1. INTRODUCTION TO
INFINITIVES AND
GERUNDS

2. THE INFINTIVE IS “TO” For
example:
THE BASE FORM, OR to go
DICTIONARY FORM OF to be
to study
THE VERB: to think

3. For
THE GERUND IS THE example:
going
BASE FORM OF THE being
VERB + “-ING”: studying
thinking

4. A GERUND IS A KIND OF NOUN. IT CAN
OFTEN BE THE SUBJECT OF A SENTENCE:
For example:
Fishing is my favorite thing to do on the
weekend.
Learning English is hard.
Working in the hot sun is always exhausting.

5. AN INFINITIVE CAN SOMETIMES BE THE SUBJECT OF
A SENTENCE, BUT THIS IS FORMAL AND OLD
FASHIONED:
For example:
To err is human. (This an old proverb
meaning that it is natural for people to
make mistake.)
To be or not to be is the question. (Famous
line from Shakespeare’s play Hamlet.)

6. NOTICE THE NEGATIVE FORMS OF A GERUND OR
INFINITIVE:
For example:
To be or not to be is the question.
Not using your seat belt is
dangerous.

7. A GERUND CAN BE THE OBJECT OF A
PREPOSITION, BUT AN INFINITIVE CANNOT:
For example:
We are thinking about going to San
Francisco this weekend.
Last night I went out with friends
instead of studying.

8. BOTH A GERUND AND AN INFINITIVE CAN BE THE
OBJECT OF A VERB:
For example:
I don’t like to drive on the freeway.
I don’t like driving on the freeway.

9. BUT THE RULES FOR
GERUNDS AND
INFINITIVES AS
OBJECTS ARE
COMPLICATED AND
DIFFICULT.

10. THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT
WHEN YOU MAKE
MISTAKES WITH
INFINITIVES AND
GERUNDS AFTER A
VERB, EVERYBODY
KNOWS WHAT YOU
MEAN—YOU JUST SOUND
A BIT FOREIGN.

11. WE WILL WORK ON GERUNDS AND
INFINTIVES LITTLE BY LITTLE.
For now, study these links on the Moodle
site:
Slide Show: Gerunds and Infinitives After
Verbs
Online Grammar Handout: Gerunds and
Infinitives After Verbs