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Stenka25 Posted 11 years ago
Grammar
Why we cannot say "I heard the bomb exploding"
Why we cannot say "I heard the bomb exploding"
In a book, Practical English Usage by Michael Swan, there is a passage below about the differences of meaning between an infinitive and an -ing as an object complement.
? I heard him go down the stairs.
? I heard him going down the stairs.
There is often a difference of meaning. We use an infinitive after these verbs to say that we hear or see the whole of an action or event, and we use an -ing form to suggest that we hear or see an action or event in progress, going on.
I thought I figured out the difference and then there was something in example sentence I cannot understand as follows :
? I heard the bomb explode, (NOT I heard the bomb exploding.)
Why we cannot say "I heard the bomb exploding," that's what I don't understand.
Wish for your replies.
Regards.
In a book, Practical English Usage by Michael Swan, there is a passage below about the differences of meaning between an infinitive and an -ing as an object complement.
? I heard him go down the stairs.
? I heard him going down the stairs.
There is often a difference of meaning. We use an infinitive after these verbs to say that we hear or see the whole of an action or event, and we use an -ing form to suggest that we hear or see an action or event in progress, going on.
I thought I figured out the difference and then there was something in example sentence I cannot understand as follows :
? I heard the bomb explode, (NOT I heard the bomb exploding.)
Why we cannot say "I heard the bomb exploding," that's what I don't understand.
Wish for your replies.
Regards.
Top answer
Stenka25 Why we cannot say "I heard the bomb exploding," that's what I don't understand. Swan leaves out a small caveat: with the '-ing' we hear part of a relatively lengthy process. A single explosion is so swift and immediate that we cannot hear just a part of it and then turn our attention elsewhere before it finishes.
- Stenka25 Why we cannot say "I heard the bomb exploding," that's what I don't understand.
- Swan leaves out a small caveat: with the '-ing' we hear part of a relatively lengthy process.
- A single explosion is so swift and immediate that we cannot hear just a part of it and then turn our attention elsewhere before it finishes.
- Note that this is quite acceptable: I heard the bombs exploding .
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2 Answers
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Stenka25Why we cannot say "I heard the bomb exploding," that's what I don't understand.Swan leaves out a small caveat: with the '-ing' we hear part of a relatively lengthy process. A single explosion is so swift and immediate that we cannot hear just a part of it and then turn our attention elsewhere before it finishes. Note that this is quite acceptable:
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