-forum
Infinitives, Gerunds & Participles
Infinitives
Form
Active
Infinitive
to
see
Examples
I hope to see you again. He promised
not to see the girl.
Such
disgusting scenes are not to be seen here.
Passive
to be seen
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.
2. as object.
3. after a noun.
4. after an adjective.
5. after a question word.
6. after the verb to be.
7. after certain verbs.
8. after too/enough
constructions.
Examples
To find
fault is easy.
He refused
to pay the bill.
There is a
lot of work to do/to be done today.
She was happy to win the prize.
I
don
’
t know what to do.
She is to see her class
teacher after school.
He
wants to become a lawyer.
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
honest
To tell the truth, I
don
’
t like him.
Bare infinitives
Form
- The infinitive is
used without to after certain verbs.
Usage
The bare
infinitive is used
1. after
the verbs do, does and did.
Examples
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)
5. after would rather, had better.
They made him pay for the
damage.
He was made to pay
for the damage.
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
Active
Gerunds
seeing
Examples
Seeing is not believing.
She does not mind being
seen to work in the restaurant.
Passive
being
seen
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.
2. after
prepositions.
4. after
possessive adjectives/
noun+
’
s.
5. after go +
verb
–
ing (activities)
6. after be busy/ worth.
7. after certain phrases:
look forward to/ devoted to/ objected
to/
consent to/ used to/ accustomed
to
…
8. after certain expressions:
It
’
s no use/good<
/p>
…
There
’
s no/no point in..
It
’
s
a waste of time/money
…
have difficulty(in)
/can
’
t help
as/ like/ than
Examples
Reading is fun. Your car needs washing.
The child is fond of
playing chess.
Do you mind
my joining you on the trip?
Let
’
s go
shopping/ swimming/ camping.
He is busy doing exercise. It is worth
seeing.
I look forward to
seeing you soon.
I am not
used to going to bed late.
He objected to pulling down the old
house.
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!
3. after
certain verbs: spend, waste, avoid
…
He
spends his free time digging the garden.
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 verbs:
The
gerund
is used after certain verbs:
afford, agree, appear, ask,
attempt, decide,
admit,
anticipate, appreciate, avoid, consider,
expect, fail, hope, learn,
manage, offer, plan,
delay,
discuss, enjoy, escape, excuse,
prepare, pretend, promise, refuse,
seem,
fancy,
finish, forgive, imagine, involve, keep
threaten, want, wish
…
mention, mind, miss, object to,
practise,
prevent, postpone, quit, recall,
report, resent,
e.g. He offered to help us.
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.
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
1. forget: forget to do sth
e.g. I
’
m sorry, I
forgot to lock the car.
2. remember: remember to do
sth
e.g. Remember to read the instructions.
3. mean: intend to
e.g. He means to move to New York.
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.
Verbs
taking
gerunds
1. forget: forget a past event
e.g. We
’
ll never
forget visiting Paris.
2.
remember: recall a past event
e.g. I
don
’
t remember meeting Ali
before.
3. mean: involve
e.g. Love means sharing.
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: be sorry
to
6. regret: feel sorry
for what we
’
ve done
e.g. I regret to tell you that
you
’
ve failed.
e.g. I regret
telling lies.
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.
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
9. be afraid of: afraid
that sth may happen
e.g.
I
’
m afraid to walk over that
bridge.
e.g. She is afraid of being
too fat.
10.
would prefer/love/like: specific preference
10. prefer/love/like: in general
e.g. I
‘
d
prefer/like to see the manager.
e.g. I prefer/love watching
TV
.
11. want/need: wish/ have to
e.g. I want/need to find a better job.
11. want/ need: sth needs to be done
e.g. Your dress wants/needs cleaning.
12. go: action
12. go: for
activities
e.g. He went to see his sick
grandparents.
e.g. We often go shopping/ hiking.
13. go on: finish doing sth & start to
do sth
13. go on: continue
e.g. After
sleeping, she went on to study.
e.g. She goes on doing exercise.