GrammarPhile Blog

Understanding Gerunds and Infinitives

Posted by Kelly Creighton   Nov 30, 2017 7:30:00 AM

ing...ing...ing...Gerunds and infinitives are often confused in writing and in everyday speech, even though they seem very different at first glance. Here’s what you need to know, so you can avoid mistakes in your writing.

Gerunds 

All gerunds are verbs that end in “-ing” (without exception) and function as a noun within a sentence. They are commonly referred to as “verbal nouns”—words based on verbs that express an action or a state of being but serve another grammatical function. You can use a gerund as the subject, the complement, or the object of a sentence. Sometimes they can be difficult to identify in a sentence because all present participle words (and some other modifiers) also end in “-ing.” However, gerunds are not used in the present or past continuous tense.

Gerund Word Examples:

  • Studying
  • Making
  • Talking

Gerunds in a Sentence:

  • Bob likes watching scary movies.
  • I enjoy hiking on crisp fall days.
  • Swimming is a great form of exercise.
  • Your denouncing the candidate is attracting a lot of attention.

Infinitives

Infinitives are a bit easier to identify. They’re typically formed by placing the word “to” in front of a simple present form of a verb, although there are a few exceptions. An infinitive will lose the “to” in front of it when it follows certain verbs, such as “feel,” “hear,” “help,” “let,” “make,” “see,” and “watch” (and other verbs associated with the senses) and when it follows modal verbs such as “could” and “should.” They’re also verbals (like gerunds), and can function as adjectives, adverbs, or nouns within a sentence. Because an infinitive does not function as a verb in a sentence, you cannot add “s,” “es,” “ed,” or “-ing” to the end of the verbal.

Examples of Infinitive Phrases:

  • To eat
  • To dream
  • To tell

Infinitive Phrases in a Sentence:

  • It was enjoyable to watch her play the piano at her recital last night.
  • During a scary scene of a movie, she refuses to look at the screen.
  • She always has a book to read with her when she travels abroad.

Notable Rules for Gerunds and Infinitives

Gerunds and infinitives are certainly easy to differentiate from each other when you’re simply identifying them in a sentence—gerunds end in “-ing” and typically infinitives have “to” in front of them. However, when you’re writing sentences yourself and must determine which form to use, it gets a bit more complicated, since the functions of gerunds and infinitives overlap. Gerunds always function as nouns, but infinitives often serve as nouns too. Deciding which to use can be unclear in many situations.

Writers primarily confuse gerunds and infinitives in cases in which one or the other functions as the direct object in a sentence (serves as a noun). Some verbs take gerunds as verbal direct objects exclusively, while other verbs take only infinitives as verbal direct objects, and some verbs can take either. Take note of the tables of verbs listed below, ordered according to the verbal direct object they take.

Verbs That Take Only Infinitives as Verbal Direct Objects

agree

decide

expect

hesitate

learn

need

promise

neglect

hope

want

plan

attempt

propose

intend

pretend

deserve

offer

wait

seem

 

 

Examples:

  • I hope to host a party soon.

(Incorrect: I hope hosting a party soon.)

  • They will attempt to discover a cure for that disease.

(Incorrect: They will attempt discovering a cure for that disease.)

Verbs that Take Only Gerunds as Verbal Direct Objects

deny

risk

delay

consider

can’t help

keep

give up

be fond of

finish

quit

put off

practice

postpone

tolerate

suggest

stop

regret

enjoy

keep (on

dislike

admit

avoid

recall

mind

miss

detest

appreciate

recommend

get/be through

get/be tired of

get/be accustomed to

get/be used to

involve

mention

 

 

 

Examples:

  • I avoid driving in rush hour traffic whenever possible.

(Incorrect: I avoid to drive in rush hour traffic whenever possible.)

  • She will dislike cooking in a kitchen with old appliances.

(Incorrect: She will dislike to cook in a kitchen with old appliances.)

Verbs that Take Gerunds OR Infinitives as Verbal Direct Objects

start

begin

continue

hate

prefer

like

love

try

remember

 

 

 

 

Examples:

  • Penelope likes to go to the beach.

(Also Correct: Penelope likes going to the beach.)

  • George will begin to run down the path.

(Also correct: George will begin running down the path.)

Tips for Using Gerunds and Infinitives

  • While it’s possible to use both infinitives and gerunds as subjects, gerunds are more commonly used as subjects. Consider the following example:
    • Driving very fast here is dangerous.
    • To drive very fast here is dangerous.
  • Infinitives should usually be used after adjectives in a sentence, instead of a gerund. Consider the following examples:
    • Those shoes are too big to wear.
    • It is wonderful to have reliable transportation.
  • Only infinitives are used after sentence objects that are nouns or pronouns referring to a person. Consider the following examples:
    • Can I ask him to help me with my project?
    • Who told you to cook appetizers for the party?
  • Only gerunds are used after prepositions, with one exception. The exception is the preposition “but.” When “but” is used as a preposition, it means the same thing as “except,” which means it will need to be followed by an infinitive (see chart above). Consider the following examples:
    • I am wary of going to the store in the middle of the night.
    • I had no choice but to believe his story after what happened.
  • The verbs “forget” and “remember” have different meanings in a sentence, depending on whether a gerund or an infinitive is used as the object in the sentence. Consider the following example:
    • Susan forgets to take out the dog. 
      (This means: Susan regularly forgets to take out the dog.)
    • Susan forgets taking out the dog. 
      (This means: Susan did take the dog out, but she doesn't remember now.)

While gerunds and infinitives might be easy to identify in a sentence, they’re certainly not easy to write in a sentence. Keep the tables and tips above nearby for the next time gerunds and infinitives trip you up.

 

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Topics: infinitives, gerunds

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