Notice Someone Do vs. Notice Someone Doing
After notice + object, both the bare infinitive and the -ing form are standard. The bare infinitive usually presents the perceived event as a whole or completed, while -ing usually presents it as in progress, incomplete, or repeated.
Both “notice someone do” and “notice someone doing” are standard; use the bare infinitive for the event viewed as a whole and -ing for an action viewed in progress or repeated.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| perceive an event as a whole or bounded occurrence | notice + object + bare infinitive | Use the bare infinitive. |
| foreground an action in progress, incomplete, or recurring | notice + object + -ing | Use the -ing form. |
| active perception pattern with an inserted “to” before the infinitive | notice + object + to-infinitive | Do not use this as the ordinary active alternative in the reviewed pattern. |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Are you presenting the noticed action as an activity in progress or as something repeatedly occurring?
If yes: Use “notice someone doing …”.
If no: If you present the perceived event as a whole, use “notice someone do …”.
Caveat: The whole-event versus in-progress contrast is a useful perspective guide, not a claim that every real context forces only one form; this page covers the active perception pattern.
Examples
I noticed her leave the building after lunch.
The bare infinitive presents the departure as a whole event.
I noticed her waiting by the side entrance.
The -ing form foregrounds an activity in progress.
We noticed the lights flicker several times.
The bare infinitive can present the perceived event as a bounded occurrence.
Further guidance
Boundary
In the active perception pattern, do not insert “to” before the infinitive. Modal combinations such as can/could hear or see have additional usage constraints, so context matters.
Construction
Cambridge includes notice among perception verbs that can take object + bare infinitive or object + -ing.
Decision
Use the bare infinitive when the whole event is salient; use -ing when you are foregrounding the activity as it unfolds or repeats.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- Verb patterns: verb + infinitive or verb + -ing? (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Verb-complement patterns, including verbs taking -ing, to-infinitive, or both with meaning differences