little question

[Mango]

I found this sentence and I have a question.

"It was a beautiful spring day. Dorothy was lying under a tree listening to the birds sing."

Question : Why did not say "sang", since the whole sentence was talking about the past?

Thank you for your advice.

-mango

[henz988]

a wrong sentence
------------------
which sang or singing

[Mister Micawber]

.
Sing is a nonfinite verb form in this sentence, and does not change with the tense of the main verb:

She listened to the bird sing.
She was listening to the bird sing.
She had never listened to the bird sing.
She will soon be listening to the bird sing.
.

[henz988]

Thanks heaps! It’s the first time that I have been taught this language point. I wonder is it usually used in poems? Can which sang or singing be acceptable?

[danmahaffey]

Thanks heaps! It’s the first time that I have been taught this language point. I wonder is it usually used in poems? Can which sang or singing be acceptable?Not very well (and keep the meaning).

Other examples of this form are: We watched the children play.
The nanny helped the babies eat.
The forwards will surely make the team win.
Our parents made us study every night.
He let the water overflow the tub and spill onto the floor.
How could she let them charge us so much money for the fare?
Notice also, where personal pronouns are used objective case is required for the subject of the infiinitive.

Good luck, all.

[Mister Micawber]

.
It is not a poetic usage; it is common parlance. To add to Dan's comments, singing is an option in some cases:

Some verbs take only the infinitive: I want to sing; I intend to sing.
Some verbs take only the -ing form: I enjoy singing; I hear singing.
Some verbs take either, with essentially the same meaning: I like to sing; I like singing.
Some verbs take either, but with different meanings: I forgot to sing; I forgot singing.
.

[henz988]

You two are brilliant! Thank you Micawber, and thank you too, Dan.

When I saw Mr. Dan’s post, I knew I had failed “an exam”. It was impossible for me not to have learnt the sentence structure; I just didn’t recognize the usage of listen to.
But as a question, I’d like to think further：
Can I come to a conclusion that listen to is a verb phrase whose usage is the same as watch, observe, make, see, etc?
A-1 I saw him cross the street.
A-2 I saw him crossing the street.
B-1 I listened to the strange woman cry.
B-2 I listened to the strange woman crying.
Is sentence B-2 correct? Can you give me some more verb phrase examples like listen to?


And I’m sorry, Mango, for my misleading.

[danmahaffey]

You two are brilliant! Thank you Micawber, and thank you too, Dan.

When I saw Mr. Dan’s post, I knew I had failed “an exam”. It was impossible for me not to have learnt the sentence structure; I just didn’t recognize the usage of listen to.
But as a question, I’d like to think further：
Can I come to a conclusion that listen to is a verb phrase whose usage is the same as watch, observe, make, see, etc?
A-1 I saw him cross the street.
A-2 I saw him crossing the street.
B-1 I listened to the strange woman cry.
B-2 I listened to the strange woman crying.
Is sentence B-2 correct? Can you give me some more verb phrase examples like listen to?


And I’m sorry, Mango, for my misleading.Yes, all of your sentences are correct.

A-1 means that you watched him complete the act and reach the other side of the street. A-2 means that you observed him in the act, but you may not have actually seen him complete it.

Likewise, B-1 means that you listened as the woman cried, and finished crying. B-2 means that you listened, perhaps as you passed by, but you didn't observe her finish.

Be careful not to mix up verb phrases with phrasal verbs. Verb phrases are very ordinary ways to form predicates by modifying verbs with prepositional phrases. He listened to the birds sing.
They were listening for the sound of the train.
Listen forms phrasal verbs also, such as listen up and listen out.The instructor told the class to listen up, as he was about to announce the exam dates.
The burglar listened out for sounds of the homeowner returning.
Hope this helps.

[Mango]

Thank you everyone,
I was confused at the beginning becasue I've never heard about non finite verb before,however, different examples helped me a lot.
-Mango :)