GERUND & INFINTIVE : A COMPREHENSIVE SUMMARY

Gerund and / or Infinitive ? Gerund = verb + ing ( speaking) / Infinitive = to + verb ( to speak )

- be interested in
- Would you mind …? - I'm interested in learning more about Chinese culture.
- be worth - Would you mind opening that window, please ?
- be fond of - If you ask me, Titanic is definitely worth watching.
- be afraid of - My daughter is fond of collecting foreign stamps.
Expressions - can't help /can't bear - She's afraid of going out alone in the dark.
used with - look forward to - I can't help listening to classical music. It's boring.
gerund - be used to - We look forward to hearing back from you in your next letter.
- I feel like - I' m not used to drinking coffee in the evening.
- I don't feel like doing anything today. I'm tired and I feel sleepy.
- be tired of
- I'm tired of reviewing all these math lessons over and over.

- admit
- deny - The thief admitted stealing the money from the old lady.
- appreciate - He immediately denied killing his wife.
- avoid - I don't really appreciate watching cartoons these days.
- consider - “The best thing for you is to avoid smoking,” the doctor told him.
- - You should consider changing that negative attitude of yours.
discuss
- enjoy - The teacher and his students discussed cheating and its aftermaths.
Verbs used - finish - We totally enjoyed watching all those great movies last week.
with gerund - forgive - I haven't finished reading that book yet.
only - - Please forgive my miscalling your family name.
imagine
- She can't imagine living faraway from her family.
- miss - I miss talking to my mom on the phone. It's been a long time.
- practice - Let's practice writing narrative paragraphs.
- permit / allow - Our English teacher permits using dictionaries during the exam.
- forbid - Islam strictly forbids drinking alcohol and eating pork.
- advice - I advise using this method for better results.
- think about - She's thinking about leaving the country for good.
- apologize for - The student apologized for calling his classmate names.

- try /attempt - He tried rescuing her, but failed. / He tried to rescue her, but failed.
- bother - She didn't bother locking the door. / He didn't bother to ask why.
- stop / cease - He stopped smoking years ago. / He ceased to smoke years ago.
- continue - Please , continue reading. / Please, continue to read.
- suggest - I suggest using the other computer. / I suggest to use the other one.
Verbs used - intend - I intend going on a business trip. / I intend to go on a business trip.
with gerund - hate / detest - I hate to wake up early on Sundays. / I detest waking up early.
and infinitive - forget - She forgot bringing her textbook. / She forgot to bring her textbook.
- remember - He remembered his not closing the door. / He remembered to close it.
- like - They don't like swimming in lakes. / They like to swim in rivers.
- love - She loves listening to Indian music. / I'd love to visit that city again.
- afford - His father can't afford buying a car. / He can't afford to buy a car.
- begin - You should begin to prepare for exams. / He has begun preparing .

- want - I want to watch that video one more time, please.

Verbs used - decide - They decided to build a new school in our village.
- promise - I promise to call you back as soon as I get home.
with infinitive
- agree - They both agreed not to talk over each other during the debate.
only - He pretends to be happy, although he is a very sad person at heart.
- pretend
- hope - I hope to see you again soon.
 Use gerund after verb / adjective + preposition , automatically :
I apologized for coming late to class! / I don't think he's any good at making friends. / Lock the door before leaving !
How can I succeed in studying physics ? / We need to keep on going. / You can't learn without making mistakes.
We can improve our lives by using technology in the wisest ways. / I'll meet you at the bus station after taking a shower.

Use infinitive with these words :

- what / how - She is not sure what to wear for the party. / My grandma didn't know how to read.
- easy / difficult / hard - It's easy to say, but it's hard to do. / It becomes difficult to learn new things as you get
- good / bad older.
- It's good to have power , but it's bad to abuse it.
- important / necessary
- It's not that important to bring all the documents, but it's necessary to be there on ime.
- impossible /
- I find it impossible to please everyone.
- right (OK) / wrong / wise
- It's OK to be born poor, but it's wrong to die poor ; it'll be wise to seek chances in life.
- happy / sad - We're happy to see you alive, but we're sad to hear that your wife didn't make it.
- proud / ready - I'm proud to become a member of your staff, and I'm ready to prove my skills.
- rude / impolite - It's rude to ignore your mother's phone calls, and it's impolite to talk about her this way !

Bare Infinitive ( infinitive without “to” ) :

Use bare infinitive after these English modals : Use bare infinitive after these verbs , when there's a
should , must , can , will , could , would , may /might , needn't direct object involved : help , let , make , watch / see

- You should respect your parents. / Samir can't sing like her. - Mark helped his friend finish early.
- Let me speak to them / Let's go outside.
- We must turn these projects in by tomorrow. / He will take a test.
- This sad story makes everyone cry.
- I couldn't get off bed. / They would give him another chance.
- I saw the director enter the building.
- We may go on a picnic tomorrow. / You needn't worry at all. - He watched his little sister bake the cake.

A. Choose the correct verb form :

1. You should begin______ the books assigned. a) read b) reading c) to read
2. I miss______ to the beach every Sunday. a) to go b) going c) go
3. I'd be happy______ -with that. a) helping b) to help c) help
5. I couldn't help______ at the situation. a) laugh b) to laugh c) laughing
6. They watched their baby______ with the kittens. a) to play b) play c) to playing
7. This sentence sounds really hard______ . a) to read b) read c) reading
8. Today, we're going to practice some______. a) singing b) to sing c) sing
9. You should______about it one more time. a) thinking b) think c) to think
10. I think you should ______ your grandparents. a) to call b) call c) calling
11. He pretended______ sick so as to miss work. a) being b) be c) to be
12. I don't know what______ after this incident. a) say b) saying c) to say
13. You should finish up your food before_____ out. a) to go b) going c) go
14. I look forward to______ them at the airport. a) meeting b) meet c) to meet
15. Let's ______ to the movies sometime later. a) go b) to go c) going
16. you can save money by not______it all on drugs. a) spend b) to spend c) spending
B. Give the correct form to the verbs between brackets :
1. I believe he wanted (ask)_____________________ about their address.
2. This young woman hates (do) _____________________housework.
3. Let's ( watch ) _____________________some action movies.
4. It's important (know) _____________________your rights and duties as a citizen.
5. Young people should avoid ( take) _____________________any drugs.
6. I'm tired of (listen) _____________________to your stupid stories.
7. It's become difficult (start) _____________________a family in Morocco these days.
8. This knife is for (peel) _____________________potatoes.
9. You must ( turn ) _____________________ your cellphone off before entering the school building.
10.We decided (terminate) _____________________his contract.
11.I don't think I can afford ( buy) _____________________that expensive car.
12.We really enjoyed ( review ) ________________ those movies. They're worth (watch )________________ .
13.I helped the detective ( find ) ________________the killer.