Whats the diffrence between these two ?

Question

Hi pals ! Whats the diffrence between these two in terms of meaning ?I heard him speak /  I saw her dance I heard him speaking / I saw her dancingthanks

Gustavo K · Accepted Answer

I'm not the best person to give you a reliable answer since I'm not a native speaker, but as far as I know the first two refer to the whole action seen or heard. You heard everything he said and saw her complete performance.The other two suggest part of the actions. You heard part of his speech and you saw her while she was dancing.

But I want to know if what I explained makes sense....

Anonymous · Answer

As a native speaker, the first set sounds more natural to me. The second needs something at the end.

I saw her dance.

I saw her dancing with Bill.

I heard him speak.

I heard him speaking to his friends.

Gustavo K · Answer

I'd just like to add an explanation taken from the book American Dimensions Advanced by Robert O'Neill:

I saw Mr. Kim checking through the list (probably part of the action)

I saw Mr. Kim check through the list ( probably the complete action)

Comment:

The use of the plain infinitive after watch, see, hear, etc. suggests a complete action, seen or heard from beginning to end.

You can use either the plain infinitive or ...ing after watch, see, hear, listen to, etc. But note that the ...ing form often suggests that you saw or heard only part of the action.

What do you think about it?

Brightbilly · Answer

I'm checking to see if your name is on the list
I'v checked, your name is not on the list.
I'll check to see if your name is on the list.

Mister Micawber · Answer

Your answers are correct, Gustavo.

Whats the diffrence between these two ?

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