see + bare infinitive vs see + present participle

 Is "Sometimes I see a gerund follow the phrase 'rather than.'" a well-structured sentence?

ChatGPT 說：

Yes — your sentence is well-structured and grammatically correct. Let’s break it down:

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🔹 Sentence:

Sometimes I see a gerund follow the phrase “rather than.”

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1. Structure

• Sometimes → adverb of frequency, modifying the whole sentence.

• I → subject.

• see → main verb.

• a gerund follow the phrase "rather than" → object (bare infinitive clause).

So the structure is:
[Adverb] + [Subject] + [Verb] + [Object clause].

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2. Why "follow" (bare infinitive)?

In English, verbs like see, hear, watch, notice can take an object + bare infinitive (without to).

✔ I saw him leave.
✔ We heard the baby cry.
✔ Sometimes I see a gerund follow the phrase.

That’s why “follow” (not “follows”) is correct here.

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3. Alternative (with participle)

You could also say:

• Sometimes I see a gerund following the phrase “rather than.”
  This emphasizes the ongoing action of the gerund being placed there.

Both are correct, but:

• follow → simple factual observation (neutral).

• following → descriptive, gives a little sense of process.

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✅ Conclusion: Your original sentence is correct and well-structured.
Would you like me to show you a side-by-side comparison of sentences with bare infinitive vs. -ing form after “see,” so you can sense the nuance more clearly?

你說：

Yes, please.

ChatGPT 說：

Perfect 👍 Let’s compare them side by side. Both structures are correct, but they carry slightly different nuances.

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1. Bare infinitive after “see”

👉 Structure: see + object + bare infinitive (V1)

• I saw him leave the room.
  我看到他離開房間。（強調「整個動作的事實」——我看見他離開了，事情發生了）

• Sometimes I see a gerund follow the phrase “rather than.”
  有時候我看到動名詞跟在「rather than」這個片語之後。（強調「這種情況存在」的事實）

→ 用法: 表示「看見整個動作／事實」，偏重結果。

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2. -ing form after “see”

👉 Structure: see + object + -ing

• I saw him leaving the room.
  我看到他正在離開房間。（強調「動作進行的樣子」——我看見他正走出去的過程）

• Sometimes I see a gerund following the phrase “rather than.”
  有時候我看到動名詞正跟在「rather than」這個片語之後。（更像是「在句子裡出現時」的過程描寫）

→ 用法: 表示「看見動作進行中」，偏重過程。

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🔑 總結

• see + V1 = 我看到 事實/整個事件。

• see + V-ing = 我看到 進行中的樣子。