GERUND OR INFINITIVE?

1. Verbs expressing likes/dislikes/desires)

The two groups of verbs below can be followed either by the gerund or by the infinitive. Usually this has almost no effect
on the meaning. Hate, like, love, prefer
Example: to prefer
I prefer to live in an apartment.
I prefer living in an apartment.
Notes:
1. The verbs hate, love, like, prefer are usually followed by a gerund (-ing) when the meaning is general, and
by a to-infinitive when they refer to a particular time or situation.
Compare:
♦I hate to tell you, but Uncle Jim is coming this weekend.
♦I hate looking after elderly relatives!
♦I love dancing.
You must always use the to-infinitive with the expressions “would”.
• I would love to dance with you.
2. Verbs followed by the gerund
The gerund is used after the verb enjoy. I enjoy spending my time with you
3. Verbs followed by the infinitive
The verb “want” is commonly followed by a to-infinitive, with or without a noun (or an object pronoun: me, you, him,
her, it, us, you, them). It can never be followed by a that-clause.
Example:
♦Do you want to go to the beach?
♦Do you want me to go with you to the beach? (Not: Do you want that I go with you to the beach?)
2. Verbs where there is a clear difference in meaning:
Verbs marked with an asterisk* can also be followed by a that-clause.
come mean* stop
forget* regret* try
go on remember*
NOTES:
Come:
Come + gerund is like other verbs of movement followed by the gerund, and means that the subject is doing something
as they move:
• She came running across the field.
Come + to-infinitive means that something happens or develops, perhaps outside the subject's control:
• At first I thought he was crazy, but I've come to appreciate his sense of humour.
• How did you come to be outside the wrong house?
• This word has come to mean something quite different.
Forget, regret and remember:
When these verbs are followed by a gerund, the gerund refers to an action that happened earlier:
• I remember locking the door (= I remember now, I locked the door earlier)
• He regretted speaking so rudely. (= he regretted at some time in the past, he had spoken rudely at some
earlier time in the past.)
Forget is frequently used with 'never' in the simple future form:
• I'll never forget meeting the Queen.
When these verbs are followed by a to-infinitive, the infinitive refers to an action happening at the same time, or later:
• I remembered to lock the door (= I thought about it, then I did it.)
• Don't forget to buy some eggs! (= Please think about it and then do it.)
• We regret to announce the late arrival of the 12.45 from Paddington. (= We feel sorry before we tell you this
bad news.)
Go on:
Go on + gerund means to continue with an action:
• He went on speaking for two hours.
• I can't go on working like this - I'm exhausted.
Go on + to-infinitive means to do the next action, which is often the next stage in a process:
• After introducing her proposal, she went on to explain the benefits for the company.
• John Smith worked in local government for five years, then went on to become a Member of Parliament.
Mean:
Mean + gerund expresses what the result of an action will be, or what will be necessary:
• If you take that job in London it will mean travelling for two hours every day.
• We could take the ferry to France, but that will mean spending a night in a hotel.
Mean + to-infinitive expresses an intention or a plan:
• Did you mean to dial this number?
• I mean to finish this job by the end of the week!
• Sorry - I didn't mean to hurt you.
Stop:
Stop + gerund means to finish an action in progress:
• I stopped working for them because the wages were so low.
Stop tickling me!
Stop + to-infinitive means to interrupt an activity in order to do something else, so the infinitive is used to express a
purpose:
• I stopped to have lunch. (= I was working, or travelling, and I interrupted what I was doing in order to eat.)
• It's difficult to concentrate on what you are doing if you have to stop to answer the phone every five minutes.
Try:
Try + gerund means to experiment with an action that might be a solution to your problem.
• If you have problems sleeping, you could try doing some yoga before you go to bed, or you could try
drinking some warm milk.
• 'I can't get in touch with Carl.' 'Have you tried e-mailing him?'
Try + to-infinitive means to make an effort to do something. It may be something very difficult or even impossible:
• The surgeons tried to save his life but he died on the operating table.
• We'll try to phone at 6 o'clock, but it might be hard to find a public telephone.
• Elephants and mice have to try to live together in harmony.

3. Verbs followed by the gerund

The gerund is used after certain verbs. The most important of these verbs are shown below. Those marked * can also
be followed by a that-clause
VERB GERUND
She admitted... breaking the window
She admitted... that she had broken the window.
acknowledge,* keep,
admit,* mean,(=have as result)*
avoid, mention,*
Can’t help mind,
Can’t stand miss,
celebrate, prevent,
consider, contemplate, propose,*
deny,* resent,
detest, resist,
dislike, risk,
enjoy, save (=prevent the wasted effort)
fancy (=imagine)*, stop,
Feel like (apetecer) suggest,*
finish, understand,*
forgive,
imagine,*
involve,
It’s worth

4. THE GERUND
This looks exactly the same as a present participle, and for this reason it is now common to call both forms 'the -ing
form'. However it is useful to understand the difference between the two. The gerund always has the same function as
a noun (although it looks like a verb), so it can be used:
a. as the subject of the sentence:
• Eating people is wrong.
• Hunting elephants is dangerous.
• Flying makes me nervous.
b. after prepositions. The gerund must be used when a verb comes after a preposition:
• Can you sneeze without opening your mouth?
• She is good at painting.
• They're keen on windsurfing.
• She avoided him by walking on the opposite side of the road.
• We arrived in Madrid after driving all night.
• My father decided against postponing his trip to Hungary.
This is also true of certain expressions ending in a preposition, e.g. in spite of, there's no point in..:
 • There's no point in waiting.
• In spite of missing the train, we arrived on time.
c. after a number of 'phrasal verbs' which are composed of a verb + preposition/adverb
Example:
to look forward to, to give up, to be for/against, to take to, to put off, to keep on:
• I look forward to hearing from you soon. (at the end of a letter)
• When are you going to give up smoking?