Gerunds and Infinitives
This is some added information to go with the lesson in the GUM book. My hope is that this doesn’t
confuse but is added explanation. If it helps great. If it doesn’t stop reading it and just focus on the info
in the GUM book.
I Like to Swim or Swimming Is Fun: Define the Differences

At the basic level you will need to start out just by distinguishing the
difference and doing this while keeping your language pretty simple.
Here’s an example that has been quite successful. The most confusing
part in choosing either a gerund or an infinitive is that they have similar
jobs and perform many of the same functions.
They both:

Look like verbs, but are actually nouns.

Can be the subject of a sentence: Jogging is good exercise. To jog is good
exercise.
Can be the object of a verb: I like reading books. I like to read books.
Only gerunds:


Can be the object of a preposition, for example: We are talking about
swimming in English class. We discussed quitting smoking for good.
So when do we know when to use one or the other? That can difficult to
define. In general, the rule to follow is:
Gerunds are used to express actions that are real, concrete and
completed.
Infinitives are used to express actions that are unreal, abstract or
may be in the future.
You can provide some examples and then discuss which category they
fall into. For example:



I forget locking the door.
I forgot to lock the door.
I stopped smoking.


I stopped to smoke.
2
List of Verbs
Because gerunds and infinitives have this difference discussed above,
one way to help them remember is to provide a list of verbs. The list of
verbs followed by gerunds is more concrete while the verbs followed by
infinitives are more abstract.
Here is a short list for each:
Verbs Followed by Gerunds
Verbs Followed by Infinitives
Admit
Deny
Miss
Agree
Learn
Wish
Discuss Dislike
Mind
Ask
Manage
Happen
Enjoy
Suggest
Practice
Forget Prepare
Demand
Quit
Understand Consider
Need
Want
Deserve
Verbs followed by either
Begin
Hate
Love
Plan
Intend
Remember
Like
Prefer
Can’t stand