Grammar: Gerunds and Infinitives

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Hello, everyone!! Problems with Gerunds and Infinitives?? Here we go!!

 Infinitives and verb + -ing forms
Infinitives
The infinitive is used:

  • To say why you do something: I've just gone running to get some exercise. He's taken up tennis to make friends.
  • To say why something exists: There's an example to help you.
  • Afrer too and enough: It's too cold to go swimming today. He isn't good enough to make the national team.
The infinitive is used after these verb patterns:
  • Verb + to infinitive: She agreed to meet him after work.
    • Agree, appear, begin, bother, decide, demand, fail, hope, learn, manage, offer, plan, refuse, seem, be supposed, threaten.
  • Verb + (somebody/something) + to infinitive: She expected to win the race. I expect you to play in the match.
    • Ask, choose, expect, help, intend, promise, want.
  • Verb + somebody/something + to infinitive: The money enabled him to go to university.
    • Advise, allow, enable, encourage, forbid, force, invite, order, permit, persuade, recommend, refuse, remind, tell, threaten, warn.
The following verbs from the lists above can be used to report speech:
    • Advise, agree, allow, ask, decide, encourage, forbid, invite, offer, order, permit, persuade, promise, recommend, refuse, remind, tell, threaten, warn.

Verb + -ing
The verb + -ing is used:
  • After prepositions: He's made a lot of friends by joining the tennis club. We watched a film about climbing in the mountains.
  • As subjects or objects of a sentence: Climbing is safer than it looks. He decided to take up adventure racing.
The verb + -ing is used after these verbs:
    • Admit, appreciate, avoid, celebrate, consider, delay, deny, dislike, enjoy, finish, imagine, involve, keep, mind, miss, postpone, practise, regret, risk, stop, suggest.
I really enjoyed winning that match. She suggested playing a game of squash after school.

The following verbs from the list can be used in reported speech:
    • Admit, deny, regret, suggest.
The verb + -ing is used after these expressions:
    • It's not good, it's not worth, it's no use, it's a waste of time, can't stand, can't bear, can't help.
It's not worth joining that sports club. It's a waste of time entering the competition unless you're really fit. I can't bear watching my team when they play badly.

Verbs followed by either an infinitive or a verb + -ing with the same meaning:
    • Begin, continue, hate*, like*, love*, prefer*, start.
I love playing tennis. I love to play tennis.
It continued raining all day. It continued to rain all day.

*When these verbs are used with would, they are always followed by the infinitive: I wouldn't like to do an adventure race. I'd prefer to watch it on television.

Verbs followed by either an infinitive or a verb + -ing with a difference in meaning:
    • Remember (verb + infinitive) -> Did you remember to bring your running shoes? (an action you have to do).
    • Remember (verb + -ing) -> I remember feeling very tired at the end of the race (a memory of something in the past).
    • Forget (verb + infinitive) -> Don't forget to bring your tennis racket (an action you have to do).
    • Forget (verb+ -ing) -> I'll never forget winning my first tennis championship (a memory of something in the past).*
    • Regret (verb + infinitive) -> I regret to tell you the race has been cancelled (regret + to say / to tell / to inform means: I am sorry to give you this information).
    • Regret (verb + -ing) -> I regret not training harder before the race (I'm sorry I didn't do this).
    • Try (verb + infinitive) -> I'm running every day because I'm trying to get fit (my objective is to get fit).
    • Try (verb + -ing) -> If you want to get fit, why don't you try swimming? (swimming is a method to reach your objective).
    • Mean (verb + infinitive) -> Nadal means to win the championship (this is his intention).
    • Mean (verb + -ing) -> I wanted to be a swimming champion, but it meant going to the pool every day at 5.30 (it involved).
    • Stop (verb + infinitive) -> Halfway through the marathon, he stopped to drink some water (in order to drink some water).
    • Stop (verb + -ing) -> When he realised he couldn't win, he stopped running (he didn't continue).
*This form is unusual. It is more normal to use (not) remember:
I don't remember riding a bike the first time.
I gorget riding a bike the first time

Well done!! Let's practise what you have just learned!! Follow me


Brook-Hart, G., (2011). Complete First Certificate for Spanish Speakers Student's Book without Answers with CD-ROM. Cambridge University Press, 80-81, 175.


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