watching vs wathc / down the road vs up the road.

Question

Would you please how me about my questions?

I've read a fairy tale for children. Then I got a question for the the meaning and nuance of the sentence in it.

I'd like to know the diffence of expression between #1 and #2
plus between #a and #b.

#1. ....saw a figure watching from behind the bushes.
#2. ....saw a figure watch from behind the bushes.

#a ...saw that figure *coming out from hiding
#b ....saw that figure *come out from hiding

This question about the meaning of progressive and bare infinitive.

---The chapter goes like:
None of them saw a figure *watching from behind the bushes. And when they were far *down the road.
,none of them saw that figure *come out from hiding and jump up and down in rage.

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One more question
In the upper content,
" when they were far *down the road.,none of them saw that figure come out from hiding and jump up and down in rage."

Q2. "down the road" means that a description of "they were going away from where they was.", right?

If yes, If it was replaced "up the road" , Is it the opposite meaning ? or
Don't it just make sence and grammatical ?

the similar question that makes me got the same wonder.
ex)#c - He ran down the road = It means "he ran toward a downsteam.
#d He ran up the road. Does it mean "he ran upward the river"??

Ljswave · Accepted Answer

ljswave---The chapter goes like:
None of them saw a figure *watching from behind the bushes. And when they were far *down the road.
,none of them saw that figure *come out from hiding and jump up and down in rage.

CalifJim · Answer

ljswavedifference of expression between #1 and #2

Generally speaking, the use of the -ing form suggests that some activity was seen while it was happening. The use of the plain form suggests that the whole event was seen "as a unit event".

-ing: They didn't see anyone who was (in the act of) watching them.
No -ing: They didn't see anyone who "completed a period of watching" them.

Watching is an "activity" that takes place over an indefinite period of time. They didn't see this activity of watching that was going on at the time.

-ing: They didn't see the figure going through the motions of coming out of hiding while that figure was performing that action.
No ing: They didn't see the figure complete the entire act of coming out from hiding.

Coming out from hiding is a single action that happens at a more or less definite point in time. They didn't see that action happen.
____________________

You might say that watching takes a lot of time and coming out takes very little time. That's why the verb forms are chosen as they are.

ljswaveQ2. "down the road" means that a description of "they were going away from where they were", right?

No. Any kind of motion leads us to somewhere away from where we started. 'far down the road' means 'a great distance farther along the path they were taking'. 'far up the road' means the same thing! In these expressions the actual change in elevation may be taken into account so that if the road is sloping upward we say "up the road" and if the road is sloping downward we say "down the road". On the other hand, even if we are not taking elevation into consideration at all, we are more likely to say "down the road", meaning 'at some distance farther along the road'.

"upstream" and "downstream" are completely different. The former means 'against the flow of water'; the latter means 'in the same direction as the flow of water'.

CJ

watching vs wathc / down the road vs up the road.

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