3.8: Gerunds and Infinitives
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Gerunds and Infinitives
I. Basic Ideas and Principles
A gerund is the ing form of the verb (present participle) used as a noun. Therefore, it can occur in all the same places that a noun can occur in a sentence: subject, object, complement, object of a preposition and appositive. Please note: when a preposition is followed by a verb, that verb must always be in the form of a gerund
An infinitive is the base form of the verb with to in front of it. For example, to go, to run, to die, to love, etc. are infinitives. Like a gerund, an infinitive too can also be used as a noun. However, unlike a gerund an infinitive can never be used as the object of a preposition. On the other hand, it can be used in places that neither a noun nor a gerund can be used: as an adverbial or an adverbial modifier. Thus, infinitives are used as subjects, objects, complements, appositives, adverbials and adjective modifiers.
II. Gerunds
I. The following verbs take a gerund after them. The ones with an * next to them can also take an infinitive after them with no change in meaning.
admit advise allow avoid * begin consider
* continue can't help complete defer delay deny
* deserve dislike enjoy finish forget * hate
imagine * like * love miss permit postpone
propose * prefer quit regret remember * start
stop suggest * try take turns *take time resent
acknowledge justify report facilitate anticipate mention
Examples:
I dislike working on Sundays.
He missed seeing his father every day.
She can't help being sick.
I began going to school when I was six years old. / I began to go to school ....
They loved eating pizza every Friday evening. / They loved to eat pizza ....
III. Possessive Gerunds
The following verbs can take a possessive noun or a possessive adjective after them and before a gerund. This is especially true in formal grammar. In informal grammar, native speakers tend to use regular nouns and objective pronouns.
advise appreciate enjoy excuse defend finish
forget forbid hate imagine like dislike
love permit postpone prefer understand suggest
regret remember consider facilitate mention regret
The possessive adjectives are the following: my, your, his, her, its, our, your, their. They are always followed by a noun or a gerund.
Examples:
My books my carrying books
Your music your playing music
Their teacher their teaching me
Possessive nouns end in an apostrophe s (’s) if the noun is singular or in an s apostrophe (s’) if the noun is plural.
Examples: Singular Plural
The boy’s father the boys’ father
The teacher’s books the teachers’ books
My sister’s dresses My sisters’ dresses
Form: Subject Verb Possessive Form Gerund Remainder of the Sentence
Examples:
I appreciate your skipping lines when you do your homework.
He defended the woman's killing her husband because he had beaten her for many years.
I suggest your studying hard for the exam next week.
We regretted their not being able to come to the party.
She hated Bob's hanging around with those lazy boys.
IV. Gerunds after Prepositions
When a verb follows a proposition, the verb must always be in the ing form of the verb, in other words, the present participle form.
Examples:
I have always been interested in studying history all my life.
Many students are worried about attending regular classes with native English speakers.
Teachers disapprove of cheating on exams and quizzes.
Because of cheating, many students fail exams and compositions.
In spite of losing the game, the players were still happy about playing.
Some verbs have two parts to them: the main verb part and a preposition after the verb. These are called two-word verbs. There are thousands of them in English. These two-word verb phrases are always followed by either a noun, a gerund, or some other noun form. If they are followed by a verb, it must be a gerund. Some common examples of two-word verbs are as follows:
to approve of to care about to take care of to congratulate on
to decide between to consist of to dream about to prevent from
to get used to to have a reason for to insist on to look forward to
to decide on to plan on to waste money, time, or energy on
In addition, there are very many passive adjective expressions which also end in a preposition.
to be afraid of to be appropriate for to be accustomed to to be affected by
to be sure of to be grateful to to be worried about to be willing to
to be sensitive to to be tired of to be interested in to be concerned about
V. Infinitives
An infinitive is the base form of the verb with to in front of it. For example, to go, to run, to die, to love, etc. are infinitives. An infinitive can be used as a noun. Thus, infinitives are used as subjects, direct objects, complements, appositives, adverbials and adjective modifiers. However, infinitives can never be used as the object of a preposition.
The following verbs are followed by an infinitive:
Agree Afford Consent
Decide Arrange Decline
Expect Attempt Undertake
Hope Deserve Dread
Intend Fail Can’t wait
Learn Hesitate Mean
Like Manage Commence
Need Offer Endeavor
Plan Prepare Proceed
Promise Pretend Strive
Try Refuse Seek
Want Seem Cease
Examples
I agreed to go to the party with my wife.
We plan to buy a new car next year.
The boy wants to stay overnight at his friend’s house.
The teacher promised to give the students an examination next week.
My son refused to go to the University of Washington.
