Gerunds

and

Infinitives

Gerunds and infinitives can function as:

NOUNS(subjects, objects, subject complements) As subjects, they take a singular verb.

Only Gerunds can be object of the preposition.

To form gerunds, usethe base form + ing

(don’t’ forget the rules for spelling of ing form of verbs)

I enjoy learning English

To form negative gerunds, use not + gerund

Not speaking English well is my biggest problem in this country.

Gerunds used as subject of the sentence.

Dancing is fun.

Gerunds used as objects

He enjoys working with children.

Verbs that take only Gerunds

• Appreciate• Avoid• Delay• Deny• Discuss• Dislike• Enjoy• Excuse• Finish• understand

• Keep• Mention• Mind• Miss• Postpone• Quit• Recall• Recommend• Resent• suggest

Gerunds used as object of the preposition

I am thinking about taking the children to Mexico.

Common preposition combinations followed by gerunds

• Be excited about, complain about, talk about, think about, worry about

• Apologize for, blame for, famous for• Believe in, interested in, succeed in• Take care of, instead of, be accused of• Insist on, count on, concentrate on• Keep from, prevent from, profit from• In addition to, look forward to, be used to

By + gerundYou get good grades by studying hard.

go + gerundRecreational activities: camping, dancing,sightseeing, swimming, skiing, fishing, jogging,

I will go fishing with you tomorrow.

Some expressions are used with gerunds

Be busy, can’t help, have fun,

it’s no use, it’s not worth

To form infinitives useto + base form of the verb

I want to dance

To form negative infinitives useNot + infinitive

He decided not to go to the party.

Infinitives in the subject position

To live in the United States is my dreamIt is my dream to live in the United States.

Verbs that take infinitives

Verb + infinitives – agree, appear, decidehope, intend, learn, offer, plan, seem, tend,

wait, can affordVerb + Noun phrase + infinitive – cause,

convince, force, invite, order, persuade, remind, tell, trust, warn, advise, encourage

Verbs that come directly after the infinitive or have a noun phrase – ask, beg, choose, expect, need, want, would like, promise

Adjectives followed by infinitives

Afraid, amazed, anxious, ashamed, careful, delighted, eager, fortunate, glad, happy,

lucky, pleased, ready, sad, sorry,

Infinitive of purpose

In order to

I came here in order to learn.

Infinitive with too and enough

too + adjective or adverb + infinitiveShe is too young to vote.

Adjective or adverb + enough + infinitiveThey are old enough to vote.

Gerunds often follow verbs that indicate that an action is happening or has

happened.

The action expressed by the verb comes at the same time or after the action

expressed by the gerund.

We enjoy going to concerts. (you can only enjoy things you are doing or have done –

not things you haven’t done yet.)

Infinitives often follow verbs that indicate that an action will or could happen.

The action expressed by the verb comes before the action expressed by the

infinitive.

We hope to go to the concert.(You can hope for things that could happen

not things that have already happened)

Verbs that are followed by a noun phrase + infinitive

can also be followed by a gerund.The gerund makes it general and the

infinitive make specific the person indicated.

They allow smoking in this building.They allowed me to smoke in the house.

These verbs are:

adviseallow

encouragepermitrequire

urge

Some verbs can be followed by both gerund or infinitive with no change in

meaning.

Begin, hate, like,start, love, prefer, continue

I like cooking.I like to cook.

She started losing weightShe started to lose weight.

Some verbs although they can be used after both gerunds and infinitives have a difference in

meaning.

rememberforgetregretstoptryget

She stopped smoking.She stopped to smoke.

They forgot buying bread.They forgot to buy bread.

Used toBe used toGet used to

Used to + base formBe used to + gerundGet used to + gerund

Verbs of perception:infinitives: from start to finishGerunds: in progress

I heard the children cry.

I saw your friends walking in the park.

Infinitive forms are not used after the following verbs of perception:

feelsee

hearsmell

When a specific performer of the gerund action needs to be indicated, a possessive noun or a possessive determiner is used.

I really appreciate Karen’s/her writing that letter for me.

Peter’s/his coming late really annoys me.

Your neglecting your teeth will cause an earlier return to the dentist.

Their denying the allegation was understandable.

I didn’t like the dog’s barking all night.

I don’t mind his leaving early.(formal)

I don’t mind him leaving early.(informal)

When an infinitive functions as a subject or a subject complement, any stated subject of the infinitive should be preceded by for.

If a pronoun follows for, it must be in object form.

When the subject of a gerund is stated, it takes the possessive form.

For people to see is a wonderful gift.

Her desire was for them to take a trip around the world

They hoped for her to be able to attend the concert.

Infinitives can occur in the progressive but gerunds cannot.

To be doing

It is used to indicate an activity in progress or ongoing

She had hoped to be working

Both gerunds and infinitives can occur in the perfect form

having doneto have done

It is used to indicate that the activity is in the past

We appreciate having heard her sing.We’re fortunate to have heard her sing

A gerund can be used in the passive form

I dislike being told a lie.

Havemake

letare causative verbs. They cause

someone to do something.They are always followed by a noun

phrase + base form of verb.Do not use an infinitive after these

verbs.She made me fall.

She made her daughter go to the party.

She let him take the camera.

She had me prepare breakfast yesterday.

After causative verbs:get

convincepersuade

use the infinitive

She got me to work.She convinced me to work.

Sense-perception verbs:hear, listen tofeel, smell, see

watch, observe, notice

are followed by either a noun phrase + base or –ing form with only a slight

difference in meaning.

We saw people living in poverty.

We saw them perform

Help

can take an infinitive or base form.It can occur with or without a noun

phrase.I helped them carry the boxes.

I helped them to clean up after the party.

perfect infinitive: to have movedprogressive infinitive: to be working

perfect progressive infinitive:to have been playing

passive: to be seenperfect passive: to have been chosen

Perfect gerund: having moved

passive gerund: being done

perfect passive gerund: having been selected

The End!