GERUNDS & INFINITIVES

Gerunds and Infinitives Part 1

1. A gerund is a noun made from a verb by adding "-ing." The gerund form of the verb "read" is "reading." You can use a gerund as the subject, the complement, or the object of a sentence.

Examples:

·       Reading helps you learn English. subject of sentence

·       Her favorite hobby is reading. complement of sentence

·       I enjoy reading. object of sentence

Gerunds can be made negative by adding "not."

Examples:

·       He enjoys not working.

·       The best thing for your health is not smoking.

2. Infinitives are the "to" form of the verb. The infinitive form of "learn" is "to learn." You can also use an infinitive as the subject, the complement, or the object of a sentence.

Examples:

·       To learn is important. subject of sentence

·       The most important thing is to learn. complement of sentence

·       He wants to learn. object of sentence

Infinitives can be made negative by adding "not."

Examples:

·       I decided not to go.

·       The most important thing is not to give up.

3. Both gerunds and infinitives can be used as the subject or the complement of a sentence. However, as subjects or complements, gerunds usually sound more like normal, spoken English, whereas infinitives sound more abstract. In the following sentences, gerunds sound more natural and would be more common in everyday English. Infinitives emphasize the possibility or potential for something and sound more philosophical. If this sounds confusing, just remember that 90% of the time, you will use a gerund as the subject or complement of a sentence.

Examples:

·       Learning is important. normal subject

·       To learn is important. abstract subject - less common

·       The most important thing is learning. normal complement

·       The most important thing is to learn. abstract complement - less common

4. As the object of a sentence, it is more difficult to choose between a gerund or an infinitive. In such situations, gerunds and infinitives are not normally interchangeable. Usually, the main verb in the sentence determines whether you use a gerund or an infinitive.

Examples:

·       He enjoys swimming. "Enjoy" requires a gerund.

·       He wants to swim. "Want" requires an infinitive.

5. Some verbs are followed by gerunds as objects. List of Verbs Followed by Gerunds

Examples:

·       She suggested going to a movie.

·       Mary keeps talking about her problems.

6. Some verbs are followed by infinitives. List of Verbs Followed by Infinitives

Examples:

·       She wants to go to a movie.

·       Mary needs to talk about her problems.

Exercises Based on Part 1 of the Gerunds and Infinitives Tutorial

·       Gerunds and Infinitives 1      ·       Gerunds and Infinitives 2      ·       Gerunds and Infinitives 3      ·       Gerunds and Infinitives 4      ·       Gerunds and Infinitives 5

·       Gerunds and Infinitives 6      ·       Gerunds and Infinitives 7      ·       Gerunds and Infinitives 8      ·       Gerunds and Infinitives 9      ·       Gerunds and Infinitives 10

Verbs Followed by Gerunds

9 = verb followed by a gerund OR a noun + an infinitive
13 = verb followed by a gerund OR an infinitive with a difference in meaning
14 = verb followed by a gerund OR an infinitive with little difference in meaning

