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Using Gerunds and Infinitives After Verbs: A Comprehensive Guide

ByLisa_Green

Mastering the use of gerunds and infinitives after verbs is crucial for achieving fluency and accuracy in English. This grammar point often confuses learners because some verbs are followed by gerunds, others by infinitives, and some by either with varying meanings.

Understanding these rules and patterns will significantly improve your writing and speaking skills. This article provides a comprehensive overview suitable for English language learners of all levels, from beginners to advanced students, and anyone seeking to refine their understanding of English grammar.

Table of Contents

Introduction

The correct usage of gerunds and infinitives after verbs is a linchpin of advanced English grammar. This specific area often presents a challenge for English language learners because the rules can seem arbitrary at first glance.

Choosing the right form impacts not only the grammatical correctness but also the clarity and precision of your communication. Mastering the nuances of when to use a gerund versus an infinitive is essential for confident and effective expression in both written and spoken English.

This guide is designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of this critical grammar topic.

Definition of Gerunds and Infinitives

Gerunds and infinitives are both verb forms that can function as nouns, but they have distinct structures and uses. Understanding these differences is the first step towards mastering their usage.

Gerunds

A gerund is a verb form ending in “-ing” that functions as a noun. It can occupy any position in a sentence that a noun can, such as the subject, object, or complement. Gerunds describe activities or actions in a general sense.

Infinitives

An infinitive is the base form of a verb, usually preceded by “to.” It can function as a noun, adjective, or adverb. Infinitives often express purpose, possibility, or potential.

Structural Breakdown

Understanding the structure of gerunds and infinitives is essential for correctly incorporating them into sentences.

Gerund Structure

The basic structure of a gerund is verb + -ing. It can be modified by adverbs or followed by objects and complements, just like a verb.

Infinitive Structure

The basic structure of an infinitive is to + base form of the verb. It can be modified by adverbs or followed by objects and complements.

Verbs Followed by Gerunds

Certain verbs are consistently followed by gerunds. These verbs often express enjoyment, avoidance, or completion of an action.

Recognizing these patterns is key to mastering this grammar point.

Examples of Verbs Followed by Gerunds

Here are some common verbs that are typically followed by gerunds:

  • Admit
  • Appreciate
  • Avoid
  • Consider
  • Delay
  • Deny
  • Detest
  • Dislike
  • Enjoy
  • Finish
  • Imagine
  • Keep
  • Mention
  • Mind
  • Miss
  • Postpone
  • Practice
  • Quit
  • Recommend
  • Resist
  • Risk
  • Suggest
  • Understand

The table below provides examples of these verbs used with gerunds in sentences.

Verb Example Sentence
Admit He admitted stealing the cookies.
Appreciate I appreciate you helping me with this project.
Avoid She tries to avoid going to crowded places.
Consider We are considering moving to a new city.
Delay They delayed making a decision until the last minute.
Deny He denied knowing anything about the incident.
Detest I detest cleaning the bathroom.
Dislike She dislikes working late.
Enjoy We enjoy playing board games on weekends.
Finish Have you finished writing your essay?
Imagine Can you imagine living on Mars?
Keep Please keep practicing your piano.
Mention He mentioned seeing her at the party.
Mind Do you mind helping me with this?
Miss I miss traveling to new places.
Postpone They postponed having the meeting until next week.
Practice You should practice speaking English every day.
Quit He quit smoking last year.
Recommend I recommend reading this book.
Resist I couldn’t resist eating the cake.
Risk They risked losing everything by investing in that company.
Suggest I suggest taking a break.
Understand I understand wanting to leave early.
Advise She advises taking the train.
Allow They don’t allow smoking here.
Anticipate I anticipate having a great time.
Acknowledge He acknowledged making a mistake.

Many phrasal verbs also require a gerund after them. Here are some examples:

  • Give up
  • Look forward to
  • Put off
  • Keep on
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The table below provides examples of these phrasal verbs used with gerunds in sentences.

