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 Mon May 19, 2008 23:13 pm Usage of infinitive: 'Watching you get hit' vs 'watching you getting hit' |
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Watching you get hit = possibly one strike only
watching you getting hit = repeated strikes
IMO.
The first example needs an adverb phrase or something to make it clear that there were repeated strikes.
Watching you get hit time and time again.
The adverb phrase doesn't work here. It gives redundancy.
*Watching you getting hit time and time again.
(Unless the adverb phrase refers to repeated viewing, that is.  ). |
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Molly
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| Tue May 20, 2008 0:13 am Usage of infinitive: 'Watching you get hit' vs 'watching you getting hit' |
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Theoretically, either one could be used. Did you have a specific sentence or scenario in mind? Was there a specific reason that you wrote 'watching' rather than 'watch' or 'watched'?
The word 'watching' suggests that the watching (of something) is or was in progress. It suggests that the watching is ongoing and therefore incomplete, or that the watching was interrupted.
If you said 'I watched you get hit', that would suggest that you watched a complete action (or in this case, it could also be a complete set of actions).
If you said 'I watched you getting hit', that adds a sense of duration, and also suggests that I watched part of the action but not all of it.
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Maybe these examples will be easier to understand:
- I heard him sing the song. --> This suggests that I heard the whole song.
- I heard him singing the song. --> This suggests that I heard only part of the song.
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Yankee
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| Tue May 20, 2008 0:34 am Usage of infinitive: 'Watching you get hit' vs 'watching you getting hit' |
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| Quote: | | Theoretically, either one could be used. |
Is "theoretically" useful to ESL students, Amy? |
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Molly
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| Tue May 20, 2008 12:11 pm Usage of infinitive: 'Watching you get hit' vs 'watching you getting hit' |
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It would be better to start a separate thread for your own questions about and problems with English, Molly.
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Yankee
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| Tue May 20, 2008 12:17 pm Usage of infinitive: 'Watching you get hit' vs 'watching you getting hit' |
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| Yankee wrote: | It would be better to start a separate thread for you own questions about and problems with English, Molly.
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Good idea. But, erm...
| Quote: | Is that the version you would advise your students to use, Molly?
Do you purposely try to mislead ESL students, "Molly"? |
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Molly
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| Tue May 20, 2008 13:12 pm Usage of infinitive: 'Watching you get hit' vs 'watching you getting hit' |
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| Molly wrote: | | Yankee wrote: | | It would be better to start a separate thread for you own questions about and problems with English, Molly. |
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Thanks for pointing out the typo. However, once again you seem intent on misleading. Perhaps you simply don't know how to read very well.
Perhaps this will help your reading and parsing skills:
You have questions about English.
You have problems with English.
It would be best if you started your own thread for your questions about and problems with English.
Yes, it is. I'm glad you agree.
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Yankee
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| Tue May 20, 2008 13:22 pm Usage of infinitive: 'Watching you get hit' vs 'watching you getting hit' |
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| Quote: | | It would be best if you started your own thread for your questions about and problems with English. |
A few commas wouldn't go amiss there, Jamie.
It would be best if you started your own thread for your questions about, and problems with, English.
Your welcome. |
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Molly
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| Tue May 20, 2008 13:33 pm Usage of infinitive: 'Watching you get hit' vs 'watching you getting hit' |
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| Molly wrote: | A few commas wouldn't go amiss there, Jamie.
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Now you don't even know who you're talking to.
At any rate, I'm sure Alan would agree with me wholeheartedly that those two commas are completely unnecessary in that sentence. 
Sorry, Molly, but you just have trouble reading, parsing and understanding English sentences.
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Yankee
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| Tue May 20, 2008 13:54 pm Usage of infinitive: 'Watching you get hit' vs 'watching you getting hit' |
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Hi,
This constant argy-bargy between the two of you doesn't really help anyone else and is also becoming very boring. Perhaps we should let the pair of you fight it out in a special forum called Argy-bargy.
Alan
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| Tue May 20, 2008 14:07 pm Usage of infinitive: 'Watching you get hit' vs 'watching you getting hit' |
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Thanks for the new idiom, Alan. I hadn't heard that one before.
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Yankee
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| Tue May 20, 2008 15:09 pm Usage of infinitive: 'Watching you get hit' vs 'watching you getting hit' |
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| Alan wrote: | Hi,
This constant argy-bargy between the two of you doesn't really help anyone else and is also becoming very boring. Perhaps we should let the pair of you fight it out in a special forum called Argy-bargy.
Alan |
Is it only for Argentinians? |
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Molly
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| Usage of "Would you mind" | Usage of 'committed' |