admit	He admitted cheating on the test.
advise [9]	The doctor generally advised drinking low-fat milk.
allow [9]	Ireland doesn't allow smoking in bars.
anticipate	I anticipated arriving late.
appreciate	I appreciated her helping me.
avoid	He avoided talking to her.
begin [14]	I began learning Chinese.
can't bear [14]	He can't bear having so much responsibility.
can't help	He can't help talking so loudly.
can't see	I can't see paying so much money for a car.
can't stand [14]	He can't stand her smoking in the office.
cease [14]	The government ceased providing free healthcare.
complete	He completed renovating the house.
consider	She considered moving to New York.
continue [14]	He continued talking.
defend	The lawyer defended her making such statements.
delay	He delayed doing his taxes.
deny	He denied committing the crime.
despise	She despises waking up early.
discuss	We discussed working at the company.
dislike	She dislikes working after 5 PM.
don't mind	I don't mind helping you.
dread [13]	She dreads getting up at 5 AM.
encourage [9]	He encourages eating healthy foods.
enjoy	We enjoy hiking.
finish [13]	He finished doing his homework.
forget [13]	I forgot giving you my book.
hate [14]	I hate cleaning the bathroom.
imagine	He imagines working there one day.
involve	The job involves traveling to Japan once a month.
keep	She kept interrupting me.
like [14]	She likes listening to music.
love [14]	I love swimming.
mention	He mentioned going to that college.
mind	Do you mind waiting here for a few minutes.
miss	She misses living near the beach.
need [13]	The aquarium needs cleaning.
neglect [14]	Sometimes she neglects doing her homework.
permit [9]	California does not permit smoking in restaurants.
postpone	He postponed returning to Paris.
practice	She practiced singing the song.
prefer [14]	He prefers sitting at the back of the movie theater.
propose [14]	I proposed having lunch at the beach.
quit [13]	She quit worrying about the problem.
recall	Tom recalled using his credit card at the store.
recollect	She recollected living in Kenya.
recommend	Tony recommended taking the train.
regret [13]	She regretted saying that.
remember [13]	I remember telling her the address yesterday.
report	He reported her stealing the money.
require [9]	The certificate requires completing two courses.
resent	Nick resented Debbie's being there.
resist	He resisted asking for help.
risk	He risked being caught.
start [14]	He started studying harder.
stop [13]	She stopped working at 5 o'clock.
suggest	They suggested staying at the hotel.
tolerate	I tolerated her talking.
try [13]	Sam tried opening the lock with a paperclip.
understand	I understand his quitting.
urge [9]	They urge recycling bottles and paper.

Verbs Followed by Infinitives

8 = verb followed by an infinitive OR an optional noun + an infinitive
13 = verb followed by a gerund OR an infinitive with a difference in meaning
14 = verb followed by a gerund OR an infinitive with little difference in meaning

agree	Tom agreed to help me.
appear	His health appeared to be better.
arrange	Naomi arranged to stay with her cousin in Miami.
ask [8]	She asked to leave.
begin [13]	He began to talk.
can't bear [14]	He can't bear to be alone.
can't stand [14]	Nancy can't stand to work the late shift.
care	He doesn't care to participate in the activity.
cease [14]	The government ceased to provide free healthcare.
choose [8]	I chose to help.
claim	She claimed to be a princess.
continue [14]	She continued to talk.
decide	We decided to go to Hawaii.
demand	He demanded to speak to Mr. Harris.
deserve	He deserves to go to jail.
dread [13]	I dread to think what might happen.
expect [8]	They expect to arrive early.
fail	He failed to get enough money to pay for the new project.
forget [13]	I forgot to lock the door when I left.
get (be allowed to)	Debbie gets to go to the concert next week! Why can't I?
happen	She happened to be at the bank when it was robbed.
hate [14]	He hates to clean dishes.
hesitate	She hesitated to tell me the problem.
hope	I hope to begin college this year.
intend	We intend to visit you next spring.
learn	I learned to speak Japanese when I was a kid.
like [14]	Samantha likes to read.
love [14]	We love to scuba dive.
manage	He managed to open the door without the key.
need [8,13]	I need to study.
neglect [14]	She neglected to tell me the date of the meeting.
offer	Frank offered to drive us to the supermarket.
plan	We plan to go to Europe this summer.
prefer [14]	He prefers to eat at 7 PM.
prepare [8]	They prepared to take the test.
pretend	The child pretended to be a monster.
promise [8]	She promised to stop smoking.
propose [14]	Drew proposed to pay for the trip.
refuse	The guard refused to let them enter the building.
regret [13]	I regret to inform you that your application was rejected.
remember [13]	Did you remember to lock the door when you left?
seem	Nancy seemed to be disappointed.
start [13]	Marge started to talk really fast.
swear	She swore to tell the truth.
tend	He tends to be a little shy.
threaten [8]	He threatened to leave forever.
try [13]	Mary tried to lift the table, but it was too heavy.
vow	He vowed to get revenge.
wait	She waited to buy a movie ticket.
want [8]	I want to study Spanish.
wish [8]	I wish to stay.
would like [8] (meaning "wish" or "want")	We would like to start now.
yearn	Melanie yearns to travel somewhere exotic.

Gerunds and Infinitives Part 2

7. Gerunds can often be modified with possessive forms such as his, her, its, your, their, our, John's, Mary's, the machine's, and so on. This makes it clearer who or what is performing the action.

