Gerunds and Infinitives (Part I)

1. A gerund is a noun made from a verb by adding "-ing." The gerund form of the verb "read" is "reading." You can use a gerund as the subject, the complement, or the object of a sentence.

Examples:

• Reading helps you learn English. subject of sentence
• Her favorite hobby is reading. complement of sentence
• I enjoy reading. object of sentence

Gerunds can be made negative by adding "not."

Examples:

• He enjoys not working.
• The best thing for your health is not smoking.

2. Infinitives are the "to" form of the verb. The infinitive form of "learn" is "to learn." You can also use an infinitive as the subject, the complement, or the object of a sentence.

Examples:

• To learn is important. subject of sentence
• The most important thing is to learn. complement of sentence
• He wants to learn. object of sentence

Infinitives can be made negative by adding "not."

Examples:

• I decided not to go.
• The most important thing is not to give up.

3. Both gerunds and infinitives can be used as the subject or the complement of a sentence. However, as subjects or complements, gerunds usually sound more like normal, spoken English, whereas infinitives sound more abstract. In the following sentences, gerunds sound more natural and would be more common in everyday English. Infinitives emphasize the possibility or potential for something and sound more philosophical. If this sounds confusing, just remember that 90% of the time, you will use a gerund as the subject or complement of a sentence.

Examples:

• Learning is important. normal subject
• To learn is important. abstract subject - less common
• The most important thing is learning. normal complement
• The most important thing is to learn. abstract complement - less common

4. As the object of a sentence, it is more difficult to choose between a gerund or an infinitive. In such situations, gerunds and infinitives are not normally interchangeable. Usually, the main verb in the sentence determines whether you use a gerund or an infinitive.

Examples:

• He enjoys swimming. "Enjoy" requires a gerund.
• He wants to swim. "Want" requires an infinitive.

5. Some verbs are followed by gerunds as objects. (List of Verbs Followed by Gerunds)

Examples:

• She suggested going to a movie.
• Mary keeps talking about her problems.

6. Some verbs are followed by infinitives. (List of Verbs Followed by Infinitives)

Examples:

• She wants to go to a movie.
• Mary needs to talk about her problems.

Verbs Followed by Gerunds

9 = verb followed by a gerund OR a noun + an infinitive
13 = verb followed by a gerund OR an infinitive with a difference in meaning
14 = verb followed by a gerund OR an infinitive with little difference in meaning

admit	He admitted cheating on the test.
advise [9]	The doctor generally advised drinking low-fat milk.
allow [9]	Ireland doesn't allow smoking in bars.
anticipate	I anticipated arriving late.
appreciate	I appreciated her helping me.
avoid	He avoided talking to her.
begin [14]	I began learning Chinese.
can't bear [14]	He can't bear having so much responsibility.
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 [14]	He can't stand her smoking in the office.
cease [14]	The government ceased providing free healthcare.
complete	He completed renovating the house.
consider	She considered moving to New York.
continue [14]	He continued talking.
defend	The lawyer defended her making such statements.
delay	He delayed doing his taxes.
deny	He denied committing the crime.
despise	She despises waking up early.
discuss	We discussed working at the company.
dislike	She dislikes working after 5 PM.
don't mind	I don't mind helping you.
dread [13]	She dreads getting up at 5 AM.
encourage [9]	He encourages eating healthy foods.
enjoy	We enjoy hiking.
finish [13]	He finished doing his homework.
forget [13]	I forgot giving you my book.
hate [14]	I hate cleaning the bathroom.
imagine	He imagines working there one day.
involve	The job involves traveling to Japan once a month.
keep	She kept interrupting me.
like [14]	She likes listening to music.
love [14]	I love swimming.
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 [13]	The aquarium needs cleaning.
neglect [14]	Sometimes she neglects doing her homework.
permit [9]	California does not permit smoking in restaurants.
postpone	He postponed returning to Paris.
practice	She practiced singing the song.
prefer [14]	He prefers sitting at the back of the movie theater.
propose [14]	I proposed having lunch at the beach.
quit [13]	She quit worrying about the problem.
recall	Tom recalled using his credit card at the store.
recollect	She recollected living in Kenya.
recommend	Tony recommended taking the train.
regret [13]	She regretted saying that.
remember [13]	I remember telling her the address yesterday.
report	He reported her stealing the money.
require [9]	The certificate requires completing two courses.
resent	Nick resented Debbie's being there.
resist	He resisted asking for help.
risk	He risked being caught.
start [14]	He started studying harder.
stop [13]	She stopped working at 5 o'clock.
suggest	They suggested staying at the hotel.
tolerate	I tolerated her talking.
try [13]	Sam tried opening the lock with a paperclip.
understand	I understand his quitting.
urge [9]	They urge recycling bottles and paper.