Children sometimes pretend to be sick when they don’t want to go to school.
I hesitate to borrow anything from anybody.
Students need to manage to go to school, work, and take care of their families every day.
I can’t afford to buy a new car. I don’t have enough money.
Exercise 25: Answer the following questions by using a verb followed by an infinitive, please.
1. Why do you want to learn English?
2. Where do you intend to go after class today?
3. What kind of food do you like to eat?
4. What do you hesitate to do because you are afraid?
5. What do you seek to do in the next year?
6. Tell me something you can’t wait to do.
7. What do little boys pretend to be?
8. What do you strive to do in your life all the time?
9. What do you need to do before you come to class tomorrow?
10. What can’t you afford to buy before next year?
11. Where do you hope to live 10 years from now?
12. Tell me something you would refuse to do.
13. Tell me something that you try to do every day.
Exercise 26: Use the following words in good sentences, please.
1. to prepare
2. to intend
3. to decide
4. to dread
5. to refuse
6. to offer
7. to endeavor
8. to arrange
9. to attempt
10. to undertake
11. to seek
12. to agree
13. to hesitate
VI. Negative Infinitives
To make infinitives negative, put not before them.
Examples
The student promised not to come to class late anymore.
I preferred not to eat out in a restaurant.
The old man prefers not to drive at night.
The boy is planning not to go to college.
My sons often arrange not to be available when I need them to help me in the garden.
My son pretended not to feel well when my wife asked him to clean the bathrooms.
VII. Infinitives with Different Subjects
It is possible in a sentence to have the subject of the sentence be different from the subject of the infinitive. The following are some verbs that can take a different subject for the infinitive:
Would like Persuade Challenge
Expect Get Require
Tell Force Encourage
Advise Help Enable
Order Permit Direct
Urge Invite Prepare
Allow Ask Teach
Examples
I wanted André to go to the store for some milk.
We need Alex to lift up the heavy boxes.
I expected my students to do their homework every night.
I would like my friend to help me on Sunday.
The wife persuaded her husband to go to the doctor’s.
The girl invited her friends to come to the party.
The teacher urged the students to study.
VIII. Infinitives with Adjectives before Them
Infinitives often follow adjectives. The infinitive is the complement of the adjective because the adjective needs the infinitive to give meaning to the adjective. Very often adjectives with infinitive complements follow sentences that begin with the expletive It. It has no meaning in these sentences; it is just serving as the subject of the sentence.
Examples
The English teacher was happy to help the student with her composition.
My wife was delighted to bake a birthday cake for our sons when they were boys.
It is difficult to learn English grammar.
All of the students were unhappy to hear the results of the examination.
My father was always willing to take all of my friends fishing when I was a boy.
I am content to continue to teach for a long time.
It is easy to ride a bicycle.
It is enjoyable to lie on a beach and do nothing.
It is impossible for a man to have a baby.
It is advisable to study before an examination.
It isn’t smart to speed in a car on snow.
It is foolish to waste money on stupid things.
It is unethical to cheat on an examination.
IX. Infinitives with Adjectives and Too and Enough and Very
Too, Enough and Very are called quantifiers in grammar. Too means that something is excessive. It is negative in meaning. Enough means that something is sufficient. It is affirmative in meaning. Very only means to a high degree, “a lot.” Very does not say either excessive or sufficient; it just says a lot. Many times people use the preposition for with these words.
Examples:
A new car is too expensive to buy. I can’t buy one.
I am too old to play football. I can’t play anymore.
To speak Chinese is too difficult for me to do. I can’t do it.
My sister is too short to reach the shelves in the cupboard. She is only 5 feet tall.
It is too cold for people to go outside in winter. People don’t want to go outside.
The hat is too small for my son to wear. He can’t wear it. His head is too big.
I am old enough to be your grandfather. I am just waiting for my sons to become fathers.
Sixteen-year-old children are old enough to drive. They can drive legally.
My son is strong enough to lift 200 pounds. He is strong enough. He can do it.
This exercise is easy enough for my students to do. They can do it.
The weather in the summer is warm enough for people to go swimming in Green Lake. They can go swimming.
The girl is very beautiful. Men and women think she looks great.
My sister is very kind to animals and people. She is never mean or not nice to anyone.
Alaska is very cold in winter. Bears like it, but most people don’t like living there.
New houses are very expensive to buy in the Seattle area. Only people with money can buy one.
Exercise 27: Answer the following question using a negative infinitive, please.
