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Gerunds
 A gerund is a verb-ing that is used as a noun.
 Gerunds are used:
 As the subject of a sentence.
 With a verb: verb + gerund (object of the sentence)
 With a preposition: preposition + gerund (a gerund is the
only kind of verb that can follow a preposition)
 With a possessive: possessive + gerund
 Gerund as the subject of the sentence:
 Hiking is a good activity to do in the summer time.
 Can have a negative form:
 Not drinking water on a hot day is dangerous,
 Gerunds are always singular even when they are used
as part of a phrase. Use a singular verb with them.
 Eating too many calories is unhealthy.
 Gerunds can follow certain verbs (see chart) and they
become the object of the verb.
 I like riding my bike because it keeps me healthy.
 Gerunds are also used with possessives.
 I dislike George’s eating fast food. (In spoken English
people usually use nouns or object pronouns instead of
the possessive)
 Gerunds can follow a preposition and they are the only
verb form the can do this.
 She read an article about fighting in hockey.
Infinitives
 An infinitive is used after some verbs and is used as a
noun. The form is to + verb.
 Infinitive + verb (subject)
 Verb + infinitive (object)
 Verb + object/object pronoun + infinitive
 Adjective + infinitive
 As the subject of a sentence:
 To procrastinate causes a lot of problems.
 As the object of a sentence:
 I always like to watch movies on the weekend.
 After an object:
 She wanted him to fix her car.
 After an adjective:
 George was afraid to fail. (The adjective describes the
subject and tells the subjects feelings about an action.)
 When forming the negative, use not + infinitive
 They are careful not to give their children a lot of candy.
Gerund OR Infinitive
 Some verbs can be followed by either a gerund or
infinitive.
 In most cases there is no difference in meaning.
 She started singing.
 She started to sing.
 If the main verb is in the progressive form, use an
infinitive only.
 It is beginning to rain.
 NOT: It is beginning raining.
 The verbs “remember” “forget” “regret” “try” and “stop”
can be followed by a gerund or infinitives BUT the
meaning changes.
 I stopped eating pizza because I’m on a diet. (I will not
eat pizza anymore)
 I stopped to eat pizza because I was hungry. (I stopped
doing what I was doing in order to eat pizza.)
 She remembered to turn off the light when she left.
(she turned off the lights)
 She remembered playing with dolls when she was
young. (she recalled the memory of playing with dolls)