1.
GERUNDS:
a)
Gerunds are the verb forms we need to use after certain verbs and expressions:
-
I don’t mind
walking to school in the morning. I find it invigorating.
-
I can’t stand
waiting for people who don’t turn up at the arranged time.
-
I was very tired, so I
stopped dancing and went home.
b)
Expressions with the –ing form can also be used as subjects of sentences or as complements after the verb TO BE:
-
Swimming can help you to be fit.
-
My favourite pastime
is cycling.
In these cases, a
TO-INFINITIVE can also be used (To
swim can help you to be fit, my favourite pastime is to cycle),
but in informal English it is less natural than the -ING form.
c)
After prepositions, we always need to
use an –ing form, and that includes
phrasal verbs:
-
This pan is for
baking cakes.
-
When she retired, she took
up knitting, but she soon got fed up with it, gave it up and carried on
trekking.
-
I look forward to
hearing from you soon.
2. INFINITIVE WITH ‘TO’:
a)
In other occasions, it is the TO-Infinitive the verb form we need to use after certain verbs and expressions:
-
I have decided to
send my son to an English boarding school next year.
-
I can’t afford to
go on a cruise.
b)
As the complement of
an adjective:
-
That’s quite easy
to do.
-
I find it difficult
to understand.
c)
As the complement of a
noun:
-
You have the right
to remain silent.
d)
To express PURPOSE:
-
Jack is saving money to
go on holidays.
-
We had been driving
for two hours, so we stopped to have a coffee.
e)
After question words:
-
I don’t know what
to say or where to go. BUT “Why pay
more?”
f)
As subject or
complement of a sentence, but, as mentioned above, it is more unusual,
especially in informal contexts.
-
To study hard is a must in any degree.
-
The main idea is to
draw a plan of the city centre.
3.
INFINITIVE WITHOUT ‘TO’:
a)
After auxiliaries and
modal verbs. Remember that we teachers go mad when we hear our students say
something like “***I must to do…”
-
She could play
the piano when she was 9.
-
I don’t like
lamb.
b)
After some expressions
like ‘had better’ or ‘would rather’:
-
You’d better study
now and go out later.
-
I’d rather eat out
at the weekend. On weekdays I’m too busy to enjoy it.
c)
After ‘make’ and ‘let’
+ object:
-
That song makes me
dance.
-
His father doesn’t let
him stay up after midnight.
But MAKE takes the
infinitive with TO in the passive voice:
-
Philip was made to
wear a uniform at school.
And the meaning of LET
in the passive is expressed with ALLOW + TO-infinitive:
-
He wasn’t allowed
to go to the disco until he was 16.
4.
LIKE, LOVE, HATE AND PREFER:
These verbs are
usually used followed by the gerund in British English, and by the To-infinitive
in American English. However, in British English, we tend to use the gerund to
talk generally and the infinitive to talk specifically:
- I like going shopping.
- I like to go shopping for food first thing on Saturday
mornings.
When these verbs are
used with WOULD, they are always followed by To+infinitive:
- I would prefer to travel with you.
5.
VERBS THAT CAN BE
FOLLOWED BY EITHER GERUND OR INFINITIVE:
a)
Some verbs can be followed either by the gerund or the
infinitive without difference in meaning,
the most common cases being start, continue and begin:
Patrick began
dancing / began to dance when he was only 6.
b)
Other verbs can be followed either by the gerund or
the to-infinitive with a change of
meaning:
-
Remember:
o I remember going to school on foot since I was
6 = I remember a past action.
o Remember to buy some bread
tomorrow morning = Remember something for the future
-
Forget:
o I’ll never forget going to Iguazú = I did something
which I won’t forget. This use is typically negative. Also
o I had forgotten reading that novel = I had read it but I
had forgotten it.
o Don’t forget to go to the supermarket. We have
run out of bread and milk. = Don’t forget to carry out a future action.
-
Try:
o Try to be on time. = make an effort to
arrive on time.
o If you feel so distressed, try doing yoga. = to see if it works.
-
Need:
o I need to tidy my bedroom. = Active meaning
o My room needs tidying. = My room needs to be tidied. = Passive
meaning.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
- Malcolm MANN and Steve TAYLORE-KNOWLES (2008): Destination B2 Grammar & Vocabulary with answer key, Oxford, Macmillan.
- Mark FOLEY and Diane HALL (2012): My Grammar Lab Intermediate B1/B2, Harlow, Pearson Longman.
- Michael SWAM (2005):
Practical English Usage, Third Edition
Fully Revised, Oxford, Oxford University Press.
