Verb (of perception) + objective + bare infinitive / gerund (verb patterns)

Hi, Meriem,

It is true that, with verbs of perception, both the infinitive and the V-ing form are possible.

In some cases, the infinitive can be used to refer to the whole action, from beginning to end, while the V-ing form can be used to refer to an instant during the performance of the action.

@Meriem posted:

Why in some cases we use a bare infinitive :

• "Do you like seeing people compete on reality shows? if so, which ones?"

And sometimes we use gerund:

• "On reality shows, you often see people behaving badly. Do you think shows like that are a bad influence on society?"

In these cases in particular, it might be argued that your first sentence means that the whole competition is seen:

- Do you like seeing people as they compete on reality shows (from beginning to end)?

while your second sentence means that a moment of bad behavior is witnessed:

- On reality shows, you often see people in the act of behaving badly.

This difference might be clearer in other cases (these examples are the ones I used to give my students long ago):

- I saw him cross the street (from side to side)
- I saw him crossing the street (while he was crossing)

- I heard her sing a song (the complete song)
- I heard her singing a song (part of the song)

Perfectly understood. Thank you so much for the explanation.