INFINITIVES, GERUNDS & PRESENT PARTICIPLES Infinitives Form Infinitive Active to see I hope to see you again. He promised not to see the picture. Passive to be seen Such disgusting scenes are not to be seen here. Form - The infinitive is the form of the verb NOT changed for person, number or tense. It is usually introduced with to. - The negative is formed by putting not before the infinitive. Usage The to-infinitive is used 1. as subject. To find fault is easy. 2. as object. He refused to pay the bill. 3. after a noun. There is a lot of work to do/to be done today. 4. after an adjective. She was happy to win the prize. 5. after a question word. I don t know what to do. 6. after the verb to be. She is to see her class teacher after school. 7. after certain verbs. He wants to become a lawyer. 8. after too/enough constructions. He has got enough money to live on. 9. with only to express disappointment. She came in only to find her boyfriend had left. 10. in expressions: to begin with/be To tell the truth, I don t like him. honest Bare infinitives Form - The infinitive is used without to after certain verbs. 1 http://senenglish.webs.com/
Usage The bare infinitive is used 1. after the verbs do, does and did. He did not write down the answer. 2. after modal verbs-can,could,should,will You can leave now if you want. 3. after perception verbs-see,hear,smell,feel.. I saw Tom run out of the bank. 4. after let and make. (passive + to-infinitive) They made him pay for the damage. He was made to pay for the damage. 5. after would rather, had better. I would rather not go out tonight. I had better stay at home. 6. after except,cannot but, can do nothing but. We could do nothing except/ but wait. Gerunds Form Gerunds Active seeing Seeing is not believing. Passive being seen She does not mind being seen to work in the restaurant. Form - The gerund is a verb ending in - ing. It acts as a noun. - The negative is formed by adding not before the gerund. Usage The gerund is used 1. as a noun subject/ object. Reading is fun. Your car needs washing. 2. after prepositions. The child is fond of playing chess. 3. after certain verbs: spend, waste, avoid He spends his free time digging the garden. 2 http://senenglish.webs.com/
4. after possessive adjectives/ noun+ s. Do you mind my joining you on the trip? 5. after go + verb ing (activities) Let s go shopping/ swimming/ camping. 6. after be busy/ worth. He is busy doing exercise. It is worth seeing. 7. after certain phrases: I look forward to seeing you soon. look forward to/ devoted to/ objected to/ I am not used to going to bed late. consent to/ used to/ accustomed to He objected to pulling down the old house. 8. after certain expressions: It s no use/good There s no/no point in.. It s a waste of time/money have difficulty(in) /can t help as/ like/ than It is no use crying over spilt milk. There is no joking about this matter. It is a waste of time playing online games. I can t help laughing. It was like being in the desert - so quiet! Verb + to-infinitive or ing? Usage 1. The to-infinitive and the gerund are used after certain verbs. The to-infinitive is used after certain The gerund is used after certain verbs: verbs: afford, agree, appear, ask, attempt, admit, anticipate, appreciate, avoid, decide, expect, fail, hope, learn, manage, consider, delay, discuss, enjoy, escape, offer, plan, prepare, pretend, promise, excuse, fancy, finish, forgive, imagine, refuse, seem, threaten, want, wish involve, keep mention, mind, miss, object to, practice, prevent, postpone, quit, recall, e.g. He offered to help us. report, resent, resist, risk, save, stand, suggest, tolerate e.g. We should avoid making mistakes. 2. Either the to-infinitive or gerund can be used after certain verbs with no difference in meaning. 3 http://senenglish.webs.com/
advise, allow, begin, bother, can t bear, continue, encourage, hate, intend, like, love, permit, prefer, propose, recommend, require, start... e.g. We started to do/ doing our summer homework. 3. Verbs taking to-infinitives or gerunds have a change in meaning. Verbs taking to-infinitives Verbs taking gerunds 1. forget: forget to do sth 1. forget: forget a past event e.g. I m sorry, I forgot to lock the car. e.g. We ll never forget visiting Paris. 2. remember: remember to do sth 2. remember: recall a past event e.g. Remember to read the instructions. e.g. I don t remember meeting Ali before. 3. mean: intend to 3. mean: involve e.g. He means to move to New York. e.g. Love means sharing. 4. try: do one s best; attempt e.g. She tried hard to cope with her job. 5. stop: pause temporarily e.g. He stopped to buy a gift on his way. 6. regret: be sorry to e.g. I regret to tell you that you ve failed. 7. be sorry: feel sad e.g. I m sorry to hear the bad news. 8. hate: hate what one is about to do e.g. I hate to interrupt, but I must do so. 4. try: do sth as an experiment e.g. Try adding more sauce to your pasta. 5. stop: finish; cease e.g. Stop talking to each other, please! 6. regret: feel sorry for what we ve done e.g. I regret telling lies. 7. be sorry for: apologise e.g. I m sorry for being late. 8. hate: feel sorry for what one is doing e.g. I hate making you feel uncomfortable. 9. be afraid: too frightened to do sth e.g. I m afraid to walk over that bridge. 9. be afraid of: afraid that sth may happen e.g. She is afraid of being too fat. 4 http://senenglish.webs.com/
