Gerunds and infinitives

2. TheThe gerundgerund can be used:can be used:
• As the subject of a verbAs the subject of a verb
• After a prepositionAfter a preposition
•After certain verbsAfter certain verbs
Smoking is bad for your health
He is good at cooking
I love swimming

4. After certain expression
with it or there + gerund
• It is no use worrying
• It is no good talking to my dad
• Is there any point (in) asking him?

5. After certain verbal expressions:
• CAN’T STAND
• CAN’T HELP
• BE/GET USED TO
• DON’T MIND/WOULD MIND
• FEEL LIKE
“I can’t help getting angry when pupils speak in
class”
We select the –ing form....

6. List of verbs followed by –ing form
Verbs Followed by a Gerund
“They enjoyed working on the boat”.
admit
advise
appreciate
avoid
can't help
complete
consider
delay
deny
detest
dislike
enjoy
escape
excuse
finish
forbid
get
through
have
imagine
mind
miss
permit
postpone
practice
quit
recall
report
resent
resist
resume
risk
spend
(time)
suggest
tolerate
waste
(time)

7. TheThe infinitiveinfinitive can be used:can be used:
• To express purposeTo express purpose
• After adjectivesAfter adjectives
•After certain verbsAfter certain verbs
He is studying harder to pass his final exams.
He is happy to announce his daughter’s wedding
I want to be a teacher

8. Infinitive with to +
• After nouns formed from vbs
– E.g. Hope
• After expressions with quantifiers
– E.g. Enough, too much, a lot, plenty of
• After something, anywhere
– Is there anything to eat?
• After question words (except why)
• After superlatives and first, second,
last.

9. LET / MAKE
(+ bare infinitive)
– Let me explain what has happened.
– She made me do it
– In the passive, make is followed by
the infinitive (with to)
• I was made to do it.

10. List of verbs followed by Infinitive
Verbs Followed by an Infinitive
“She agreed to speak before the game.”
agree
aim
appear
arrange
ask
attempt
be able
beg
begin
care
choose
condescend
consent
continue
dare
decide
deserve
detest
dislike
expect
fail
forget
get
happen
have
hesitate
hope
hurry
intend
leap
leave
like
long
love
mean
neglect
offer
ought
plan
prefer
prepare
proceed
promise
propose
refuse
remember
say
shoot
start
stop
strive
swear
threaten
try
use
wait
want
wish

11. Verbs followed by Object
and an Infinitive:
Verbs Followed by an Object and an Infinitive
“Everyone expected her to win.”
advise
allow
ask
beg
bring
build
buy
challenge
choose
command
dare
direct
encourage
expect
forbid
force
have
hire
instruct
invite
lead
leave
let
like
love
motivate
order
pay
permit
persuade
prepare
promise
remind
require
send
teach
tell
urge
want
warn
Note: Some of these verbs are included in the list above
and may be used without an object.

13. Verbs that can be followed by both
“INFINITIVE” or “-ING”
•No change in meaning: begin, continue, start...
•Change in meaning: Remember, stop …

14. STOP
• STOP + -ING:
To give up doing
something
• STOP +
INFINITIVE:
To interrupt an
action to do
something else
You should stop smoking, it
will kill you!
Let’s stop here to have a
drink!

15. REMEMBER
• REMEMBER + -ING:
It refers to something
done in the past
• REMEMBER +
INFINITIVE:
It refers to the future.
I will always remember
meeting you for the first
time.
You should remember to
call Mr Jones to put off
the meeting.
You should remember to
post the letter.

16. FORGET
• FORGET + ING :
To express that
we’ve forgotten
something which
was done in the
past.
• FORGET +
INFINITIVE:
To forget doing
something.
I forgot talking to you!
(you talked, but you don’t
remember)
I forgot to call you on your
birthday.
(you didn’t call, so you
didn’t remember)

17. REGRET
• REGRET + ING :
To regret something
from the past.
• REGRET +
INFINITIVE:
To make bad news
public.
She regrets breaking up
with him.
I regret to tell you have
failed the driving test.

18. TRY
• TRY + ING :
‘Experiment with
something’
• TRY +
INFINITIVE:
‘Attempt”
I cannot sleep because of
the heavy traffic. Why
don’t you try closing the
window?
I tried to open the door but I
couldn’t.
Why don’t you try using this
key?

19. V-ING
(doing)
TO+ INF
(to do)
INF
(do)
V+inf/Gerund
(no change in
meaning)
V+inf/Gerund
(change in
meaning)
1. After
prepositions and
phrasal verbs.
2. As the subject
of the sentence.
3. After some
verbs:
Admit, avoid,
enjoy, hate, finish,
like, love, mind,
miss, practise, risk,
spend, stand, stop,
suggest, waste.
1. After
adjectives.
2. To express
purpose or
reason.
3. After some
verbs:
afford, agree,
decide, encourage,
expect, help, hope,
invite, learn, need,
offer, plan,
pretend, promise,
refuse, seem, want,
would like, MAKE
1. After modal
verbs and
auxiliaries.
2. After let,
make.
After:
begin
continue
start
After:
TRY
REMEMBER
FORGET
STOP
REGRET

20. PASSIVE VOICE

21. PASSIVE GERUND
• I remember my mother taking me to
the zoo.
• I remember being taken to the zoo
by my mother.

22. Infinitive Gerund
Active Passive Active Passive
…to take
…must take
…to meet
…should meet
…to be taken …
must be taken
…to be met
…should be met
…taking
…meeting
…being taken
…being met

23. • Often there is no difference between
using a simple gerund or infinitive and a
perfect gerund or infinitive, e.g.
– He denied stealing / having stolen the money.
– It was our fault. We were silly not to lock / not
to have locked the car.

24. When do we use the
passive gerund or passive
infinitive?
• We use them to describe actions
which are done to the subject
– E.g. She hates being told she should do
more exercise.
– My car needs to be serviced.

25. When do we use a
perfect gerund or a
perfect infinitive?
• We use them if we want to emphasize
that an action is completed or in
the past.
– E.g. He thanked them for having helped
him.
– How wonderful to have finished all our
exams!

26. WOULD LIKE + PERFECT
INFITIVE
• It refers to an earlier action.
• E.g. I would like to see the Big Ben.
• I would like to have seen the Big Ben.

27. WOULD LIKE +
CONTINUOUS
INFINITIVE
• We use a continuous infinitive to say
that an action is in progress around
the time we are talking about.
• E.g. I’d like to be lying on the beach
right now.