Gerunds and Infinitives (Part 2)

7. Gerunds can often be modified with possessive forms such as his, her, its, your, their, our, John's, Mary's, the machine's, and so on. This makes it clearer who or what is performing the action.

Examples:

  • I enjoyed their singing. They were singing.
  • She understood his saying no to the offer. He said no.
  • Sam resented Debbie's coming late to the dinner. Debbie came late to the dinner.
  • We discussed the machine's being broken. The machine is broken.

8. Some verbs are followed by a noun plus an infinitive. In some situations, the noun is required. In other situations, the noun is optional. List of Verbs Followed by a Noun + an Infinitive

Examples:

  • The police orderedthe man to stop. noun is required
  • She asked to leave. noun is optional
  • She asked himto leave. noun is optional

9. Some verbs are usually followed by a gerund, BUT they can also be followed by a noun plus infinitive. Using a noun plus infinitive will usually change who is performing the action. List of Verbs followed by a Gerund OR a Noun + Infinitive

Examples:

  • I advised taking the train. in general
  • I advised himto take the train. He will take the train.

10. There are many "go + gerund" expressions used for adventure sports and individual recreational activities.

Examples:

  • I go swimming every weekend.
  • Would you ever go skydiving?

11. Gerunds are used after prepositions. Most commonly, these are "verb + preposition" combinations. For reference, see the Verb + Preposition Dictionary and the Phrasal Verb Dictionary. You don't have to memorize these resources, you just need to remember that gerunds are used after prepositions!

Examples:

  • They admitted tocommitting the crime.
  • Leslie made up forforgetting my birthday.
  • He is thinking aboutstudying abroad.

12. Remember that there are many "adjective + preposition" combinations and "noun + preposition" combinations in English as well. These are also followed by gerunds. (List of Adjective + Preposition Combinations Followed by Gerunds and List of Noun + Preposition Combinations Followed by Gerunds). Once again, you don't have to memorize these resources, you just need to remember that gerunds are used after prepositions!

Examples:

  • Sandy is scared of flying. adjective + preposition
  • Nick is anxious abouttaking the examination. adjective + preposition
  • His interest inbecoming a professional snowboarder was well known. noun + preposition
  • Thomas' story aboutseeing a grizzly bear was really exciting. noun + preposition

Verbs Followed by Nouns + Infinitives

9 9 = verb followed by a gerund OR a noun + an infinitive

10 13 = verb followed by a gerund OR an infinitive with a difference in meaning.

List 1: Verb + Required Noun + Infinitive

advise [9] I advised them to see a doctor.
allow [9] Ireland doesn't allow people to smoke in bars.
cause He caused her to make a mistake.
convince Ned convinced me to quit my job.
enable Financial aid enabled the students to pay such expensive tuition fees.
encourage [9] He encourages his patients to eat healthy foods.
force The commander forced the soldiers to march in the rain.
get (cause to) Isabelle got Mike to wash her car.
hire Mr. Donelly hired Sarah to work as a receptionist.
invite We invited them to join us.
order The police ordered him to put his hands in the air.
permit [9] California doesn't permit people to fish without a fishing license.
remind They reminded me to pay the bills before the end of the month.
require [9] The certificate requires students to complete two courses.
tell He told me to shut up.
urge [9] They urge citizens to recycle bottles and paper.
warn She warned him not to be late.

List 2: Verb + Optional Noun + Infinitive

Notice in the examples below that the verbs can be followed by an infinitive or a noun plus an infinitive. When a noun is added, it usually changes who or what is performing the action. To understand this better, look at the first verb "ask" and its examples. In the first sentence, she is asking if she herself can leave. In the second sentence, she is requesting that a man leave. Study the examples below and consider how the optional noun changes the meaning.

ask She asked to leave. She asked him to leave.
choose I chose to help out. I chose him to help out.
expect They expect to arrive early. The expect him to arrive early.
need [13] I need to clean the house. I need her to clean the house.
prepare They prepared to take the test. They prepared her to take the test.
promise She promised to stop smoking She promised him to stop smoking.
threaten He threatened to leave forever. He threatened her to leave forever.
want I want to study Spanish. I want my son to study Spanish.
wish I wish to stay. I wish him to stay. rare form
would like We would like to start now. We would like him to start now.


Verbs Followed by Either Gerunds OR Nouns + Infinitives

advise I advised seeing a doctor. I advised them to see a doctor.
allow Ireland doesn't allow smoking in bars. Ireland doesn't allow people to smoke in bars.
encourage He encourages eating healthy foods. He encourages his patients to eat healthy foods.
permit California doesn't permit fishing without a fishing license. California doesn't permit people to fish without a fishing license.
require The certificate requires completing two courses. The certificate requires students to complete two courses.
urge They urge recycling bottles and paper. They urge citizens to recycle bottles and paper.

