John was seen to break into the house.

[optimistic pessimist]

Dear all,


Do you say "John was seen to break into a house" to mean "John was seen breaking into a house"?


Thank you!


OP

 

[emsr2d2]

You can say both but I would use the second. For me "to be seen to be doing something" can have connotations of someone putting on an act or a pretence, to make it look as if they are doing something when they're not. It definitely suggests perception, not fact.

 

[optimistic pessimist]

Dear all,

emsr2d2, thanks for your reply. Now I understand why "see to infinitive" doesn't sound really good.

I'd like to ask a little more about this.

I found the following explanation regarding the passive use of "see"in my Cobuild dictionary.

You can use a passive form of see, followed by either a 'to' infinitive or an "-ing" form.
You use a 'to' infinitive after a passive form when you are talking about a complete event or action.

EX One pilot was seen to bail out.

I think this explanation is a little bit misleading because it doesn't refer to the point that emsr2d2 referred to in his reply, and therefore the sentence doesn't sound natural.

Do you agree? Or am I missing the point?

Thank you!

OP