Gerunds vs. Infinitives Lesson: When to Use Each
Lesson Overview
- What is a Gerund?
- What is an Infinitive?
- Why Do We Need Gerunds or Infinitives?
- Common Situations for Using Gerunds
- Common Situations for Using Infinitives
- When Either Gerund or Infinitive Can Be Used
- Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
A gerund is a verb form that functions as a noun, ending in -ing, while an infinitive is the base form of a verb, usually preceded by "to."
Understanding when to use each form is essential for correct sentence construction. This lesson will provide clear explanations and examples to help you recognize the correct form in various contexts.
What is a Gerund?
A gerund is a verb form that acts as a noun in a sentence. We make a gerund by taking a verb and adding "-ing" to it. For example, "swim" becomes "swimming." Even though it looks like a verb, a gerund is used like a noun. This means it can be a subject or object in a sentence.
- Gerund as subject: "Swimming is fun." – Here, "swimming" (verb+ing) is the subject of the sentence, meaning the activity of swimming.
- Gerund as object: "I enjoy swimming." – Here, "swimming" is the object of the verb "enjoy" (what do I enjoy? the activity of swimming).
In both cases, swimming is a thing (an activity) – so it's functioning as a noun. Any verb can be turned into a gerund by adding "-ing": eat → eating, play → playing, read → reading, etc. If you have a sentence where you need to use a verb as a thing or idea, the gerund form is often the answer.
What is an Infinitive?
An infinitive is the base form of a verb often preceded by "to." It's the version of the verb you find in a dictionary, like "to eat," "to play," or "to read." In sentences, infinitives can also act like nouns (as well as adjectives or adverbs in more advanced usage).
- Infinitive as subject: "To read is important." – Here "to read" functions like a noun (the act of reading).
- Infinitive as object: "I want to read." – Here "to read" tells what I want (it's the object of "want").
You can usually spot an infinitive because of the word "to" in front of the verb. (Be careful: "to" can also be a preposition in other cases, but if it's directly in front of a base verb, you're looking at an infinitive.) The infinitive often gives a sense of purpose or intention. For example: "I exercise to stay healthy." This means "I exercise in order to stay healthy." The infinitive "to stay" answers "Why do you exercise?" – it shows purpose
Note: A gerund ends in "-ing", and an infinitive is "to + verb." Both can act like nouns in a sentence. This means sometimes you have a choice between using a gerund or an infinitive in the same spot. However, many times the choice is fixed by the first word or by meaning – that's what we'll learn next.
Take This Quiz:
Why Do We Need Gerunds or Infinitives?
In English, you usually can't put two full verbs next to each other in a simple sentence. For example, we don't say "I enjoy play games." It sounds wrong because "enjoy" is a verb and "play" is a verb – we need one of them to change form so the sentence makes sense.
By changing "play" to "playing", we turn it into a noun-like form: "I enjoy playing games." Now it's correct! Essentially, when one action word follows another, the second one often becomes either a gerund or an infinitive form.
Think of it this way: one sentence, one main verb. If you want to include a second action, that action must wear a "disguise" – either as a noun (gerund) or as an infinitive – to fit into the sentence structure.
Common Situations for Using Gerunds
There are certain common situations or patterns where gerunds are used:
- After certain verbs (verb + gerund): Some verbs are always followed by a gerund, not an infinitive. For example: enjoy, finish, avoid, consider, mind, suggest, keep (continue). If you use another verb after these, use the -ing form.
- "He enjoys playing basketball." (NOT "enjoys to play")
- "Please avoid making noise." (NOT "avoid to make")
These verbs treat the next action as a thing or activity (a noun-like idea). So we use a gerund.
- After prepositions: If a verb comes right after a preposition (in, on, at, about, of, to, etc.), we almost always use a gerund.
- For example: "I'm interested in learning Spanish." Here "in" is a preposition, so we say learning (gerund) after it.
- Another example: "Thank you for helping me." ("for" is a preposition, so we use helping). This is a reliable rule – after a preposition, use an -ing form.
- As the subject of a sentence: We saw this earlier – if you want to talk about an action as the subject, gerund can be used. E.g., "Swimming (gerund) is a great workout."
- As the object of a sentence: After certain verbs (like enjoy, avoid, etc. above) or expressions, e.g., "I don't mind waiting." (What don't I mind? waiting.)
Common Situations for Using Infinitives
Now let's look at when to use infinitives (to + verb):
- After certain verbs (verb + to-infinitive): Just as some verbs always take gerunds, some verbs always take an infinitive after them. Common ones include: want, plan, decide, hope, agree, refuse, promise, learn, need, intend, manage, tend, seem. If you use another verb after these, use "to".
- "I want to eat dinner now." (NOT "want eating")
- "She decided to go home." (NOT "decided going")
- Verb + object + to-infinitive: When there is an object before the second verb, we often use an infinitive. For example: "She told me to wait." (Here me is the object of told, and the next verb is to wait.) Or "The teacher taught the children to sing."
- After adjectives: Often an infinitive comes after an adjective to add detail. For instance: "I am happy to see you.", "It's hard to hear the teacher in this noise." We won't focus on this too much now, but you'll see it in sentences like "I'm glad to help."
- Infinitive of purpose: As mentioned, infinitives often answer "why?". For example: "She went to the store to buy milk." (Why did she go? To buy milk.) Sometimes in sentences after certain verbs, using an infinitive implies purpose or intention.
When Either Gerund or Infinitive Can Be Used
You might be thinking, "This is a lot to remember!" It's true that some of this is memorization. However, there are patterns and even some verbs where both forms are possible. Let's break it down:
Verbs with No Change in Meaning (Gerund or Infinitive – both okay)
Some verbs can be followed by either a gerund or an infinitive with little or no change in meaning. This is good news – it means you can use either form and still be correct. Common verbs in this category include: start, begin, continue, like, love, hate, prefer. For example:
- "It started raining" = "It started to rain." Both mean the same thing.
