Why is rob not in the past form in this sentence?
The witness claimed that he saw a police officer rob the man."
Is it not supposed to be in the past tense also?
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"Rob" is an infinitive in this sentence. The construction is "see [noun phrase] [infinitive]".– sumelicJan 22, 2019 at 5:16
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Is it possible for a verb to be in an infinitive form without TO ?– GugmaJan 22, 2019 at 5:20
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Yes; it is called a "bare infinitive".– sumelicJan 22, 2019 at 5:22
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Yes, @Gugma, such verbs are therefore called bare-infinitives.– Zeeshan AliJan 22, 2019 at 5:22
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1 Answer
In The witness claimed that he saw a police officer rob the man., rob is used as a bare infinitive
Verbs which relate to our senses (eg hear, watch) are followed by bare-infinitives.
For more:
Using bare infinitive with verbs such as “see”, “watch”, etc.: Present tense or Past Tense?
answered Jan 22, 2019 at 5:21
