Some verbs must have an object before an -ing form:
• The police found the man climbing the wall.
• She overheard them talking about the closure of the factory.
Other verbs like this include catch, discover, feel, hear, leave, notice, observe, see, spot, watch
Notice, however, that this is not the case when these verbs are in the passive:
• The man was found climbing the wall.
Some verbs can have an object or no object before an -ing form:
• They can't stand (him) driving his old car.
• I remember (you) buying that jumper.
Other verbs like this include detest, dislike, dread, envisage, hate, imagine, like, love, mind (in questions and negatives), miss, recall, regret, resent, risk, start, stop
Some verbs can't have an object before an -ing form:
• Despite his injury he continued playing.
• I actually enjoy cleaning shoes. It's relaxing!
Other verbs like this include admit, advise, consider, delay, deny, deserve, escape, face, finish, forget, propose, put off, suggest
Some of the verbs (admit, deny, forget, recall, regret, remember) can be followed by having + past participle instead of the -ing form, with little difference in meaning:
• He remembered having arrived at the party, but not leaving, (or He remembered arriving...)
• I now regret having bought the car. (or I now regret buying...)
These pairs of sentences have the same meaning:
• I resented Tom winning the prize. and
• I resented Tom's winning the prize.
• Mary recalled him borrowing the book, and • Mary recalled his borrowing the book.
Other verbs that can be followed by an object with a possessive and then an -ing form include verbs of '(dis)liking' such as detest, disapprove of, dislike, hate, like, love, object to, and verbs of 'thinking' such as envisage, forget, imagine, remember, think of. Notice that we can only use a possessive form (Tom's, his) like this to talk about a person or a group of people:
• I remembered the horse winning the race, (but not ...the horse's winning...)
The possessive form in this pattern is usually considered to be rather formal.
A few verbs (feel, hear, notice, observe, overhear, see, watch) can be followed either by an -ing form or a bare infinitive, but the meaning may be slightly different:
.jpg "Verb + ing")
an -ing form
suggests that the action is repeated or happens
eover a period of time.
• Did you hear those dogs barking most of the night?
suggests that we watch, etc. some of the action, but not from start to finish
• I was able to watch them building the new car park from my office window.
a bare infinitive
suggests that the action happens only once
• I noticed him throw a sweet wrapper on the floor, so I asked him to pick it up.
suggests that we watch, hear, etc. the whole action from its start to its finish
• I watched him climb through the window, and then I called the police.
• The police found the man climbing the wall.
• She overheard them talking about the closure of the factory.
Other verbs like this include catch, discover, feel, hear, leave, notice, observe, see, spot, watch
Notice, however, that this is not the case when these verbs are in the passive:
• The man was found climbing the wall.
Some verbs can have an object or no object before an -ing form:
• They can't stand (him) driving his old car.
• I remember (you) buying that jumper.
Other verbs like this include detest, dislike, dread, envisage, hate, imagine, like, love, mind (in questions and negatives), miss, recall, regret, resent, risk, start, stop
Some verbs can't have an object before an -ing form:
• Despite his injury he continued playing.
• I actually enjoy cleaning shoes. It's relaxing!
Other verbs like this include admit, advise, consider, delay, deny, deserve, escape, face, finish, forget, propose, put off, suggest
Some of the verbs (admit, deny, forget, recall, regret, remember) can be followed by having + past participle instead of the -ing form, with little difference in meaning:
• He remembered having arrived at the party, but not leaving, (or He remembered arriving...)
• I now regret having bought the car. (or I now regret buying...)
These pairs of sentences have the same meaning:
• I resented Tom winning the prize. and
• I resented Tom's winning the prize.
• Mary recalled him borrowing the book, and • Mary recalled his borrowing the book.
Other verbs that can be followed by an object with a possessive and then an -ing form include verbs of '(dis)liking' such as detest, disapprove of, dislike, hate, like, love, object to, and verbs of 'thinking' such as envisage, forget, imagine, remember, think of. Notice that we can only use a possessive form (Tom's, his) like this to talk about a person or a group of people:
• I remembered the horse winning the race, (but not ...the horse's winning...)
The possessive form in this pattern is usually considered to be rather formal.
A few verbs (feel, hear, notice, observe, overhear, see, watch) can be followed either by an -ing form or a bare infinitive, but the meaning may be slightly different:
an -ing form
suggests that the action is repeated or happens
eover a period of time.
• Did you hear those dogs barking most of the night?
suggests that we watch, etc. some of the action, but not from start to finish
• I was able to watch them building the new car park from my office window.
a bare infinitive
suggests that the action happens only once
• I noticed him throw a sweet wrapper on the floor, so I asked him to pick it up.
suggests that we watch, hear, etc. the whole action from its start to its finish
• I watched him climb through the window, and then I called the police.