- "They continue to work" = "They continue working." Same meaning (they keep doing the action).
- "I like to read books" = "I like reading books." Usually the same meaning. Some people feel there's a subtle nuance: "like to do" might imply it's something one chooses to do (perhaps for a reason) whereas "like doing* might sound like you enjoy it. But in everyday use, they are pretty interchangeable.
Verbs with a Change in Meaning (Gerund vs Infinitive – different meanings)
This is the most important part – some verbs can take either form, but the meaning of the sentence changes depending on which you use. It's not random; each form serves a distinct idea.
To make it clear, let's use a comparison table for these special verbs, with examples:
| Verb | ... + Gerund (-ing) (meaning) | ... + Infinitive (to ...) (meaning) |
| remember | "remember doing" – you have a memory of doing something in the past.Example: "I remember reading about that kidnapping case some years ago." – I have a memory that I read about the case. | "remember to do" – to not forget to do something; the action comes after the remembering (future or at that moment).Example: "Remember to read the article for homework." – Don't forget to read it (you haven't done it yet). |
| forget | "forget doing" – forget that you did something (no memory of an earlier action).Example: "He forgot locking the door, and went back to check." – He did lock it, but he doesn't remember doing so. | "forget to do" – fail to do something because you didn't remember.Example: "I forgot to lock the door." – I did not lock it (I neglected to do it).In our quiz sentence "I just forgot ______ (pay) the scarf," the intended meaning is "I forgot to pay for the scarf" (I neglected to pay, which is why I left the store with it by accident). The correct answer would logically be "to pay." |
| regret | "regret doing" – to be sorry about something you did in the past.Example: "I regret telling the police about my suspicions." – I feel bad that I told them (maybe I shouldn't have) | "regret to do" – to be sorry to do something right now or to say something. It's commonly used in set phrases like "I regret to inform you…" which is a polite way of saying "I'm sorry to tell you (bad news)."Example: "I regret to inform you that you didn't get the job." – I'm sorry that I have to tell you this news. |
| try | "try doing" – to experiment with doing something as a test or possible solution. Think of it as "try this and see what happens."Example: "My phone wasn't working, so I tried restarting it." – I experimented with restarting to see if that fixes it.Another: "If you're hot, try opening a window." – Do it as a way to cool down (an idea to test). | "try to do" – to attempt to do something, make an effort (which might be difficult). This is the most common use of "try."Example: "She tried to call you, but the line was busy." – She made an effort to call (maybe she succeeded or maybe not). |
| stop | "stop doing" – to quit an action, to cease doing it. In other words, whatever the gerund is, that action ends.Example: "He stopped smoking." – He quit the habit of smoking (he's not smoking anymore). | "stop to do" – to pause one action in order to do another action (the infinitive expresses a new action that is the reason for stopping).Example: "He stopped to smoke." – He paused what he was doing (perhaps stopped walking or working) in order to smoke a cigarette. He did not quit smoking; actually, he started smoking at that moment. |
| go on | "go on doing" – to continue doing the same thing.Example: "He went on talking despite the noise." – He continued talking.If someone says "Go on doing what you're doing," they mean keep doing it. | "go on to do" – to proceed to do something new, next step.Example: "After introducing the topic, the teacher went on to explain the rules." – The teacher finished one thing and then moved on to the next thing (explaining the rules). |
| mean | "mean doing" – to involve or result in doing something; expresses what the result or implication of something is.Example: "This new job will mean working late nights." – Taking the new job will involve working late (working late will be a consequence). | "mean to do" – to intend to do something (to do it on purpose).Example: "I didn't mean to hurt you." – I did not intend to hurt you. |
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Because gerunds and infinitives can be confusing, learners often make certain mistakes. Let's address a few common errors so you can avoid them:
- Using the wrong form after certain verbs: For example, using an -ing after a verb that needs "to", or vice versa.
- ❌ "She wants going to the party." → ✅ "She wants to go to the party."
(After want, use to + verb.) - ❌ "I enjoy to read." → ✅ "I enjoy reading." (After enjoy, use gerund, not to.)
- ❌ "He decided going to the gym." → ✅ "He decided to go to the gym." (After decide, use to + verb.)
These examples show that mixing them up can sound odd or change meaning. The solution is to memorize which verbs go with which form, and also understand the meaning (as we did above). A good strategy is to learn them in phrases: not just "enjoy", but "enjoy doing something," not just "decide", but "decide to do something," etc.
- ❌ "She wants going to the party." → ✅ "She wants to go to the party."
- Forgetting "to" in the infinitive or adding "to" where it's not needed: Remember, infinitive = to + base verb, except in special cases like modal verbs or certain causative verbs (e.g., make, let). For instance, "He made me do it" (no "to" after made). But for our level, key is: if it's an infinitive, don't drop the "to". And if it's a gerund situation, don't add "to". E.g., it's ❌ "suggest to do", just "suggest doing." It's ❌ "able doing", it should be "able to do." Pay attention to those patterns.
- Confusing the meaning when using the wrong form: This is critical for verbs like stop, try, remember, etc. as we saw. Using the wrong form can completely change the meaning or make it nonsensical. For example, "I stopped to smoke" vs "I stopped smoking" – one means I took a break to have a cigarette (I did smoke), the other means I quit the habit (I no longer smoke).
- Omitting "not" for negatives: If you want to make a gerund or infinitive negative, put "not" before it. For example: "He regrets not telling the truth." (He is sorry that he didn't tell.)
Rate this lesson:
Back to top