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Infinitive and Gerund Form

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Cristian Castilla
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32 views6 pages

Infinitive and Gerund Form

Uploaded by

Cristian Castilla
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Infinitive and gerund form

Infinitive and gerund form


- A gerund is the present participle -ing form of the verb. An infinitive
is to + the base verb (the verb with no ending). Both gerunds and
infinitives are action words in meaning, but they act like nouns in the
sentence. They always take a noun position: a subject or an object of
the main verb.

- A gerund or infinitive is never the main verb

e.g., I hiking and I to study are incorrect.

Students often get confused by the other functions of -ing words in


English. It’s worth pointing out that Be + -ing verb can also be a
progressive verb form, and that -ing adjectives are possible after
the Be verb or before a noun.

I am studying for my test. (present progressive verb; not a gerund)


That game was exciting. (adjective; not a gerund)
Three rules for the gerund form
1. Subject = Gerund: When you need an action as a subject, use a gerund. Infinitives are
possible, but they are very formal and not very common in this position.
Reading is my favorite hobby.
Learning English has improved my confidence.

2. Preposition + Gerund: After a preposition, use a gerund. This is true for prepositions that are
part of phrasal verbs, too.

I thought about calling my grandma, but I was too tired.


Are you planning on going to the party? (In this case we can find the present continuous: are
you planning, followed by the gerund going)

3. Verb + Gerund: A gerund or an infinitive can be used after a main verb. It depends on the
verb, and there isn’t an easy rule for this case. Memorizing the most common verbs that take
a gerund, such as advise, avoid, enjoy, finish, practice, quit, and suggest, is helpful.

My teacher advised studying for the quiz.


They enjoy making crafts in class.

*Don’t forget that some verbs take either a gerund or an infinitive with no change in meaning!
Some common verbs include like, love, and hate.

She likes watching movies.


She likes to watch movies.
Three rules for the infinitive form
1. Adjective + Infinitive: After an adjective, it is common to use an infinitive verb. A gerund is
possible in some cases, but an infinitive is usually the better choice.

It is fun to play video games on the weekend.


It was helpful to learn these grammar rules.

2. Noun + Infinitive: If the main verb has an object that is a noun or a pronoun, it is almost
always followed by an infinitive verb instead of a gerund.

Did you want me to call you


The students asked their teacher to help them.

*Note: This rule is very helpful, because it is stronger than the “verb + gerund” rule. For
example, the verb advise normally takes a gerund (She advised studying for the test), but a
noun/pronoun object will override this rule (She advised her students to study for the test).

3. Verb + Infinitive: A gerund or an infinitive can be used after a main verb. It depends on the
verb, and there isn’t an easy rule for this case. Memorizing the most common verbs that take
a infinitive, such as ask, choose, decide, get, need, plan, promise, and want, is helpful.

He wants to learn Japanese.


We need to clean up this mess.
Negative form
Subject Auxiliary verb Contraction Example
I Will not I won’t I will not travel next week to Mordor.
You Will not You won’t You will not help your mother with the chores.
He Will not He won’t He will not come to the party next week.
She Will not She won’t She will not get married in a couple of years.
It Will not It won’t It will not be easy to pass the exam.
We Will not We won’t We will not clean our house tomorrow.
You Will not You won’t You will not win the game, you’ll see.
They Will not They won’t They will not be late for the meeting.
Interrogative form
Subject Auxiliary verb Example
I Will I?... Will I travel next week to Mordor?
You Will you?... Will you help your mother with the chores?
He Will he?... Will he come to the party next week?
She Will she?... Will she get married in a couple of years?
It Will it?... Will it be easy to pass the exam?
We Will we?... Will we clean our house tomorrow?
You Will you?... Will you win the game?
They Will they?... Will they be late for the meeting?

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