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.
Verbs Followed by Gerunds
admit
He admitted cheating on the test.
advise [9]
The doctor generally advised drinking low-fa
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 heal
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 state
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 m
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 homewo
permit [9]
California does not permit smoking in restau
postpone
He postponed returning to Paris.
practice
She practiced singing the song.
prefer [14]
He prefers sitting at the back of the movie t
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 sto
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 yesterda
report
He reported her stealing the money.
require [9]
The certificate requires completing two cour
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
They urge recycling bottles and paper.
She suggested going to a movie.
Mary keeps talking about her problems.
Some verbs are followed by infinitives
Verbs Followed by Infinitives
agree
Tom agreed to help me.
appear
His health appeared to be better.
arrange
Naomi arranged to stay with her cousin in Mi
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 healt
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
forget [13]
I forgot to lock the door when I left.
get (be allowed to)
Debbie gets to go to the concert next week!
happen
She happened to be at the bank when it was
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 ke
need [8,13]
I need to study.
neglect [14]
She neglected to tell me the date of the mee
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 build
regret [13]
I regret to inform you that your application w
remember [13]
Did you remember to lock the door when you
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 hea
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]
We would like to start now.
(meaning "wish" or "want")
Yearn
Melanie yearns to travel somewhere exotic.
She wants to go to a movie.
Mary needs to talk about her problems
. 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
Verbs Followed by either Gerunds OR Nouns + Infinitives
advise
I advised seeing a doctor.
I advised them to see a
allow
Ireland doesn't allow smoking in bars.
Ireland doesn't allow pe
encoura
ge
He encourages eating healthy foods.
He encourages his patie
permit
California doesn't permit fishing without California doesn't permi
a fishing license.
require
The certificate requires completing two
courses.
The certificate requires
urge
They urge recycling bottles and paper.
They urge citizens to re
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
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.
Examples:
I advised taking the train. in general
I advised him to take the train. He will take the train.
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.
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
