Unit 15 and 16: Gerunds and Infinitives

Gerunds and infinitives are forms of verbs that act like nouns.
Ali quit smoking in 1977.
He just decided to quit one day.
A gerund is a verb + -ing. An infinitive is to + the verb.
In both the examples above, the gerund and the infinitive are the objects of the verbs in the sentence. However, as noun substitutes, gerunds and infinitives can also be the subject of a sentence.
Smoking is hard habit to give up.
To quit takes a lot of will power.
This lesson will focus primarily on verbs that precede infinitives and gerunds when they are used as objects in a sentence. Click here for a list of verbs that are followed by gerunds, verbs that are followed by infinitives, and verbs that can be followed by either.
Some common verbs are always followed by a gerund:
Jeannie admitted taking the money from the desk.
The teacher considered calling the police.
Jeannie said she was so embarrassed that she felt like dying.
The teacher finally said she would recommend giving Jeannie a light punishment.
Some verbs are always followed by infinitives.
The president said he aimed to bring down taxes.
He asked Congress to pass a tax reduction bill.
The president's party consented to lower the taxes.
However, the opposition refused to cooperate.
The president promised to fight for lower taxes in the next term.
Some verbs can be followed by either a gerund or an infinitive.
Edina's husband, Bob, began taking cooking lessons last month.
Soon he began to try out all his new creations on her.
Edina said she likes eating as much as Bob likes to cook.
She loves to sample his new recipes and she loves not cooking herself.
However, she told me she regrets eating so much rich food.
She's going to try eating less of his great food...and, she's going to try not to hurt Bob's feelings!
Go, go, go!
A common expression in English is
go + an activity
We go swimming,
we go shopping,
we go fishing,
we go jogging,
we go sightseeing, and
we go bar-hopping (or, so I've heard).
Not always exactly the same...
Some verbs have the same meaning when followed by an infinitive or a gerund:
The same:
I like going to the races.
I like to go to the races.
The same:
I hate going to the dentist.
I hate to go to the dentist.
The same:
It began raining.
It began to rain.
However, some verbs have a slightly different meaning when followed by an infinitive as opposed to a gerund.
remember, forget, stop
The difference is often in the sequence of events. See what you think about the following pairs of sentences:
I remembered to feed the dog this morning.
I remember feeding him his favorite food.
-----first--------- second
---second----first
(I remembered and then I fed him.)
(I fed him and later I remembered the action.)
I forgot to go to the bank.
I forgot going to the bank.
-----------------
second first
(I didn't remember and I didn't go to the bank.)
(I went to the bank, but later I forgot that I did.)
I stopped to smoke.
I stopped smoking.
---first----- second
--second-- first
(I paused what I was doing to have a cigarette.)
(I was a smoker, but now I'm not.)
One more difference
You can also use either an infinitive or a gerund after go on. However, note the difference:
I told Billy to stop, but he went on putting his fingers in the soup.
(The use of a gerund after go on indicates a continuing or persistent activity.)
I was very proud of Billy. We went on to become a famous chef.
(The use of an infinitive after go on indicates a noteworthy or notorious future activity.)
The real test for you will be how well you get the feel of when to use infinitives or gerunds. You can get a better understanding of this if you read English novels and other materials critically.

Rosa León
AO5F

UNIT 16: Infinitives

Infinitive or –ing (gerund)?

Sometimes many students confuse the use of infinitive between gerunds. Let’s analyze some examples and improve our English.

For example, only one of the following sentences is correct. Which one?

I dislike working late. (??)
I dislike to work late. (??)

Let´s define the infinitive:

Infinitives are defined as to + base form of the verb. They have several functions. Infinitives and infinitive phrases often perform the same functions as nouns.

For example:

· (to) go, (to) be,(to) ask, (to) fight, (to) understand, (to) walk .

Infinitives may occur with or without the infinitive marker "to". Infinitives without "to" are known as "bare infinitives".

For example:

· Help me open the door.

1. Used as subjects and subject complements.

To know me is to love me.
To live in Mancora is my lifetime dream.

2. Used as objects following certain verbs*.

I wanted to tell you how much I appreciated your present.
He hesitated to ask the embarrassing question.

3. Used as a shortened form of in order to.

You must take this medicine (in order) to get well.
I went to the restaurant to eat ceviche.

Infinitives can sometimes take objects of their own.

We hope to find the person who did this.
I was asked to make a dessert for the potluck dinner.

*These verbs are commonly followed by infinitives.

afford - beg - decide - forget - intend - mean - prepare - seem - threaten
agree - begin - demand - go - know -how - need - pretend - start - try
appear - care - deserve - happen - learn - neglect - promise - stop - volunteer
arrange - choose - desire - hate - like - offer - refuse - struggle - wait
ask - claim - expect - hesitate - love - plan - regret - swear - want
attempt - consent - fail - hope - manage - prefer - remember - tend - wish


OTHER FORMS

the infinitive can have the following forms:

1. The perfect infinitiveto have + past participle

For example: to have broken, to have seen, to have saved.This form is most commonly found in Type 3 conditional sentences, using the conditional perfect.

For example:

§ If I had known you were coming I would have baked a cake.
§ Someone must have broken the window and climbed in.
§ I would like to have seen the Taj Mahal when I was in India.
§ He pretended to have seen the film.
§ If I'd seen the ball I would have caught it.

2. The continuous infinitiveto be + present participle

For example: to be swimming, to be joking, to be waiting

Examples:

§ I'd really like to be swimming in a nice cool pool right now.
§ You must be joking!
§ I happened to be waiting for the bus when the accident happened.

3. The perfect continuous infinitiveto have been + present participle

Examples: to have been crying, to have been waiting, to have been painting

Examples:

§ The woman seemed to have been crying.
§ You must have been waiting for hours!
§ He pretended to have been painting all day.

4. The passive infinitiveto be + past participle

For example: to be given, to be shut, to be opened

Examples:

§ I am expecting to be given a pay-rise next month.
§ These doors should be shut.
§ This window ought to be opened.

NOTE: As with the present infinitive, there are situations where the "to" is omitted.

Examples

He claimed to be an expert.
Don't pretend that you know the answer.

OBSERVATIONS:

The infinitive form is always used after adjectives, for example:

- disappointed, glad, happy, pleased, relieved, sad, surprised

I was happy to help them.
She will be delighted to see you.

This includes too + adjective:

The water was too cold to swim in.
Is your coffee too hot to drink?

The infinitive form is used after adjective + enough:

He was strong enough to lift it.
She is rich enough to buy two.

ADV 5 Jesús Crispín