150-Hour TEFL certification course

MODULE 5
TEACHING RECEPTIVE SKILLS
UNIT 5.1 GRAMMAR BREAK 4
5.1.6 THE ESSENTIALS: GERUNDS AND INFINITIVES

Learning outcomes

• You will be able to tell the difference between a gerund and a present participle.
• You will be able to identify when to use gerunds and when to use infinitives.

Gerunds and infinitives are both verb forms that can replace nouns as the subject of the sentence or as the
object of the verb. The choice of which to use when depends on the main verb in the sentence. Some verbs
can be followed only by a gerund, while others can be followed only by an infinitive. Others can be followed
by either with no difference in meaning, and yet others can change their meaning depending on which you
choose.

Confusing, isn’t it? If it’s confusing for you as a native speaker, imagine how much more confusing it must
be for an English learner. Unfortunately, there is no hard and fast rule about which group of verbs uses a
gerund or an infinitive, and so you need to understand these and be prepared to help guide your learners.
Let’s take a look.

GERUNDS AND INFINITIVES

Gerunds and infinitives are verb forms that can replace nouns as the subject of the sentence or as the
object of the verb.
A gerund is a verb in its present participle form (verb + -ing) that acts like a noun in a sentence, as in this
example:
I like skiing in the winter.
An infinitive is a verb in its base form—as it appears in the dictionary—and is preceded by to, as in this
example:

I like to ski in the winter.

The infinitive also acts like a noun in a sentence.

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GERUNDS

Although it looks like a verb, the gerund has the same functions as a noun. Therefore, it can be used as the
subject of the sentence or as the complement of the verb to be. It can also follow certain prepositions and
phrasal verbs, and it can be a part of compound nouns when it is integral to the meaning of the word.

Many learners find it difficult to remember which verbs are followed by gerunds, as opposed to infinitives.
Unfortunately, there’s no magic rule! They need to be memorized.

Important note: The verbs in the chart above are normally, or most often, followed by the gerund, but some
can occasionally be followed by either the gerund or the infinitive.

Because a preposition requires a noun as its object, the gerund form may be used after many prepositions.

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INFINITIVES

“To be or not to be” is probably the most famous sentence in the English language that uses infinitives. As
you can see, the infinitive is simply the base form of the verb, which follows the preposition to. As our
example shows, an infinitive can also be negative, with not preceding it.

Some common verbs that are always or most often followed by the infinitive are shown in the chart. For
example:

I want to go to Spain this summer.

Some of these verbs may also be followed by gerunds, such as try.

CHOOSING BETWEEN GERUNDS AND INFINITIVES

As we have already seen, there are verbs and verb patterns where there is a choice between the gerund
and the infinitive. Some verbs that can take both gerund and infinitive forms are forget, remember, regret,
stop, try, and quit.

Remember though: Regardless of the verb, a preposition will always be followed by a gerund.

He gave up trying after his third loss.

Thank you for remembering my birthday.

When using verbs that can be followed by either an infinitive or a gerund, the situation becomes a little more
difficult, as your choice can change the meaning of a sentence. The choice of a gerund or an infinitive will
depend on the meaning in context. For example, look at what follows the verb stop in these two sentences:

Laura stopped to drink coffee.

Laura stopped drinking coffee.

In the first sentence, the use of the infinitive indicates that Laura interrupted her schedule to have a cup of
coffee. However, the use of the gerund in the second sentence indicates that Laura has quit drinking coffee
altogether.
This example shows how the choice of either a gerund or infinitive after the verb can drastically change the
meaning of a sentence.

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LET’S REVIEW

A gerund is a verb in its present participle form (verb + -ing), which acts like a noun in a sentence.

An infinitive is a verb in its base form as it appears in the dictionary and is preceded by to.

While some verbs are followed only by a gerund or infinitive, others can be followed by either. However,
there is often a difference in meaning represented by either choice.