Examples:

·       I enjoyed their singing. They were singing.

·       She understood his saying no to the offer. He said no.

·       Sam resented Debbie's coming late to the dinner. Debbie came late to the dinner.

·       We discussed the machine's being broken. The machine is broken.

8. Some verbs are followed by a noun plus an infinitive. In some situations, the noun is required. In other situations, the noun is optional. List of Verbs Followed by a Noun + an Infinitive

Examples:

·       The police ordered the man to stop. noun is required

·       She asked to leave. noun is optional

·       She asked him to leave. noun is optional

9. Some verbs are usually followed by a gerund, BUT they can also be followed by a noun plus infinitive. Using a noun plus infinitive will usually change who is performing the action. List of Verbs followed by a Gerund OR a Noun + Infinitive

Examples:

·       I advised taking the train. in general

·       I advised him to take the train. He will take the train.

10. There are many "go + gerund" expressions used for adventure sports and individual recreational activities. List of Go + Gerund Combinations

Examples:

·       I go swimming every weekend.

·       Would you ever go skydiving?

11. Gerunds are used after prepositions. Most commonly, these are "verb + preposition" combinations. For reference, see the Verb + Preposition Dictionary and the Phrasal Verb Dictionary. You don't have to memorize these resources, you just need to remember that gerunds are used after prepositions!

Examples:

·       They admitted to committing the crime.

·       Leslie made up for forgetting my birthday.

·       He is thinking about studying abroad.

12. Remember that there are many "adjective + preposition" combinations and "noun + preposition" combinations in English as well. These are also followed by gerunds. List of Adjective + Preposition Combinations Followed by Gerunds and List of Noun + Preposition Combinations Followed by Gerunds. Once again, you don't have to memorize these resources, you just need to remember that gerunds are used after prepositions!

Examples:

·       Sandy is scared of flying. adjective + preposition

·       Nick is anxious about taking the examination. adjective + preposition

·       His interest in becoming a professional snowboarder was well known. noun + preposition

·       Thomas' story about seeing a grizzly bear was really exciting. noun + preposition

Exercises Based on Part 2 of the Gerunds and Infinitives Tutorial

·       Gerunds and Infinitives 11      ·       Gerunds and Infinitives 12      ·       Gerunds and Infinitives 13      ·       Gerunds and Infinitives 14      ·       Gerunds and Infinitives 15

·       Gerunds and Infinitives 16      ·       Gerunds and Infinitives 17      ·       Gerunds and Infinitives 18      ·       Gerunds and Infinitives 19      ·       Gerunds and Infinitives 20

Back to Part 1Continue to Part 3

Gerunds and Infinitives Part 3

13. Some verbs can be followed by a gerund or an infinitive, but with a difference in meaning. List of Verbs Followed by a Gerund or Infinitive (Different Meaning)
Examples:

·       Nancy remembered getting married. Nancy has a memory of getting married.

·       Fred remembered to bring sunblock to the beach. Fred remembered that he needed to bring sunblock.

14. Some verbs can be followed by a gerund or an infinitive with little difference in meaning. List of Verbs Followed by a Gerund or Infinitive (Similar Meaning)
Examples:

·       She likes swimming.

·       She likes to swim.

Although the difference in meaning is small with these particular verbs, and gerunds and infinitives can often be used interchangeably, there is still a meaning difference. Using a gerund suggests that you are referring to real activities or experiences. Using an infinitive suggests that you are talking about potential or possible activities or experiences. Because of this small difference in meaning, gerunds and infinitives cannot always be used interchangeably, such as in the examples below.
Examples:

·       The British reporter likes living in New York. He lives in New York and he likes what he experiences there.

·       The British reporter likes to live in New York whenever he works in the United States. He likes the option or possibility of living in New York when he works in the United States.

·       I like speaking French because it's such a beautiful language. I like the experience of speaking French, and the way it makes me feel when I speak the language.

·       I like to speak French when I'm in France. I prefer the option of speaking French when I am in France.

15. There are many "be + adjective" combinations that are commonly followed by infinitives. List of Be + Adjective Combinations Followed by Infinitives
Examples:

·       They were anxious to begin.

·       She was delighted to receive such good feedback.

