The difference between sneaks and sneaking out in this sentence?.

English grammar questions, answered by Alan

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Jouet
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The difference between sneaks and sneaking out in this sentence?.

Post by Jouet »

I saw my sister sneaking out of the house at night.
vs
I saw my sister sneak out of the house at night

Since saw is verb of perception which can be followed by both V.ing and Inf without to. Can I write the latter sentence (sneak) and if so are there any differences between both sentences above in context.

Source: Ultimate Grammar Book --published in Thailand

Thank you
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Alan
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Re: The difference between sneaks and sneaking out in this sentence?.

Post by Alan »

Yes, both are possible.
The infinitive form indicates that the action was witnessed from start to finish, while the participle indicates partial observation only.
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