Smell Something Burn vs. Smell Something Burning
For the perception sense, learner-dictionary evidence directly supports smell + object + -ing, as in smelling something burning. Bare smell + object + infinitive is not the ordinary parallel pattern in this evidence set.
Use “smell something burning” for perceiving an ongoing smell-producing event. “Smell something burn” is not the ordinary learner-dictionary complement pattern for this sense.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Perception pattern | Form | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| an object is perceived while an activity/process is in progress | smell + object + -ing | Use the documented -ing complement. |
| a bare infinitive is being forced after the perceived object | smell + object + burn | Recast to the documented -ing pattern rather than treating the bare infinitive as the ordinary parallel construction. |
| a simple object or a different clause pattern | use the construction for that sense | This guide covers only the event complement after the perceived object. |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Are you describing an activity or process that you perceive by smell as it is happening?
If yes: Use “smell + object + -ing,” such as “smell something burning.”
If no: Use the construction that fits the other sense of “smell.”
Caveat: The reviewed evidence directly supports the object + -ing perception pattern; this page does not generalize to every construction with “smell.”
Examples
I could smell something burning in the kitchen.
The -ing form presents the perceived process as ongoing.
She smelled toast burning and checked the toaster.
The perceived object is followed by the documented -ing complement.
We could smell wood burning outside.
The construction describes an activity perceived through smell.
Further guidance
Boundary
Other senses of smell use simple objects or clauses; this guide is only about the event complement after the perceived object.
Construction
Oxford directly records smell + object + -ing in the perception sense.
Decision
Choose the -ing form when the smell lets you perceive an activity or process in progress; recast rather than forcing a bare infinitive.
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.
- smell — Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries · Smell + object + -ing for perceiving an ongoing smell-producing event