What is Gerund and Infinitive?

1. Gerunds and
Infinitives
By: Mansor Bin Esa

2. What is the gerund?
• A gerund is the ING form of the verb.
• Examples:
•
•
•
•
•
Playing
Swimming
Going
Running
Being

3. When do we use the GERUND?
• After certain verbs
• Instead of a noun
• After prepositions

4. 1. After certain verbs
• Enjoy
•
•
•
•
•
I enjoy reading
I was enjoying reading
She has enjoyed reading
You will enjoy reading
We have been enjoying reading

5. Certain verbs are followed by
the gerund
• After ‘enjoy’ ‘fancy’ ‘discuss’ ‘dislike’ ‘finish’
• The second verb is ALWAYS in the gerund
•
•
•
•
•
I enjoy reading
I fancy watching movies
We discussed going on holiday together
I dislike waiting for buses
We’ve finished preparing for the meeting

6. Certain verbs are
followed by the gerund
• Mind
I don’t mind coming early
• Suggest
• He suggested staying home (NOT suggested to)
• Recommend
• He recommended meeting earlier
• Kept
• He kept working although he felt ill.
• Avoid
• She avoided talking to her boss

7. Another way we use a gerund
• After certain verbs
• Instead of a noun
• After prepositions

8. Examples
• Smoking isn’t allowed here
• Swimming is very good exercise

9. A third way to use gerunds
• After certain verbs
• Instead of a noun
• After prepositions

10. Examples
• I drank a cup of coffee before leaving.
• It’s a good idea to brush your teeth after
eating

11. Gerunds after prepositions in
phrasal verbs
• I gave up smoking.
• I agree with playing soccer.
• She complains about bullying.
• They decided against attending the meeting.
• Sara dreams of becoming a rock star.

12. We use ‘to+infinitive’:
• After certain verbs
• After many adjectives
• To show purpose

13. Ecamples
• He decided to leave early.
Can be in any tense

14. Examples
• He decided to leave early.
The second verb is always with ‘to+infinitive’

15. More verbs that take
‘to+infinitive’
•
Agree
•
•
Ask
•
•
I hope to pass the exam.
Learn
•
•
He plans to buy a new car.
Hope
•
•
She asked to leave early.
Plan
•
•
She agreed to give a presentation.
They are learning to sing.
Want
•
I want to come to the party.

16. More examples of verbs
that take the infinitive
• Would like
• I would like to see you tonight.
• Promise
• I promised not to be late.
(Make negative by adding ‘not’ before the infinitive)

17. More examples on verbs that take
the infinitive
• Pleased
• I’m pleased to meet you!

18. We use the ‘to+infinitive’
• After certain verbs
• After many adjectives
• To show purpose

19. Examples:
•
Happy
•
•
I’m happy to see you!
Right
•
•
Wrong
•
•
The teacher was careful to speak clearly.
Lucky
•
•
They were wrong to leave the building.
Careful
•
•
She was right to leave early.
He was lucky to get a scholarship.
Likely
•
It’s likely to snow tonight.

20. We use the ‘to+infinitive’
• After certain verbs
• After many adjectives
• To show purpose

21. (we use the infinitive to say why
we do something)
• I came to the US to study.
• I went home to have lunch.
• (NOT: for have lunch)

22. Gerund OR infinitive with NO
CHANGE IN MEANING
 Some verbs take either G/or INF with no change in
meaning:
• Start
• It started to rain./ = It started raining.
• Continue:
• I continued to work./ = I continued working
• Begin:
• She began to sing/ she began singing
• Prefer:
• I prefer eating at home./ I prefer to eat at home.

23. Gerund of infinitive WITH
change in meaning
• Some verbs either take the GR or INF but WITH
change in meaning:
• Stop + gerund (when you stop the action or
activity)
• Stop + ‘to+infinitive’ (when you stop something
to do something else)

24. Examples – (Stop + Gerund)
• Stop (gerund):
• She stopped working.
• She stopped smoking.
• She stopped studying.
(=she stopped doing the verb)

25. Stop + ‘to+infinitive’
• I stopped to have lunch
• I stopped to say hello.
(=I stopped doing the first action because of the
second)

26. Remember + Gerund/Infinitive
• Remember + gerund
(To talk about past actions)
• Remember + ‘to+infinitive)
• (when someone remembers/has to remember
something they have to do)

27. Remember + gerund
• He remembers going to the beach.
(in his head)
• I remember locking the door.

28. Remember + ‘to+infinitive’
• Please remember to buy milk!
(the person needs to remember buying milk when
at the store)
• He remembered to meet her.
(First, he arranged a meeting with her. Then he
remembered to go to the meeting.)

29. Try + infinitive
• Used when we don’t succeed in doing the
action:
• I tried to open the window, but it was stuck!
• (=I failed at the action)
• He tried to eat salad every day, but I often go for
the Pizza. (=failed at the attempt, eating salad is
the goal, but he didn’t succeed)

30. Try + gerund
• Used when we do the action but it doesn’t
help us to achieve the goal:
• I tried opening the window, but the room was
still hot.
(this mean I opened the window easily, as an
experiment to see if it would make the room
cooler)