Mastering English Verb Forms: Gerunds, Infinitives, and Key Vocabulary
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Mastering English Verb Forms: Gerunds and Infinitives
The Gerund (V-ing)
- As a Noun: Swimming is a good exercise.
- After Specific Verbs: Verbs like love, like, dislike, hate, enjoy, and prefer are often followed by the Gerund.
- After Phrasal Verbs and Expressions: Expressions such as look forward to, be/get used to, in addition to, and object to are followed by the Gerund.
- After Prepositions: Any preposition (e.g., about, at, after, before, behind) must be followed by the Gerund.
Verbs Followed Only by Gerunds (Examples)
Verbs like suggest and avoid require the Gerund (e.g., She suggested attending the meeting; Avoid walking alone.)
The Full Infinitive (To + V-inf)
- Purpose or Intention: Used to express purpose (e.g., I went to the store to buy milk.)
- After Specific Verbs (Conditional Context): Used after would love, would like, would dislike, would hate, would enjoy, and would prefer.
- After Adjectives/Adverbs (Too/Enough): Used to express sufficiency or lack thereof (e.g., He is too young to drive.)
The Bare Infinitive (V-inf without To)
- After Modal Verbs: Must be used after modal verbs (e.g., can, must, should, might).
- After Causative/Perception Verbs: Used after let, make, see, hear, and feel (in their standard meanings).
- After Specific Expressions: Used after had better and would rather.
- The Verb 'Help': Help can be followed by either the bare infinitive or the full infinitive (e.g., Help us upload or Help us to upload).
- Note on Conjunctions: Used when linking verbs with and/or (e.g., We need to go and get supplies.)
Verbs That Change Meaning: Gerund vs. Infinitive
- Forget
- Forget + To V-inf: To fail to remember to do something (e.g., He forgot to call.)
- Forget + V-ing: To forget a past memory or experience (e.g., She will never forget traveling there.)
- Mean
- Mean + To V-inf: To intend to do something (e.g., I meant to apologize.)
- Mean + V-ing: To involve or signify (e.g., This means losing money.)
- Regret
- Regret + To V-inf: Used formally when giving bad news (e.g., We regret to inform you...)
- Regret + V-ing: To feel sorry about a past action (e.g., I regret saying that.)
- Try
- Try + To V-inf: To attempt or make an effort (e.g., He tried to lift the box.)
- Try + V-ing: To experiment or test a method (e.g., Try adding salt to improve the flavor.)
- Stop
- Stop + To V-inf: To pause one action in order to perform another (e.g., He stopped to tie his shoe.)
- Stop + V-ing: To cease an activity (e.g., He stopped smoking.)
- Prefer
- Would Prefer + To V-inf: Expresses a specific preference (e.g., I would prefer to stay home tonight.)
- Prefer + V-ing: Expresses a general preference (e.g., I prefer reading to watching TV.)