I was reading a story "The piece of string" by Guy de Maupassant, when I read this line:
"Mr. Manana, the harness man saw you pick up the pocketbook."
I read it several times and it didn't seemed correct to me.
I want to ask if picking up would be the correct form to use instead of pick up, or better. Or is it just a difference of American English and UK English ?
Answer
The only difference I can see is the matter of completion.
I saw him pick up the book
Indicates that the action was completed.
I saw him picking up the book
Does not necessarily mean that the viewer ever saw the action completed.
The difference is pretty much negligible and comes down to a stylistic choice. Both options are correct.
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