Phrasal Verb Example Sentence
Give up Don’t give up trying.
Look forward to I look forward to seeing you soon.
Put off Don’t put off doing your homework.
Keep on Keep on practicing and you’ll improve.
Get through I finally got through finishing the book.
Take to She took to playing the piano quickly.
Confess to He confessed to lying about his age.
Resort to They had to resort to borrowing money.
Devote to She devoted her life to helping others.
Adjust to It took me a while to adjust to living in the city.
Lead to His actions led to losing the game.
Object to I object to paying such high fees.
Result in The accident resulted in closing the road.
Attend to The nurse attended to cleaning the wound.
See about I’ll see about getting you a ticket.
Count on You can count on me helping you.
Get around to I finally got around to fixing the car.
Rely on You can rely on her organizing everything.
Turn to He turned to writing as a way to cope.
Submit to They submitted to following the rules.

Verbs Followed by Infinitives

Many verbs are consistently followed by infinitives. These verbs often express intention, desire, or expectation.

Recognizing these patterns is crucial for correct usage.

Examples of Verbs Followed by Infinitives

Here are some common verbs that are typically followed by infinitives:

  • Agree
  • Appear
  • Arrange
  • Ask
  • Attempt
  • Choose
  • Claim
  • Dare
  • Decide
  • Demand
  • Deserve
  • Expect
  • Fail
  • Hesitate
  • Hope
  • Learn
  • Manage
  • Need
  • Offer
  • Plan
  • Prepare
  • Pretend
  • Promise
  • Refuse
  • Seem
  • Strive
  • Swear
  • Tend
  • Threaten
  • Want
  • Wish

The table below provides examples of these verbs used with infinitives in sentences.

Verb Example Sentence
Agree I agree to help you.
Appear She appears to be tired.
Arrange They arranged to meet at the cafe.
Ask He asked to leave early.
Attempt She attempted to climb the mountain.
Choose I choose to stay here.
Claim He claimed to be a doctor.
Dare I dare you to jump in the pool.
Decide We decided to go to the beach.
Demand He demanded to speak to the manager.
Deserve You deserve to win.
Expect I expect to finish the project soon.
Fail He failed to pass the test.
Hesitate Don’t hesitate to ask for help.
Hope I hope to see you again.
Learn I am learning to play the guitar.
Manage I managed to finish the work on time.
Need I need to buy groceries.
Offer He offered to help me.
Plan We plan to travel to Europe next year.
Prepare I need to prepare to give a presentation.
Pretend He pretended to be asleep.
Promise I promise to be there on time.
Refuse He refused to answer the question.
Seem She seems to be happy.
Strive We strive to provide excellent service.
Swear I swear to tell the truth.
Tend People tend to forget things easily.
Threaten He threatened to call the police.
Want I want to eat pizza.
Wish I wish to travel the world.

Certain verbs followed by an object also take an infinitive.

  • Advise
  • Allow
  • Encourage
  • Invite
  • Order
  • Persuade
  • Remind
  • Teach
  • Tell
  • Warn

The table below provides examples of these verbs used with objects and infinitives in sentences.

Verb Example Sentence
Advise I advise you to see a doctor.
Allow They don’t allow us to park here.
Encourage My parents encouraged me to study hard.
Invite I invited her to come to the party.
Order The judge ordered him to pay a fine.
Persuade I persuaded him to join the team.
Remind Remind me to buy milk.
Teach She taught me to play the piano.
Tell I told him to be careful.
Warn I warned them not to go there.
Forbid They forbid us to enter the building.
Compel The law compels citizens to pay taxes.
Urge I urge you to reconsider your decision.
Challenge He challenged me to race him.
Entitle The ticket entitles you to enter the event.
Enable The software enables users to create complex designs.
Authorize The manager authorized them to proceed with the project.
Designate They designated her to lead the team.
Train The company trains employees to use the new system.
Pressure They pressured him to accept the offer.

Verbs Followed by Either Gerunds or Infinitives

Some verbs can be followed by either a gerund or an infinitive, sometimes with a change in meaning. Understanding these nuances is essential for precise communication.

