She was often heard singing vs to sing in her room.

[cubezero3]

She was often heard singing vs to sing in her room.

My friends and I were having a discussion about this and we held different opinions. I used the service of Fraze.it. There were no results for 'was heard to'. There were several results for 'was heard singing'.

I have a gut feeling that 'was heard singing' is the better of the two. I find it difficult to imagine the other option is wrong though. One reason I think 'was heard to sing' is not appropriate here is that the 'to do' structure often carries with it a future meaning, as in 'want to read the book'. Another reason is that this structure is in the passive voice, and I have to constantly remind myself of that fact that nobody was forcing her to be heard singing.

 

[emsr2d2]

Both "She was often heard singing" and "She was often heard to sing" are correct. I would say the latter is more formal.

 

[jutfrank]

Yes, I agree that She was often heard singing in her room is much better.

The structure 'heard to-infinitive' does exist, but as emsr2d2 suggests, it usually carries a more formal or literary register. I'm reminded of one of the lyrics to the song Grantchester Meadows by Pink Floyd:

Icy wind of night be gone! This is not your domain
In the sky a bird was heard to cry