Go + Gerund List

go boating go sailing
go bowling go scuba diving
go bungee jumping go shopping
go camping go sightseeing
go canoeing go skateboarding
go climbing go skating
go dancing go skiing
go fishing go skinny-dipping
go hiking go skydiving
go horseback riding go sledding
go hunting go snorkeling
go jogging go snowboarding
go kayaking go spearfishing
go mountain climbing go surfing
go paragliding go trekking
go parasailing go water skiing
go rollerblading go window shopping
go running go windsurfing

Adjective + Preposition Combinations Followed by Gerunds

The following is ONLY A SAMPLE LIST of the most commonly used adjective + preposition combinations that can be followed by gerunds.

accustomed to He is accustomed to having his own office.
addicted to She is addicted to watching TV.
afraid of She is afraid of speaking in public.
anxious about Norma is anxious about making the presentation.
bored of I am bored of doing the same old job.
capable of He is capable of winning a gold medal.
committed to She is committed to improving her English.
concerned about Nancy was concerned about being late.
content with Tim is content with winning second place.
dedicated to The organization is dedicated to ending poverty.
devoted to The money will be devoted to protecting the environment.
disappointed with Fiona was disappointed with coming in third place.
discouraged by He was discouraged by not getting the job.
excited about The researcher was excited about going to Africa.
famous for That actor is famous for being extremely weird.
fond of She is fond of having picnics.
frightened of She is frightened of being alone at night.
guilty of The banker was guilty of stealing money.
happy about He was happy about winning the lottery.
interested in She is interested in becoming a doctor.
involved in He was involved in making the movie.
known for She was known for causing problems.
proud of He was proud of having completed the marathon.
remembered for She is remembered for protecting mountain gorillas.
responsible for He is responsible for causing the damage.
scared of Tina is scared of being alone at night.
terrified of The surfer is terrified of being attacked by a shark.
tired from She is tired from working all day.
tired of Margaret is tired of making dinner every night.
worried about The hikers were worried about not having enough water.


Noun + Preposition Combinations Followed by Gerunds

The following is ONLY A SAMPLE LIST of the most commonly used noun + preposition combinations that can be followed by gerunds.

addiction to His addiction to surfing the Internet is a problem.
advantage of He has the advantage of speaking English fluently.
anxiety about Her anxiety about speaking in public caused her to lose the job.
belief in His belief in not harming animals was something he learned from his mother.
credit for She took credit for improving the filing system.
dedication to His dedication to teaching was impressive.
delay in The delay in processing the visa caused problems.
devotion to His devotion to biking allowed him to win the competition.
disadvantage of The disadvantage of flying is that you can't see the scenery along the way.
experience in She has a great deal of experience in introducing new products to international markets. With the noun "experience," sometimes a gerund is added without the preposition "in." "Experience introducing new products" would also be acceptable.
fear of His fear of flying made travel difficult.
fondness for Her fondness for traveling led to her career in the travel industry.
habit of His habit of smoking in restaurants caused many problems in California.
interest in Her career as a pilot evolved out of her interest in flying.
knowledge of Her knowledge of climbing helped her during the competition.
love of His love of singing developed when he was a child.
memory of Their memories of traveling in Africa will stay with them forever.
preference for I think his preference for speaking his native language is natural.
process of The process of painting such a large mural is more complicated than you might think.
reaction to His reaction to winning the prize was quite funny.
reason for The main reason for taking the course is to improve your language skills.
regret for The criminal's regret for committing the crime did not convince the judge.
report on The magazine's report on choosing the right car was not well researched.
reputation for Her reputation for lying is well known.
responsibility for His responsibility for completing the project on time was acknowledged by the company.
story about I don't know if I believe his story about seeing a UFO.
talent for His talent for learning languages was impressive.

Subjunctive

Form

Use the simple form of the verb. The simple form is the infinitive without the "to." The simple form of the verb "to go" is "go." The Subjunctive is only noticeable in certain forms and tenses.

Use

The Subjunctive is used to emphasize urgency or importance. It is used after certain expressions (see below).

Examples:

  • I suggest that he study.
  • Is it essential that we be there?
  • Don recommended that you join the committee.

Notice

The Subjunctive is only noticeable in certain forms and tenses. In the examples below, the Subjunctive is not noticeable in theyou-form of the verb, but it is noticeable in the he-form of the verb.

Examples:

  • You try to study often. you-form of "try"
  • It is important that you try to study often. Subjunctive form of "try" looks the same.
  • He tries to study often. he-form of "try"
  • It is important that he try to study often. Subjunctive form of "try" is noticeable here.

Наши рекомендации