[General] claimed to be quoting

[kadioguy]

In Macmillan English Dictionary:

claim v.

example sentence:
She claimed to be quoting from an official report.
----
what is the difference between She claimed to be quoting from an official report and She claimed to quote from an official report?

If I say that She claimed to quote from an official report, is it acceptable?

[claim(sb/sth) to be/do sth]

Thanks!

 

[GoesStation]

I can't think of a context where the sentence "She claimed to quote from an official report" would be natural.

 

[kadioguy]

I can't think of a context where the sentence "She claimed to quote from an official report" would be natural.

But I don't understand what is the difference between She claimed to be quoting from an official report and She claimed to quote from an official report?

Just -ing form and infinitive?

 

[GoesStation]

You can understand it as "she claimed to be [in the process of] quoting from an official report." To be quoting is the continuous infinitive of "to quote".

 

[kadioguy]

Thank you!

But how about She claimed to quote from an official report?

Maybe it means that She claimed that she would quote from an official report.

 

[GoesStation]

But how about She claimed to quote from an official report?

Maybe it means that She claimed that she would quote from an official report.

It's just not natural.

 

[GoesStation]

Non-native speakers often mix up simple and continuous tenses. Therefore, if I saw the statement "She claimed to quote from an official report," I would guess it had been written by a non-native-English-speaker who meant to say "to be quoting from".

 

[kadioguy]

Simple tense means permanent situations, or about things that happen regularly or all the time, so this is why "She claimed to quote from an official report" sounds unnatural?

 

[GoesStation]

Remember to invert subjects and verbs when writing questions. Write is this why "She claimed to quote from an official report" sounds unnatural?

 

[Raymott]

Simple tense means permanent situations, or about things that happen regularly or all the time, so this is why "She claimed to quote from an official report" sounds unnatural?

Yes. It would mean that she claimed to be in the habit of quoting from one official report over a period of time. It's unlikely there is a use for this sentence, even if fits my 'explanation'.