0
SuperMJ Posted 19 years ago
Grammar

'I saw you dance' vs. 'I saw you dancing'

I saw you dance.

I saw you dancing.

can someone tell me if these two have same meaning.... and if not, what's the difference?

help me please~~

Thank you
  

Top answer

They have almost exactly the same meaning. Only the mental picture you are communicating is slightly different. You saw a complete episode of dancing activity in the first one; the whole observation is expressed as a finished period of time when the dancing took place.

— CalifJim

  • They have almost exactly the same meaning.
  • Only the mental picture you are communicating is slightly different.
  • You saw a complete episode of dancing activity in the first one; the whole observation is expressed as a finished period of time when the dancing took place.
  • You saw some dancing as it was going on in the second one, almost as if catching someone in the act of dancing.
  • (That's not much difference, is it?
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

4 Answers
0
They have almost exactly the same meaning. Only the mental picture you are communicating is slightly different.
You saw a complete episode of dancing activity in the first one; the whole observation is expressed as a finished period of time when the dancing took place.
You saw some dancing as it was going on in the second one, almost as if catching someone in the act of dancing.
0
0
I guess CJ means:

1st: final (or just one) snapshot
2nd: full recording/movie

Emotion: smile
0
0
Actually, I have found that there is some controversy about that analogy. Some people relate to the two exactly the opposite, the first being the entire movie (thought of as a single completed unit), the second being a snapshot capturing a salient moment of the activity.

Unfortunately, I've never heard consensus on this issue.
0
0
Hi CJ

What you said in your first reply is what I was taught.
0

Related Questions