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Examples of Verbs Followed by Either

Here are some common verbs that can be followed by either a gerund or an infinitive:

  • Begin
  • Continue
  • Hate
  • Like
  • Love
  • Prefer
  • Start
  • Remember
  • Forget
  • Regret
  • Try
  • Stop

The table below provides examples of these verbs used with both gerunds and infinitives in sentences.

Verb Gerund Example Infinitive Example
Begin It began raining. It began to rain.
Continue He continued working. He continued to work.
Hate I hate cleaning. I hate to clean.
Like I like swimming. I like to swim.
Love I love reading. I love to read.
Prefer I prefer walking. I prefer to walk.
Start It started snowing. It started to snow.
Remember I remember meeting her. I remembered to meet her.
Forget I forgot locking the door. I forgot to lock the door.
Regret I regret saying that. I regret to say that.
Try Try eating it. Try to eat it.
Stop I stopped smoking. I stopped to smoke.

Changing Meanings

For some verbs, the choice between a gerund and an infinitive significantly alters the sentence’s meaning. For example:

  • Remember: “I remember meeting her” means you have a memory of the event. “I remembered to meet her” means you recalled your obligation and fulfilled it.
  • Forget: “I forgot locking the door” means you have no memory of locking it. “I forgot to lock the door” means you failed to lock it.
  • Regret: “I regret saying that” means you are sorry for what you said. “I regret to say that” means you are about to announce something unpleasant.
  • Try: “Try eating it” means to experiment with eating it. “Try to eat it” means to make an effort to eat it.
  • Stop: “I stopped smoking” means you quit the habit. “I stopped to smoke” means you paused another activity in order to smoke.

Usage Rules

Understanding the specific rules governing the use of gerunds and infinitives is vital for avoiding common errors and achieving grammatical accuracy.

Gerund Usage Rules

Here are some key rules for using gerunds:

  • Use a gerund after prepositions (e.g., “He is good at playing the piano”).
  • Use a gerund as the subject of a sentence (e.g., “Swimming is good exercise”).
  • Use a gerund after verbs that express enjoyment, avoidance, or completion (as listed above).

Gerunds are often used to describe activities or actions in a general or habitual sense. For example, “I enjoy reading novels” implies a general enjoyment of the activity.

Infinitive Usage Rules

Here are some key rules for using infinitives:

  • Use an infinitive to express purpose (e.g., “I went to the store to buy milk”).
  • Use an infinitive after adjectives (e.g., “It is important to study hard”).
  • Use an infinitive after verbs that express intention, desire, or expectation (as listed above).

Infinitives are often used to describe specific actions or intentions. For example, “I want to travel to Europe” implies a specific desire to perform that action.

Common Mistakes

Many learners make common mistakes when using gerunds and infinitives. Being aware of these pitfalls can help you avoid them.

Gerund Mistakes

A common mistake is using an infinitive after a preposition. The correct form is always a gerund.

For example:

  • Incorrect: He is good at to play the piano.
  • Correct: He is good at playing the piano.

Another mistake is using an infinitive after verbs that require a gerund. For example:

  • Incorrect: I enjoy to swim.
  • Correct: I enjoy swimming.

Infinitive Mistakes

A common mistake is using a gerund to express purpose. The correct form is always an infinitive.

For example:

  • Incorrect: I went to the store buying milk.
  • Correct: I went to the store to buy milk.

Another mistake is using a gerund after verbs that require an infinitive. For example:

  • Incorrect: I want eating pizza.
  • Correct: I want to eat pizza.

Practice Exercises

These exercises will help you solidify your understanding of gerunds and infinitives.

Exercise 1: Choose the Correct Form

Choose the correct form (gerund or infinitive) to complete each sentence.

Question Answer
1. I enjoy ________ (read) books. reading
2. She wants ________ (travel) the world. to travel
3. He is good at ________ (play) football. playing
4. They decided ________ (go) to the beach. to go
5. I avoid ________ (eat) fast food. eating
6. We plan ________ (visit) Europe next year. to visit
7. She suggested ________ (see) a movie. seeing
8. He offered ________ (help) me with the project. to help
9. I miss ________ (travel) to new places. traveling
10. They agreed ________ (meet) at the cafe. to meet

Exercise 2: Fill in the Blanks

Fill in the blanks with the correct form (gerund or infinitive) of the verb in parentheses.

