uses of gerunds and infinitives, infinitive without to, intermediate level

1. GERUNDS AND INFINITIVES

2. GERUNDS I
 When a verb is the subject of a sentence:
Ex.: Smoking is bad for you.
 After prepositions and phrasal verbs:
Ex.: I’m tired of studying, I really want to give up
smoking.
 After go+many activities and sports: go
swimming, go shopping:
Ex.: Did you go shopping last weekend?

3. GERUNDS II
 After some verbs:
1) “Like” verbs: like, dislike, hate, prefer, love when
we talk generally
Ex.: I love coming to class.
They often take the infinitive when we talk specifically:
Ex: I prefer to come to the morning class because I
fall asleep in the afternoon.
2) Other verbs: enjoy, mind, fancy, finish, practise,
spend, suggest, stop, risk, miss, consider, imagine,
avoid, delay, postpone, involve and some expressions
like can’t help, to be worth.
Ex.: I suggest going to London in summer.

4. INFINITIVES
 After adjectives:
Ex.: It’s important to study every day.
 For reason or purpose:
Ex.: I study English to get a better job.
 Normally after another verb (also with
verb+person):
Ex.: I want to be rich.
I want her to be happy/ I told you to shut
up
 Always after would like, would love, would hate,
would prefer:
Ex.: I’d like to be rich/ I’d like him to be rich

5. INFINITIVE OR GERUND
 After some verbs: begin, continue, start.
 Ex.: When did you start studying/to study?

6. INFINITIVE WITHOUT TO
 After modal verbs and some expression like
would rather.
Ex.: You must study every day.
 After make, let and, optionally, help.
Ex.: Make me feel good!
BUT with make in the passive, we use infinitive with
to:
Ex.: We were made to wear a uniform.

7. DIFFERENCES IN MEANING I
 TRY:
1)+infinitive: make an effort
Ex.: I’ll try to do the homework.
2)+gerund: do it as a test or experiment
Ex.: The photocopier doesn’t work. Try pressing the
red button.
 REMEMBER/FORGET
1)+infinitive: for an action you’ll do later: first you
remember or forget, then you do the action:
Ex.: Remember to phone him/Don’t forget to phone
it.
2)+gerund: for an action you did in the past: first you
did the action, now you remember it (or you forgot
about it).
Ex.: I don’t remember talking to him last night. I was
really drunk!

8. DIFFERENCES IN MEANING II
3) Normally need+infinitive:
Ex.: You really need to wash your car.
 But need+gerund has a passive meaning:
Ex.: Your car needs washing (to be washed).
4) Also compare these differences with the verb
stop:
Ex: He stopped smoking (he gave up smoking)
He stopped to smoke a cigarette (he took a
break, stopped doing what he was doing in order
to smoke)