Gerunds and Infinitives
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Gerunds
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A gerund can be used as the subject of a
sentence or the object of a verb.
Catching a scared kitty is no easy task.
subject
The firefighters tried jacking up the car.
object of
the verb
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A gerund can be used as the object of a
preposition.
The kitty was scared of being hurt.
object of
preposition
The firefighters were worried about hurting
the kitty.
object of
preposition
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-ing form follows certain verbs
like, love, hate,
enjoy, prefer,
suggest,
recommend…etc
+ Verb -ing
The students enjoyed spending time in the
lab.
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-ing form can be used as the past participle,
meaning ‘ after doing something’
Having finished her degree, she went on to
work as an intern.
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-ing form can be used when a verb is used as
an adjective
Working for yourself can be hard but very
rewarding.
The changing face of employment means we
need to change our attitude to work,
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-ing form is used to avoid repeating the
subject
It is a PR company specializing in
advertising.
It is a PR company that specializes in
advertising.
It is a PR company, and it specializes in
advertising.
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Infinitives
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Infinitives with to can be used as a subject
or an object.
To be a manager, you need to have
certain skills.
I try not to look at the clock all the time
when I’m working.
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Some verbs are immediately followed
by an infinitive.
The firefighters wanted to find the cat quickly.
The cat refused to budge.
want to
refuse to
intend to
hope to
need to
promise to
plan to
offer to
seem to
like to
agree to
pretend to
decide to
appear to
ask to
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to + infinitive is used after “It is + adjective”
It is hard to keep up with him.
It is usual in my company for employees
to have a long lunch break.
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to + infinitive can be used to express
purpose or give reasons for doing
something.
I am checking their website to see if they
have any job vacancies.
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to + infinitive is used after certain
expressions
There is a price to pay for being lazy.
You have the freedom to pick and choose
any career you want when you are
young.
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Infinitive without to is used after a modal
verb.
She might change jobs in the near future.
You can’t say ‘no’ to your employer.
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Change in meaning
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Some verbs can be followed by either an
infinitive or a gerund…with no difference in
meaning.
The crew continued searching for the cat.
same meaning
The crew continued to search for the cat.
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Some verbs can be followed by either an
infinitive or a gerund, but the meaning is
different.
Remember
Forget
Regret
Try
Firefighters tried jacking up the car and taking off
a wheel.
(They were able to jack up the car.)
Firefighters tried to jack up the car and take off
a wheel.
(They were NOT able to jack up the car.)
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Some verbs can be followed by either an
infinitive or a gerund, but the meaning is
different.
I love working in a team.
(general statement)
I love to work in a team when we’re given
specific goals
(at certain times or special circumstances)
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Compare these sentences
I started working for the company when I was 30.
I’ve started to send my CV to prospective
employers.
We stopped eating when the boss walked in.
We stopped to eat at 1:00 o’clock.
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Compare these sentences
I remember working as a waiter when I was at
college.
Remember to switch off the computer before you
leave.
We stopped eating when the boss walked in.
We stopped to eat at 1:00 o’clock.
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