10. would prefer/love/like: specific preference e.g. I d prefer/like to see the manager. 11. want/need: wish/ have to e.g. I want/need to find a better job. 12. go: action e.g. He went to see his sick grandparents. 10. prefer/love/like: in general e.g. I prefer/love watching TV. 11. want/ need: sth needs to be done e.g. Your dress wants/needs cleaning. 12. go: for activities e.g. We often go shopping/ hiking. Present Participles Formation The present participle is formed by adding the ending "--ing" to the infinitive (dropping any silent "e" at the end of the infinitive): to sing --> singing to take --> taking to bake --> baking to be --> being to have --> having A. The present participle may often function as an adjective: That's an interesting book. That tree is a weeping willow. B. The present participle can be used as a noun denoting an activity (this form is also called a gerund): Swimming is good exercise. Traveling is fun. C. The present participle can indicate an action that is taking place, although it 5 http://senenglish.webs.com/
cannot stand by itself as a verb. In these cases it generally modifies a noun (or pronoun), an adverb, or a past participle: Thinking myself lost, I gave up all hope. Washing clothes is not my idea of a job. Looking ahead is important. D. The present participle may be used with "while" or "by" to express an idea of simultaneity ("while") or causality ("by") : He finished dinner while watching television. By using a dictionary he could find all the words. While speaking on the phone, she doodled. By calling the police you saved my life! E. The present participle of the auxiliary "have" may be used with the past participle to describe a past condition resulting in another action: Having spent all his money, he returned home. Having told herself that she would be too late, she accelerated. Q. Replace the Gerunds with Infinitives and Vice versa / Use Use Gerunds / Infinitives. 1. David grew up considering blindness no tragedy. Ans. Day grew up to consider blindness no tragedy. 2. I found what I loved to do early in life. Ans. I found what I loved doing early in life. 3. But something slowly began to dawn on me. Ans. But something slowly began dawning on me. 4. The only way to do great work is to love what you do. Ans. The only way to do great work is by loving what you do. 5. My father refused to use the jeep to commute to the office. Ans. My father refused using the jeep to commute to the office. 6. My mother began developing a cataract in her eyes when I was small. Ans. My mother began to develop a cataract in her eyes when I was small. 6 http://senenglish.webs.com/
7. Other than reading out the newspaper to my mother, I had no clue about how I could be a part of the action. Ans. Other than to read out the newspaper to my mother, I had no clue about I could be a part of the action. 8. A vision with which I continue to see the world. Ans. A vision with which I continue seeing the world. 9. There were a few things that my mother wanted me to help out with. Ans. There were a few things that my mother wanted me helping out with. 10. Making omlettes and rolling out chappatis became my special duties. Ans. To make omlettes and to roll out chappatis became my special duties. 11. In India there are always other people to do all that for you. Ans. In India there are always other people doing all that for you. 12. My parents preferred to patronize just one store. Ans. My parents preferred patronizing just one store. 13. I tried arguing. Ans. I tried to argue. 14. It's harder and harder to find full-time help these days. Ans. It's harder and harder finding full-time help these days. 15. He loves to laugh. Ans. He loves laughing. 16. Freed now from the burden of bringing up children, my father has dispensed with his rigid, cold facade. Ans. Freed now from the burden to bring up children, my father has dispensed with his rigid, cold facade. 17. As a symbol of the bush, clean air, freedom, getting out and doing things, it could quite possibly inspire the apathetic residents. Ans. As a symbol of the bush, clean air, freedom, to get out and to do things, it could quite possibly inspire the apathetic residents. 18. The two council continued to work at unflagging speed. Ans. The town council continued working at unflagging speed. 19. With great difficulty she managed to have an audience with him Ans. With great difficulty she managed in having an audience with him. 7 http://senenglish.webs.com/