anguage : Gerund or
Infinitive
Using Gerunds or infinitives
One of the difficulties of the English language is to know whether to
use a
gerund
(ex : doing) or an
infinitive
(ex : to do).
Generally speaking we can use the following rules:
Examples
Rules
Explanations
Verb +
gerund
1. I enjoy playing
2. I denied
stealing
Often we use the
gerund for an action
that
happens
before
or
at
the same
time as
the action of the
main verb.
1. I enjoy myself
at the time of
playing.
2. I deny having
stolen
anything
before.
Verb +
infinitive
1. I decided to
visit my uncle
2. I want to go out
Often we use the
infinitive for actions
that
follow
the
action of the main
verb.
1. Visiting my
uncle was an
action of my
decision. It comes
after.
2. What I want
(now)
is to go out
(after/later)
These rules are helpful but DO NOT always explain all uses of
gerunds and infinitives.
Verbs commonly followed by a gerund
1
-
After verbs that express likes/dislikes :

like

love

enjoy

dislike

hate
Example:
" I like playing
soccer but I hate boxing.
"
Note "like/love/hate..." can be also followed by an infinitive:
Example:
I like to watch TV in the evening.
2
-
After verbs
such as :
Verbs
Examples
admit
He admitted stealing the wallet.
advise
I wouldn't advise buying a used
car.
allow
They don't allow smoking here. (Note that when an
object is introduced an infinitive is used instead of a
gerund:
they allowed us to leave early.
)
anticipate
He anticipated passing the exam.
avoid
She avoided meeting him.
appreciate
I
appreciate working with you.
complete
They completed building their house.
consider
She considered starting a new business.
delay
She delayed doing her homework.
deny
He denied stealing the money.
fancy
Fancy meeting you here!
finish
She finished
writing the letter.
go
go swimming.
imagine
He imagines meeting her.
involve
the job involves working in teams.
keep
He keeps complaining about his girlfriend.
mention
He mentioned working in that company.
mind
Would you mind helping me?
miss
He
misses talking to her.
permit
The don't permit smoking here. (Note that, like
allow
,
when an object is introduced an infinitive is used
instead of a
gerund:
they permitted us to leave early.
)
postpone
They postponed traveling to Japan.
practice
She practiced painting.
reject
He rejected working with them.
resist
He couldn't resist eating the cake.
risk
She risks losing her job.
suggest
I suggest
leaving early.
waste
time/money
Don't waste my time complaining.
3
-
After prepositions

aim at

keep on

interested in

instead of

good at

before ...

after ...
Example:
"I am interested
in
collecting stamps."
"
After
playing football I drank an orange
juice".
4
-
After some expressions :

It's no use ...

It's no good ...

There's no point in ...

I can't help...

I don't mind...

I can't stand/bear...
" It's no use convincing him to meet her. "
Verbs that can be followed by an infinitive
1
-
After verbs that
generally refer to a future event:
Verbs
Examples
afford
We can't afford to buy a new car.
agree
She agreed to help him.
aim
The government aims to reduce illiteracy rates
arrange
He arranged to stay at a hotel.
attempt
He attempted to join them.
choose
He chose to stay at home.
consent
She consented to marry him.
decide
They decided to go to the movies.
deserve
He deserves to be punished.
demand
He demanded to speak to Mrs. Lynch
endeavor
They endeavor to provide the best possible service
expect
They expected to arrive early.
fail
He failed to convince him.
happen
They happened to be at the theatre when we met them.
help
She helped me to do the exercise. (Note, help is also
followed by a bare infinitive:
She helped me do the
exercise
.)
hope
I hope to join you as soon as possible.
intend
She intends to write an autobiography.
learn
He learned to play the guitar when he was young.
manage
He managed to do his homework without his mother's
help.
need
I need to find a job.
offer
He
offers to help us.
plan
He plans to follow a career as an engineer.
pretend
The child pretended to be asleep.
proceed
He proceeded to show us how to use the machine.
promise
She promised to come on time.
refuse
She refused
to forgive
him.
seem
He
seemed to be unhappy.
swear
I swear to tell the truth.
threaten
He threatened to reveal her secret.
volunteer
He always volunteers to help the needy.
want
I want to finish my work early.
would
hate
He would hate to lose.
would
like
He would like to
drink a cup of tea.
would
love
I would love to meet you.
2
-
After adjectives

be determined

be disappointed

be glad

be happy

be pleased
Examples:
"I'm glad to know that you passed the exam."
"I'm pleased to meet you."
"I'm disappointed to hear that you flunked maths."
3
-
After "too" & "enough":
too difficult
easy enough
Example:
"It's too difficult to convince him to be helpful."
" But it's easy enough to fool him to get what you want."
Verbs that can be followed by
both an infinitive and
a gerund:
Some verbs can be followed by either a gerund or an infinitive.
Here
are some examples:

start

begin

stop

remember...
Example:
"I started smoking when I was young."
"I started to smoke when I left the offi