Grammar

GERUNDS AND INFINITIVES

 Gerund (-ing) and Infinitive forms of any verb are the invariable, non-personal forms that act as diverse components of a sentence. Take, for instance, the verb go.

            GO

            Gerund form: GOING

            Infinitive form: TO GO

            Bare Infinitive: GO

In context

            Going out the night after an exam is a great idea.
(-ing form acting as Subject)

            I came to the exam just to go out after we finish it.
(infinitive form acting as Purpose Clause)

            I suggested that we could go out after the exam.
                        (bare infinitive form acting as Object)

From these examples, it can be noticed that these invariable forms can have invariable functions in a sentence. For instance, the –ing form is used as the subject of a sentence, whereas the infinitive form is utilized to express a purpose. The bare infinitive, on another level, is attached to the modal verbs. Generally, this is true, and these are the main rules for their use.

Gerund

            The Gerund is used as the Subject of a sentence
                        Smoking is a bad habit.

            However, it can be also used as an Object
                        My father will never give up smoking.

            As long as a preposition appears, the Gerund will be always used after it
                        I don’t see the point of smoking.
Infinitive

            The Infinitive is used to express purpose
                        My parents came home to watch the movie of my wedding.

            However, it can be also used as the Subject – although it is not so common
                        To watch a horror film before going to sleep is not advisable.

            Some adjectives are also attached an Infinitive
                        A Russian three-hour film is not easy to watch.

Bare Infinitive

            The Bare Infinitive is always used after modal verbs
                        We must see the sunset from the beach before going back to home.

            Some special verbs (let, make, help) always go with a Bare Infinitive
                        Let’s see the sunset before it’s too late!

            Some verbs of perception are also attached a Bare Infinitive
                        I saw him see the sunset from a hill.

However, what appears to be more difficult when studying Gerunds and Infinitives is what verb attaches one and which one attaches the other. To make it easier for you, you can find below a list of the most common verbs used with Gerunds and Infinitives:


Nevertheless, there exist other verbs which can be followed by both Gerund and Infinitive forms. Some of them do not imply a change in the meaning, but others do.

Verbs that can be followed by Gerund or Infinitive forms with no changes in meaning
Begin
Continue
Hate
Like
Love
Prefer
Propose
Start

Example: It started raining and It started to rain are semantically identical.

Nonetheless, these verbs entail a significant change of meaning depending on whether they are followed by a Gerund or by an Infinitive.


BIBLIOGRAPHY CONSULTED

http://intermediatespe.blogspot.com.es/2015/05/gerunds-infinitives-list.html

https://www.engvid.com/english-resource/verbs-followed-by-gerunds-and-infinitives/

Did you find it difficult? Let’s put it in practice!

Gap-filling Exercise on this Grammar

Mixed-sentence Exercise on this Grammar


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