·       He is lucky to have such good friends.

16. There are also many nouns that are commonly followed by infinitives. List of Nouns Followed by Infinitives
Examples:

·       It was a good decision to move to San Francisco.

·       His wish to become an actor was well known.

·       Laura's desire to improve impressed me.

17. Sometimes infinitives are used to express the idea of "in order to do something."
Examples:

·       He bought the English dictionary to look up difficult words. in order to look up

·       Janine sold her car to get the money that she needed. in order to get

·       Juan uses Englishpage.com to learn English. in order to learn

This idea of "in order to do something" is found in many English patterns.

too + adjective/adverb + infinitive

Examples:

·       The box is too heavy to carry.

·       The television is too expensive to buy.

·       Fiona ran too slowly to win the race.

·       We arrived too late to see the beginning of the movie.

adjective/adverb + enough + infinitive

Examples:

·       She is tall enough to reach the book on the shelf.

·       Brian was smart enough to enter college at the age of 12.

·       Linda runs quickly enough to win the race.

enough + noun(s) + infinitive

Examples:

·       He has enough money to buy his own car.

·       Cheryl owns enough books to start her own library!

·       Diane needs enough time to finish writing her book.

18. Certain expressions are followed by "ING" forms. List of Expressions followed by Verb+ing Forms
Examples:

·       He had fun fishing.

·       They had difficulty finding a parking place.

·       She spent her time practicing the piano.

19. Verbs which indicate location can often be followed by "ING" forms. This pattern is VERB OF LOCATION + LOCATION + VERB+ING. List of Verbs of Location
Examples:

·       Sarah stood at the corner waiting for Tom.

·       Melissa lay in bed thinking about her future.

·       Don clung to the side of the cliff looking down.

20. In addition to simple gerund and infinitive forms, there are progressive gerund and infinitive forms, passive gerund and infinitive forms and perfect gerund and infinitive forms as well as combinations of these forms. Progressive forms are used to emphasize that an action is taking place now. Passive forms are used to emphasize that the subject of the sentence is being acted upon. Perfect gerund and infinitive forms are used to emphasize completion in both the past and the future. Study the examples below to help understand these concepts. To learn more about progressiveness, the passive voice and the perfect aspect, complete the Englishpage.com Verb Tense Tutorial.

	GERUND FORMS	INFINITIVE FORMS
SIMPLE	The teacher enjoys teaching.	The teacher wants to teach.
PROGRESSIVE	Mr. Smith is really enjoying teaching his class. Looks the same as simple form above.	Mr. Smith would like to be teaching his class.
PASSIVE	The students enjoy being taught.	The students want to be taught.
PERFECT	The retired teacher recalled having taught.	The teacher was expecting to have taught that already.
PASSIVE + PROGRESSIVE	The students are enjoying being taught by such an exciting new teacher. Looks the same as the passive form above.	The students would like to be being taught by Mr Smith.
PASSIVE + PERFECT	The older students recalled having been taught that already.	The students were expecting to have been taughtthat by now.

Exercises Based on Part 3 of the Gerunds and Infinitives Tutorial

·       Gerunds and Infinitives 21      ·       Gerunds and Infinitives 22      ·       Gerunds and Infinitives 23      ·       Gerunds and Infinitives 24      ·       Gerunds and Infinitives 25

·       Gerunds and Infinitives 26      ·       Gerunds and Infinitives 27      ·       Gerunds and Infinitives 28      ·       Gerunds and Infinitives 29      ·       Gerunds and Infinitives Final Test

Verbs Followed by Gerunds OR Infinitives (Different Meaning)

