"I have never seen him working", Is it grammatically correct?

Question

He is very lazy. I have never seen him working.

He is very lazy. I have never seen him work.

Are both of them grammatically correct? What is the difference in meaning between them?

Update:

I read the duplicate question, but I couldn't understand which one is correct in the above context. work or working?

I think work is correct, because it follows the verb tense in the first clause.

I think working is useful in another context. when the situation is temporary e.g.

It seem he is frustrating, I haven't seen him working recently.

Just FYI, colloquially, we might say, "I've never seen him work a single day in his life." — Teacher KSHuang, Mar 13 '17 at 09:00
I read the duplicate question, But I don't understand which one (work or working) should I use with the above context and why. @TeacherKSHuang so I rely on sound and use any one of them, thank you — Shannak, Mar 14 '17 at 04:10
Mmm, I understand. I hadn't marked this question as a duplicate, but I do feel that both are fine. What do you think the difference is between them, if you do feel that there is a difference? — Teacher KSHuang, Mar 14 '17 at 07:53
thank you @TeacherKSHuang I'll edit the question with what I think. — Shannak, Mar 14 '17 at 08:23

NehaK · Answer 1 · 2017-03-13T14:04:26.727

-2

The right one should be -

"I never saw him working"

or

"He is very lazy, I have never seen him working"

or

"He is very lazy, I have never seen him doing any work"

edited Mar 13 '17 at 14:04

answered Mar 13 '17 at 08:30

NehaK

105
3

2

"..seen him work" wrong? – Mohd Zulkanien Sarbini Mar 13 '17 at 08:33
I think it's because usually, we would say, "I have never seen him do any work." – Teacher KSHuang Mar 13 '17 at 08:36
Also, if you combine the two sentences, I would use a semicolon, as in, "He is very lazy; I have never seen him working." What do you think? – Teacher KSHuang Mar 13 '17 at 08:37
1

@TeacherKSHuang I think see is a verb of perception. – Mohd Zulkanien Sarbini Mar 13 '17 at 08:52
Lastly, this answer would be better served if it has some supporting details of why, especially since the questioner asked specifically if the sentences had been correct grammatically. Please note that this is not a comment personally directed at you; just a comment as part of the community review. I have neither downvoted nor flagged the answer. – Teacher KSHuang Mar 13 '17 at 08:57

score -2 · Answer 2 · answered Mar 13 '17 at 14:25

I disagree with NehaK's answer and say that both are correct.

The first sentence 'He is very lazy. I have never seen him working.' means that probably he does work but I have never seen him in the process of doing it.

The second sentence 'He is very lazy. I have never seen him work.' means that he I was watching him all the time and have never seen him do any work at all.

Let's rephrase them to have a side look at the sentences:

I have seen him working at the computer yesterday.
I have seen him work at the computer yesterday.

The first sentence tells us that I happened to see him in the process of doing work at the computer yesterday though I am not sure at whether he finished working. The second one tells us that I was watching the whole action from beginning to end.

"I have never seen him working", Is it grammatically correct?

2 Answers2