3.206 verbs also with an infinitive without 'to'

Some of the verbs in the above paragraph can also be used with an infinitive without 'to'.

• She felt her hair rise on the back of her neck.
• Dr Hochstadt heard her gasp.

There is a slight change of meaning depending on which form is used. If you choose the present participle, you emphasize that the action was happening for a period of time.

• But I lay on, listening to her singing.
• I looked over and saw Joe staring at me.

If you choose the infinitive without 'to', you emphasize that the action was completed.

• We listened to Jenny finish the Sonnet.
• It was probably the first time she had heard him speak of his life with any degree of bitterness.

Here is a list of verbs which can be used with a present participle or an infinitive without 'to', with the change of meaning described above:

• feel, hear, listen to, notice, observe, see, watch

Note that these verbs can only be used in the active when they are followed by an infinitive without 'to'. See also paragraph 3.209.