have either
the infinitive without to
or the -ing form.
Here's an example:
I heard him go down the stairs.
Or:
I heard him going down the stairs.
There's a slight difference
between these two forms:
When we use the infinitive,
it suggests that we hear or see
the whole action or event.
Using the -ing form suggests that
we hear or see something in progress.
'I saw her cross the street'
means I saw her cross
from one side to the other.
'I saw her crossing the street'
means I saw her in the middle
- on the way across.