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Infinitive and Gerund
One of the difficulties of the English language is that some verbs are followed by the gerund (ex : doing) and others are followed by the infinitive (ex : to do). Other verbs, however, can be followed by both
Infinitive and gerund : exercice
Generally speaking we can use the following rules
| Examples | Rules | Explanations | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verb+ing | 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 that can be followed by a gerund:
1- After verbs that express likes/dislikes :
like
love
enjoy
dislike
hate
don’t mind
can’t stand
can’t bear
Example:
” I like playing soccer but I hate boxing.”
2- After certain other verbs, such as :
| Verb | Example |
|---|---|
| admit | He admitted cheating on the test. |
| advise | The doctor generally advised drinking low-fat milk. |
| allow | Ireland doesn’t allow smoking in bars. |
| anticipate | I anticipated arriving late. |
| appreciate | I appreciated her helping me. |
| avoid | He avoided talking to her. |
| 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 | He can’t stand her smoking in the office. |
| complete | He completed renovating the house. |
| continue | He continued talking. |
| consider | She considered moving to New York. |
| defend | The lawyer defended her making such statements. |
| delay | He delayed doing his taxes. |
| deny | He denied committing the crime. |
| discuss | We discussed working at the company. |
| don’t mind | I don’t mind helping you. |
| encourage | He encourages eating healthy foods. |
| finish | He finished doing his homework. |
| forget | I forgot giving you my book. |
| imagine | He imagines working there one day. |
| involve | The job involves traveling to Japan once a month. |
| keep | She kept interrupting me. |
| 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 | The aquarium needs cleaning. |
| neglect | Sometimes she neglects doing her homework. |
| postpone | He postponed returning to Morocco. |
| practice | She practiced singing the song. |
| propose | I proposed having lunch at the beach. |
| quit | She quit worrying about the problem. |
| recommend | Tony recommended taking the train. |
| regret | She regretted saying that. |
| require | The certificate requires completing two courses. |
| risk | He risked being caught. |
| suggest | They suggested staying at the hotel. |
| tolerate | I tolerated her talking. |
| try | Sam tried opening the lock with a paperclip. |
| understand | I understand his quitting. |
3- After prepositions :
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 certain 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…
Example:
” It’s no use convincing him to revise his lessons. He’s so stubborn.”
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 learning english when I was young.”
“I started to learn english when I was at the primary school.”
EXERCISE
CHOOSE THE RIGHT FORM OF THE VERB
1. I am keen on work/to work/working in the computer industry.
2. Amy decided see/to see/ seeing a doctor.
3. Leila enjoys read/to read/reading love stories.
4. Do you intend learn/to learn/learning Italian or English?
5. Do you mind help/to help/helping me wash the dishes?
6. Alan asked talk/to talk/talking to the boss.
7. I can’t help laugh/to laugh/laughing when I watch Mr Been.
8. If Sara keeps come/to come/coming to work late, she’ll have problems with the boss.
9. Liza hates study/to study/studying Maths.
10. Are you interested in live/to live/living in Africa ?
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