Learn English – want + object + to-infinitive / v-ing. Subject + want + v-ing

verbs

I'm a bit hesitant when using these sentences :

  1. I don't want you talking about her.

  2. I don't want you to talk about her.

  3. This wall wants painting.

  4. The students want teaching.

As we know the verb want is followed by an object and then followed by the to-infinitive, as in the sentence number #2. But I found that the sentence number #1 is also used.

Is the sentence number #1 acceptable to use ?
Or should I use the form number #2 instead ?

As to the sentence number #3 and #4,

Does the sentence #3 have the passive meaning ?

Is the sentence #4 correct ? because I use people as the subject instead of things.

Best Answer

Both #1 are acceptable and grammatical, and mean essentially the same (and to most hearers, probably exactly the same.

However, the gerund construction of #3 and #4 is not universally common, at least in the United States. It is more popular in certain regions. In many parts of the US, these would more likely be expressed as:

3 The wall needs to be painted.

4 The student needs to be taught.

("want" is not usually used in such contexts as equivalent to "need". To say the student "needs to be taught" means he lacks teaching; to say he "wants to be taught" means he desires teaching. And it would make no sense to say a wall "wants to be painted", as walls are presumed to not have desires.)

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