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Question Answer
1. He stopped ________ (smoke) last year. smoking
2. I remembered ________ (lock) the door. to lock
3. She regrets ________ (say) that. saying
4. Try ________ (eat) the soup; it’s delicious. eating
5. I forgot ________ (bring) my wallet. to bring
6. He tried ________ (lift) the heavy box. to lift
7. I regret ________ (inform) you that your application has been rejected. to inform
8. They stopped ________ (rest) after running for an hour. to rest
9. I remember ________ (visit) Paris as a child. visiting
10. She forgot ________ (turn off) the lights. to turn off

Exercise 3: Error Correction

Identify and correct the errors in the following sentences.

Question Corrected Answer
1. I enjoy to read books. I enjoy reading books.
2. She wants traveling the world. She wants to travel the world.
3. He is good at to play football. He is good at playing football.
4. They decided going to the beach. They decided to go to the beach.
5. I avoid to eat fast food. I avoid eating fast food.
6. We plan visiting Europe next year. We plan to visit Europe next year.
7. She suggested to see a movie. She suggested seeing a movie.
8. He offered helping me with the project. He offered to help me with the project.
9. I miss to travel to new places. I miss traveling to new places.
10. They agreed meet at the cafe. They agreed to meet at the cafe.

Advanced Topics

For advanced learners, understanding perfect and passive gerunds and infinitives can further refine their grammar skills.

Perfect Gerunds and Infinitives

Perfect gerunds (having + past participle) and infinitives (to have + past participle) are used to describe actions that occurred before the action of the main verb. For example:

  • “He denied having stolen the money” (perfect gerund).
  • “She seems to have finished the work” (perfect infinitive).

Passive Gerunds and Infinitives

Passive gerunds (being + past participle) and infinitives (to be + past participle) are used to describe actions being done to the subject. For example:

  • “He enjoys being driven to work” (passive gerund).
  • “She wants to be invited to the party” (passive infinitive).

FAQ

Here are some frequently asked questions about gerunds and infinitives.

  1. What is the difference between a gerund and a present participle?

    A gerund functions as a noun, while a present participle functions as an adjective or part of a continuous verb tense. For example, in “Swimming is fun,” swimming is a gerund. In “I am swimming,” swimming is a present participle.

  2. How can I remember which verbs are followed by gerunds and which are followed by infinitives?

    One helpful strategy is to group verbs into categories based on their meaning (e.g., verbs of enjoyment, intention, etc.). Creating flashcards and practicing regularly can also help you memorize these patterns.

  3. Are there any exceptions to the rules about gerunds and infinitives?

    Yes, there are always exceptions in English grammar. Some verbs can be followed by either a gerund or an infinitive with little or no change in meaning (e.g., “begin,” “continue”). However, for other verbs, the choice between a gerund and an infinitive significantly alters the meaning (e.g., “remember,” “forget”).

  4. Can a gerund or infinitive have its own subject?

    Yes, a gerund or infinitive can have its own subject, usually indicated by a possessive adjective or pronoun for gerunds (e.g., “I appreciate your helping me”) and with “for” + object pronoun for infinitives (e.g., “It is important for him to study“).

  5. What is a bare infinitive?

    A bare infinitive is the base form of a verb without “to.” It is used after modal verbs (e.g., “can,” “should,” “must”) and certain other verbs (e.g., “let,” “make,” “see,” “hear”). For example, “I can swim” and “I saw him leave.”

  6. How do I use gerunds and infinitives in negative sentences?

    To make a ger

    und or infinitive negative, place “not” before it. For example, “I enjoy not working on weekends” and “It is important not to be late.”

Conclusion

Mastering the use of gerunds and infinitives after verbs is a challenging but essential aspect of English grammar. By understanding the definitions, structures, and usage rules outlined in this guide, you can significantly improve your accuracy and fluency.

Remember to practice regularly and pay attention to the nuances of meaning when choosing between a gerund and an infinitive. With consistent effort, you can confidently navigate this complex grammar point and express yourself with greater precision and clarity.

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