1. Gerund or an infinitive after certain verbs
Certain verbs allow the use of a gerund or an infinitive.
| Gerund | Infinitive |
|
She hates sleeping late. |
She hates to sleep late. |
|
We prefer eating at home. |
We prefer to eat at home. |
|
They started working on the project at school. |
They started to work on the project at school. |
| The car needs cleaning. |
The car needs to be cleaned. |
|
Gary tried working from home but didn't like it. |
Gary tried to work from home but didn't like it. |
2. When and how to use gerunds
- There are certain verbs that are only followed by gerunds. The gerunds in these sentences function as a direct object.
| Verb | Example |
| Consider | He considered moving to Spain last year. |
| Deny | Jack denied cheating on his test. |
| Enjoy | Wendy enjoys watching movies at the weekends. |
| Imagine | We imagined waking up to a beautiful sunrise. |
| Suggest | Dan suggested bringing home a rescue dog. |
- We can also use the verb "go" + a gerund when talking about hobbies or other recreational activities.
| Go hiking | Going swimming | Went sightseeing |
| Go fishing | Going shopping | Went snorkeling |
- Gerunds as the object of a preposition
Another common use of gerunds is to use them after prepositions. Let's look at some common prepositions and how we can use them with a gerund.
| Preposition | Example |
| before | Even before completing university, he already had many job offers. |
| by | By going to bed early, I am ready for my morning runs. |
| since | I have been thinking of him nonstop since meeting him. |
| except | He hates all forms of creative expression except writing. |
| without | We decided to take a trip without planning. |
| after | After recovering from his injury, Will retired from rugby. |
3. When and how to use infinitives
- Just like gerunds, infinitives follow certain verbs. The infinitives will function as the direct objects of these sentences. Let's look at a few examples:
| Verb | Example |
| Agree | We agreed to never speak to each other again. |
| Demand | They are demanding to change their flight. |
| Manage | He managed to sell his house after only three days on the market. |
| Plan | She is planning to quit her job after she returns from holiday. |
| Want | Ben wants to travel to London by train. |
- Infinitives after verb + object combinations
There are also instances when we use an object after a verb. We will use an infinitive after these objects. The sentence pattern will be:
Subject + verb + object + infinitive
| They asked us to help with washing up. |
| She told him to bring home dog food. |
| He encouraged her to follow her dreams. |
- Infinitives after adjectives
We can also use infinitives after adjectives. Let's take a look at some examples:
| He was happy to include her in the new project at work. |
| They were sad to leave the island at the end of the holiday. |
| We are pleased to welcome you into our home. |