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I see two sentences in my dictionary:

  1. Lily can't stand working in an office.

  2. She can't stand to hear them arguing.

It seems that both of usages are applicable. So, what will be the difference between the twos?

And can we say: "Lily can't stand to work in an office." and "She can't stand hearing them arguing." respectively?

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    The first set of sentences sounds better than the second. I can't tell you why, but I'd normally default to the -ing form, and use the infinitive after can't stand only if the -ing form would cause horror aequi (= two equal forms used consecutively). – userr2684291 Sep 24 '17 at 11:53
  • I think it's regional. You certainly hear both. – Luke Sawczak Sep 24 '17 at 12:25

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