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.
Examples:
·
She suggested going to
a movie.
·
Mary keeps talking about
her problems.
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
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.
|
|
|
The doctor generally
advised drinking low-fat milk.
|
|
|
Ireland doesn't allow
smoking in bars.
|
anticipate
|
I anticipated arriving
late.
|
appreciate
|
I appreciated her
helping me.
|
avoid
|
He avoided talking to
her.
|
|
|
I began learning
Chinese.
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
He can't stand her
smoking in the office.
|
|
|
The government ceased
providing free healthcare.
|
complete
|
He completed
renovating the house.
|
consider
|
She considered moving
to New York.
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
She dreads getting up
at 5 AM.
|
|
|
He encourages eating
healthy foods.
|
enjoy
|
We enjoy hiking.
|
|
|
He finished doing his
homework.
|
|
|
I forgot giving you my
book.
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
She likes listening to
music.
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
The aquarium needs
cleaning.
|
|
|
Sometimes she neglects
doing her homework.
|
|
|
California does not
permit smoking in restaurants.
|
postpone
|
He postponed returning
to Paris.
|
practice
|
She practiced singing
the song.
|
|
|
He prefers sitting at
the back of the movie theater.
|
|
|
I proposed having lunch
at the beach.
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
She regretted saying
that.
|
|
|
I remember telling her
the address yesterday.
|
report
|
He reported her
stealing the money.
|
|
|
The certificate
requires completing two courses.
|
resent
|
Nick resented Debbie's
being there.
|
resist
|
He resisted asking for
help.
|
risk
|
He risked being
caught.
|
|
|
He started studying
harder.
|
|
|
She stopped working at
5 o'clock.
|
suggest
|
They suggested staying
at the hotel.
|
tolerate
|
I tolerated her
talking.
|
|
|
Sam tried opening the
lock with a paperclip.
|
understand
|
I understand his
quitting.
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
She asked to leave.
|
|
|
He began to talk.
|
|
|
He can't bear to be
alone.
|
|
|
Nancy can't stand to
work the late shift.
|
care
|
He doesn't care to
participate in the activity.
|
|
|
The government ceased
to provide free healthcare.
|
|
|
I chose to help.
|
claim
|
She claimed to be a
princess.
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
I dread to think what
might happen.
|
|
|
They expect to arrive
early.
|
fail
|
He failed to get
enough money to pay for the new project.
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
Samantha likes to
read.
|
|
|
We love to scuba dive.
|
manage
|
He managed to open the
door without the key.
|
|
|
I need to study.
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
He prefers to eat at 7
PM.
|
|
|
They prepared to take
the test.
|
pretend
|
The child pretended to
be a monster.
|
|
|
She promised to stop
smoking.
|
|
|
Drew proposed to pay
for the trip.
|
refuse
|
The guard refused to
let them enter the building.
|
|
|
I regret to inform you
that your application was rejected.
|
|
|
Did you remember to
lock the door when you left?
|
seem
|
Nancy seemed to be
disappointed.
|
|
|
Marge started to talk
really fast.
|
swear
|
She swore to tell the
truth.
|
tend
|
He tends to be a
little shy.
|
|
|
He threatened to leave
forever.
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
I want to study
Spanish.
|
|
|
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.
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
Examples:
·
I advised taking the
train. in general
·
I advised him to
take the train. He will take the train.
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.
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
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
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.
Cómo estructurar un monólogo (la Web del Inglés)