begin	She began singing. She began to sing. When "begin" is used in non-continuous tenses, you can either use a gerund or an infinitive.	She is beginning to sing. When "begin" is used in continuous tenses, an infinitive is used.
dread	She dreaded taking the test. Usually "dread" is followed by a gerund.	He dreaded to think of the consequences of his actions. "Dread" is sometimes used with infinitives such as "think" or "consider." In the sentence above, "dreaded to think" means "did not want to think."
forget	She forgot reading the book when she was a kid. When "forget" is used with a gerund, it means "to forget that you have done something." The sentence above means that she read the book when she was a kid, and that she has forgotten that fact.	She forgot to pay the rent this month. When forget is used with an infinitive, it means "to forget that you need to do something." The sentence above means that she forgot that she needed to pay the rent.
keep	She kept talking. "Keep" is normally used with a gerund to mean that you continue doing an action.	The attackers kept hostages to prevent the police from entering. "Keep" can also be used with an object followed by an infinitive, but then the infinitive takes on the meaning of "in order to... ." In the sentence above, the attackers kept hostages in order to prevent the police from entering.
need	The house needs cleaning. When "need" is used with a gerund, it takes on a passive meaning. The sentence above means "the house needs to be cleaned."	He needs to call his boss. He needs him to call his boss. "Need" is usually used with an infinitive or an object + an infinitive.
regret	I regretted being late to the interview. "Regret" is normally used with a gerund.	We regret to inform you that your position at the company is being eliminated. "Regret" is sometimes used with infinitives such as "to inform." In the sentence above, "We regret to inform you" means "We wish we did not have to tell you (bad news)."
remember	I remember mentioning the meeting yesterday. When "remember" is used with a gerund, it means "to remember that you have done something." The sentence above means that I mentioned the meeting, and that I remember the fact that I did that.	He remembered to turn off the lights before he left. When "remember" is used with an infinitive, it means "to remember that you need to do something." The sentence above means that he remembered that he needed to turn the lights off.
start	Marge started talking really fast. Marge started to talk really fast. When "start" is used in non-continuous tenses, you can either use a gerund or an infinitive.	Marge is starting to talk really fast. When "start" is used in continuous tenses, an infinitive is used. I started to learn Russian, but it was so much work that I finally quit the class. In other situations, an infinitive means that you did not complete or continue an action.
stop	He stopped smoking for health reasons. "Stop" is normally used with a gerund.	He stopped to rest for a few minutes. When "stop" is used with an infinitive, the infinitive takes on the meaning of "in order to." In the sentence above, he stopped in order to rest for a few minutes.
try	She can't find a job. She tried looking in the paper, but there was nothing. She tried asking friends and family, but nobody knew of anything. She also tried going shop to shop, but nobody was hiring. "Try + gerund" means to try or to experiment with different methods to see if something works. She tried eating the snake soup, but she didn't like it. "Try + gerund" is often used when you experiment with something, but you do not really like it or want to do it again.	She tried to climb the tree, but she couldn't even get off the ground. When you "try to do" something, you want to do it, but you do not succeed in actually doing it. In the sentence above, an infinitive is used because she cannot successfully climb the tree. Try not to wake the baby when you get up tomorrow at 5 AM. An infinitive is also used if you are asking someone to try something they may or may not be able to accomplish.

Verbs Followed by Gerunds OR Infinitives (Similar Meaning)

can't bear	He can't bear being alone.	He can't bear to be alone.
can't stand	Nancy can't stand working the late shift.	Nancy can't stand to work the late shift.
cease	The government ceased providing free health care.	The government ceased to provide free health care.
continue	She continued talking.	She continued to talk.
hate	He hates cleaning dishes.	He hates to clean dishes.
like	Samantha likes reading.	Samantha likes to read.
love	We love scuba diving.	We love to scuba dive.
neglect	He neglected doing his daily chores.	He neglected to do his daily chores.
prefer	He prefers eating at 7 PM.	He prefers to eat at 7 PM.
propose	Drew proposed paying for the trip.	Drew proposed to pay for the trip.

REMEMBER

Although the difference in meaning is small with these particular verbs, and gerunds and infinitives can often be used interchangeably, there is still a meaning difference. Using a gerund suggests that you are referring to real activities or experiences. Using an infinitive suggests that you are talking about potential or possible activities or experiences. Because of this small difference in meaning, gerunds and infinitives cannot always be used interchangeably, such as in the examples below.
Examples:

·       The British reporter likes living in New York. He lives in New York and he likes what he experiences there.

·       The British reporter likes to live in New York whenever he works in the United States. He likes the option or possibility of living in New York when he works in the United States.

·       I like speaking French because it's such a beautiful language. I like the experience of speaking French, and the way it makes me feel when I speak the language.

·       I like to speak French when I'm in France. I prefer the option of speaking French when I am in France.