Gerunds or Infinitives?
Part I
The basic difference between gerunds andinfinitives is the following:
Using a gerund suggests that you are referring
to real activities or experiences.
Using an infinitive suggests that you are
talking about potential or possible activities or experiences.
So let's say youeat ice cream every day. This is an actual action you are doing. Then you could say: "I like eating ice cream".
On the other hand, if you are on a diet, and you don't usually eat ice cream,then you are talking about a potential action. You could say: "I like to eat ice cream."
When used before the main verb, gerunds tend to sound more like natural English.
For example, the sentence "Playing tennis is a lot of fun" sounds more natural than"To play tennis is a lot of fun". The later sentence sounds more theoretical.
Part II
After the main verb, both gerunds and infinitives can be used.
Themain verb in the sentence determines whether you use a gerund or an infinitive.
Some verbs can take both gerunds and infinitives, with only a slight difference in the meaning (as explained inPart Iabove).
A fewverbs take both gerunds and infinitives, but with an significant difference in the meaning.
Part III
So when you need to decide which one to use, first check whether the main verb is limited only to gerunds, or only to infinitives.
If the verb is not on any of the lists, you can use the following guidelines:
- The word"go" + sports or recreational activitiesusually take a gerund.
Examples: "Let'sgo shopping", "Theywent skiing". - After a prepositionyou should use a gerund.
Examples: "I will talk with youbefore goingto lunch" "I am looking forwardto workingwith you". - Expressions with the words"have", "spend" and "waste"take a gerund.
Examples: "Shehad fun skiing", "Hewasted all his time worrying". - In many cases, the infinitive form is used to show theintention orpurpose.
Examples: "We are hereto help", "He leftto catch the train". - The infinitive form is also used to show thereason.
Examples: "we were sadto hearabout your difficulties", "She was shockedto learnthe truth". - Ifneither of these guidelines apply, simply use the principle inPart Iabove.
Does it describe aconcrete action? Then use a gerund.
Does it describe ageneral or potential action? Then use an infinitive.
Examples: "As a painter, I truly love painting",
"I love to paint. I wish I would paint more often".
Anyhow, whenever you are in doubt,you can always use a dictionary to help you out!
Verbs followed only by gerunds
admit
He admitted stealing the ring.
anticipate
We didn't anticipate winning this match.
appreciate
I really appreciate you coming.
avoid
Let's avoid being late.
can't help
I can't help counting those calories.
complete
He completed baking the apple pie.
consider
She never considered moving to England.
delay
We delayed moving to the new house until the spring.
deny
He will deny stealing that car.
despise
She despises asking for favors.
discuss
We discussed buying a bigger apartment.
dislike
She dislikes cooking and baking.
don't mind
I don't mind waiting.
enjoy
She enjoys reading.
forgive
Can you forgive me for not fixing the car?
imagine
Can you imagine living on the moon?
involve
The new project involves writing and rewriting many reports.
keep
She keeps coming late!
mention
I never mentioned meeting him.
mind
Will he mind switching rooms?
miss
I miss chatting with you.
postpone
Let's postpone going out of town.
practice
He practices playing the guitar daily.
recall
Can you recall ordering this product?
recommend
The doctor recommends resting in bed.
report
They reported seeing him leave with a stranger.
resent
He resents doing it all by himself.
resist
I can't resist liking him.
resume
They resumed talking after the teacher left.
risk
Would you risk losing everything?
suggest
I suggest not taking him too seriously.
tolerate
We can't tolerate being screamed at.
understand
He couldn't understand her leaving so suddenly.
Verbs followed only by infinitives
agree
They agreed to give him a try.
appear
He appeared to know everything.
arrange
I have arranged to meet him on Monday.
ask
She asked to see her doctor.
care
He doesn't care to answer
choose
We chose to ignore it.
claim
He claims to be an expert.
decide
She decided not to go to the party.
demand
I demand to see the person in charge!
deserve
He deserves to win the contest.
expect
He expected to be home sooner.
fail
They failed to follow the instructions.
get
It's not fair that she gets to see him before the others.
happen
I happened to pass by, so we had a chat.
hesitate
Don't hesitate to call.
hope
I hope to see you soon.
intend
She didn't intend to hurt you.
know how
He knows how to to run a business.
learn
He learned to speak Spanish very quickly.
manage
We managed to finish everything on time.
offer
He offered to go for a walk.
plan
You planned to meet us here.
prepare
We were preparing to leave when the phone rang.
pretend
He pretended not to hear a word.
promise
She promised to take us with her next time.
refuse
I refuse to cooperate.
seem
It seems to be broken.
swear
He swore to revenge.
tend
These plants tend to grow slowly.
threaten
He has threatened to hurt us.
undertake
She undertook to design the new collection.
wait
The runners were waiting to start.
want
I want to speak with you in private.
wish
I wish to change my address.
wouldlike
I would like to add something before we continue.
yearn
She yearns to go free.
Verbs followed by gerunds or infinitives
(with a significant difference in the meaning)
forget
He forgotopeningthe window.
(Meaning: He opened the window, but he forgot doing so.)
He forgotto openthe window
(Meaning: he was supposed to open the window, but he forgot.)
regret
She regretsquittingher job.
(She quited her job, and now she regrets it.)
She regretsto quither job.
(She is sorry to quit her job.)
stop
He stoppedchatting.
(He was chatting, and then he stopped.)
He stoppedto chat.
(He was doing something else, and then he stop in order to chat.)
remember
I rememberedlockingthe storage.
(I had a memory in my mind of locking the storage.)
I rememberedto lockthe storage.
(I locked the storage as I should have.)
try
They triedmovingto Australia.
(They moved to Australia for some time to see if it works out for them.)
They triedto moveto Australia.
(They made an attempt to move to Australia, but it wasn't successful. They didn't move to Australia after all.)