GRAMMAR
Gerund or Infinitive
Using Gerunds or infinitives
One of the difficulties of the English language is to know whether to use a gerund (ex : doing) or an infinitive (ex : to do).
Generally speaking we can use the following rules:
| Examples | Rules | Explanations | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verb + gerund | 1. I enjoy playing 2. I denied stealing |
Often we use the gerund for an action that happens before or at the same time as the action of the main verb. | 1. I enjoy myself at the time of playing. 2. I deny having stolen anything before. |
| Verb + infinitive | 1. I decided to visit my uncle 2. I want to go out |
Often we use the infinitive for actions that follow the action of the main verb. | 1. Visiting my uncle was an action of my decision. It comes after. 2. What I want (now) is to go out (after/later) |
These rules are helpful but DO NOT always explain all uses of gerunds and infinitives.
Verbs commonly followed by a gerund
1- After verbs that express likes/dislikes :
- like
- love
- enjoy
- dislike
- hate
Example:
" I like playing soccer but I hate boxing."
Note "like/love/hate..." can be also followed by an infinitive:
Example:
I like to watch TV in the evening.
2- After verbs such as :
| Verbs | Examples |
|---|---|
| admit | He admitted stealing the wallet. |
| advise | I wouldn't advise buying a used car. |
| allow | They don't allow smoking here. (Note that when an object is introduced an infinitive is used instead of a gerund: they allowed us to leave early.) |
| anticipate | He anticipated passing the exam. |
| avoid | She avoided meeting him. |
| appreciate | I appreciate working with you. |
| complete | They completed building their house. |
| consider | She considered starting a new business. |
| delay | She delayed doing her homework. |
| deny | He denied stealing the money. |
| fancy | Fancy meeting you here! |
| finish | She finished writing the letter. |
| go | go swimming. |
| imagine | He imagines meeting her. |
| involve | the job involves working in teams. |
| keep | He keeps complaining about his girlfriend. |
| mention | He mentioned working in that company. |
| mind | Would you mind helping me? |
| miss | He misses talking to her. |
| permit | The don't permit smoking here. (Note that, like allow, when an object is introduced an infinitive is used instead of a gerund: they permitted us to leave early.) |
| postpone | They postponed traveling to Japan. |
| practice | She practiced painting. |
| reject | He rejected working with them. |
| resist | He couldn't resist eating the cake. |
| risk | She risks losing her job. |
| suggest | I suggest leaving early. |
| waste time/money | Don't waste my time complaining. |
3- After prepositions
- aim at
- keep on
- interested in
- instead of
- good at
- before ...
- after ...
Example:
"I am interested in collecting stamps."
"After playing football I drank an orange juice".
4- After some expressions :
- It's no use ...
- It's no good ...
- There's no point in ...
- I can't help...
- I don't mind...
- I can't stand/bear...
" It's no use convincing him to meet her. "
Verbs that can be followed by an infinitive
1- After verbs that generally refer to a future event:
| Verbs | Examples |
|---|---|
| afford | We can't afford to buy a new car. |
| agree | She agreed to help him. |
| aim | The government aims to reduce illiteracy rates |
| arrange | He arranged to stay at a hotel. |
| attempt | He attempted to join them. |
| choose | He chose to stay at home. |
| consent | She consented to marry him. |
| decide | They decided to go to the movies. |
| deserve | He deserves to be punished. |
| demand | He demanded to speak to Mrs. Lynch |
| endeavor | They endeavor to provide the best possible service |
| expect | They expected to arrive early. |
| fail | He failed to convince him. |
| happen | They happened to be at the theatre when we met them. |
| help | She helped me to do the exercise. (Note, help is also followed by a bare infinitive: She helped me do the exercise.) |
| hope | I hope to join you as soon as possible. |
| intend | She intends to write an autobiography. |
| learn | He learned to play the guitar when he was young. |
| manage | He managed to do his homework without his mother's help. |
| need | I need to find a job. |
| offer | He offers to help us. |
| plan | He plans to follow a career as an engineer. |
| pretend | The child pretended to be asleep. |
| proceed | He proceeded to show us how to use the machine. |
| promise | She promised to come on time. |
| refuse | She refused to forgive him. |
| seem | He seemed to be unhappy. |
| swear | I swear to tell the truth. |
| threaten | He threatened to reveal her secret. |
| volunteer | He always volunteers to help the needy. |
| want | I want to finish my work early. |
| would hate | He would hate to lose. |
| would like | He would like to drink a cup of tea. |
| would love | I would love to meet you. |
2- After adjectives
- be determined
- be disappointed
- be glad
- be happy
- be pleased
Examples:
"I'm glad to know that you passed the exam."
"I'm pleased to meet you."
"I'm disappointed to hear that you flunked maths."
3- After "too" & "enough":
too difficult
easy enough
Example:
"It's too difficult to convince him to be helpful."
" But it's easy enough to fool him to get what you want."
Verbs that can be followed by both an infinitive and a gerund:
Some verbs can be followed by either a gerund or an infinitive. Here are some examples:
- start
- begin
- stop
- remember...
Example:
"I started smoking when I was young."
"I started to smoke when I left the office."
Lesson on infinitives.
Gerund
