Appeared to suffer / Appeared to have suffered

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Hi,

The following first sentence is from the New York Times. The second sentence is my version with a slight change. Does the second sentence convey the same meaning as the first one?

[color=blue]1. The attackers were driven back in a pitched four-hour battle, and they appeared to suffer scores of dead and wounded of their own, but the toll they inflicted was sobering.

  1. The attackers were driven back in a pitched four-hour battle, and they appeared to have suffered scores of dead and wounded of their own, but the toll they inflicted was sobering.

Thanks,

MG.

2

Hi,

The difference between the present infinitive and the perfect infinitive is one of immediacy or reflection. The present infinitive in your first sentence suggests the reporter was saying: As far as I can see. In the second sentence this suggests the reporter was saying: As I found out later.

Alan

3

Thanks Alan.