1. Tell me something you decided not to do.
2. Who do you not want to talk to?
3. Tell me a job you intend not to seek.
4. Tell me something you try not to do.
5. Tell me something you promised your mother not to do when you were a boy or girl.
6. What do you hope never to happen to you.
7. What will you need not to learn in your life?
8. What did you manage not to do last week?
9. Tell me something you decided not to buy.
10. What did you learn not to do when you were younger?
11. When did you mean not to say something?
12. What would parents not like their children to do?
13. What do you hope not to do again in the future?
Exercise 28: Answer the following questions with infinitives with different subjects, please.
1. What would you like me to do?
2. Who did you help to do something recently?
3. What did your parents permit you to do when you were younger?
4. What do I require you to do when you do homework for me?
5. What did your parents require you to do when you were younger?
6. What did you urge someone to do?
7. What do I allow you to do in my classroom?
8. Who persuaded you to come to America?
9. Who sometimes needs you to help them?
10. What do teachers expect their students to do?
11. What will learning English enable you to do?
12. What did your father permit you to do?
13. What is it sometimes difficult to get babies to do?
Exercise 29: Answer the following questions using an adjective followed by an infinitive, please.
1. Tell me something that is fun to do.
2. Tell me something that is difficult to do.
3. Tell me something that is enjoyable to do.
4. Tell me a game that is fun to play.
5. Tell me something that is not good to do.
6. Tell me something that is stupid to do.
7. Tell me something that is important to do.
8. Tell me something that is unlucky to do in your culture.
9. Tell me something that you are too old to do.
10. Tell me something that you are sometimes too tired to do.
11. Tell me something that is too expensive for you to buy.
12. Tell me something that is too difficult for old people to do.
13. Tell me something that is too heavy for you to lift.
X. Infinitives after Nouns
Infinitives sometimes follow nouns to express the purpose of the nouns.
Examples
I bought a new chair to sit on.
My friend uses a hose to water his garden.
I use an old knife to peel apples with.
My wife uses pots and pans to cook food in.
I have red pens to correct papers with.
He took out a handkerchief to blow his nose.
The policeman pulled out his gun to shoot the robber.
The violinist picked up his violin to play the musical piece he wrote.
XI. Verbs (Forget, Remember, Stop, Quit) that Have Different Meanings when Followed by a Gerund than when followed by an Infinitive
Forget + Infinitive: The forgetting occurs before the idea of the infinitive didn’t happen.
Examples:
The man forgot to buy milk on his way home from work. [First, the man forgot, so he didn’t buy the milk.]
I forgot to feed the dog. [First I forgot, so I didn’t feed the dog.]
My sister forgot to send me a birthday card. [First she forgot, so she didn’t send me a card.]
Forget + Gerund: The forgetting occurs after the idea of the gerund did happen.
Examples:
I forgot taking my medicine. [First I took the medicine, and then I forgot that I took it.]
The teacher forgot making copies of an assignment for his students. [First the teacher made the copies, and then he forgot that he had already made them.]
The old man forgot telling me the story. [First the old man told me the story, and then he told me the same story again because he didn’t remember telling me the story before.]
Remember + Infinitive: Someone is telling the person not to forget to do something.
Examples:
I want my students to remember to study the past participles before the final exam. Don’t forget to study them.
My son remembered to call home last night from Japan. He called home around 11:00 PM last night. He didn’t forget to call home.
Remember + Gerund: The remembering takes place after the action of the gerund. It means not forgetting that you did something.
Examples:
I remember sending her a birthday day card. I sent the card and I remember that I sent it.
I remember going fishing with my father when I was a boy. I remember that we went fishing. I won’t ever forget that we went fishing together.
When I was with my sister last summer, we were talking about old times. We both remembered my having to go to her kindergarten class to sit with her because she was afraid and crying.
Stop + Infinitive: The stopping of one action takes place before another action happens.
Examples:
While the man was driving home from work, he stopped to buy some milk at Safeway.
The boy was playing a video game, but he stopped [playing the video game] to eat dinner with his family.
While the young men were sitting and talking in a café, they stopped to look at a pretty girl who was walking by the café window.
Stop + Gerund: The stopping of one action is complete at least for a short while.
Examples:
At the age of 35, my brother stopped smoking. He never smoked again.
I wish my students would stop making mistakes in grammar and writing.
The man’s heart stopped beating when he died.
Quit + Infinitive: The quitting of one action takes place before another action happens.
Examples:
The boy quit (school) to take a job.
The men quit working for fifteen minutes to take a break.
The students were arguing. They quit arguing when the teacher came into the room.
Quit + Gerund: The quitting of one action is complete at least for a short while.
Examples:
The man’s wife quit complaining about his being a couch potato.
I quit trying to learn Portuguese.
It quit raining in Seattle last week.