[Grammar] Infinitive or Gerundium/progressve or simple past

[Søren]

Dear English Teachers,

(A) Is there grammar rule dictating whether one should use "to see" (infinitive) or "seeing" (gerund) in the following sentence?:

(1) It's a pleasure to see you you again.

(2) It's a pleasure seeing you again.

(B) Is there a error in # (1), which is a decontextualised sentence; or is # (2) orecorrect?:

(1) The child whose parents died is living with his aunt.

(2) The child whose parents died lives with his aunt.

I hope you can help me!

Best wishes,
Søren

 

[TheParser]

***** NOT A TEACHER *****


Hello, Soren:

(1) One book says this:

"There is not much difference in meaning between -ing and the to infinitive: -ing may refer to an action in progress, whereas

the to-infintive may imply 'in general':

It's difficult finding your way around in a strange city.
It's difficult to find your way around in a strange city."

Source: L.G. Alexander, Longman English Grammar (London and New York: Longman, 1988), p. 317.

(2) Another book says:

(a) The gerund is "more immediate and more vivid": I like camping in the mountains.

(b) The infinitive is more remote and more objective: I like to camp in the mountains.

Source: Marianne Celce-Murcia and Diane Larsen-Freeman, The Grammar Book (Rowley, London, and Tokyo: Newbury House Publishers, Inc., 1983), p. 436. The two authors also credit Professors Bolinger and So.


It is only my opinion that "It's a pleasure seeing you again" would be more emotional and affectionate than the "colder" "It's a

pleasure to see you again."



HAVE A NICE DAY!