Participles, Gerunds and
Infinitives
Objectives:
By the end of this lesson, students should be able to:--
-Say exactly what a gerund, participle and infinitives are.
- Use them correctly in sentence construction
-Change the meaning of verbs depending whether they are
followed by a gerund or infinitive.
Difference Between a Participle and Gerund
Participle: A participle is a form of verb which works as an adjective,
noun, or verbs (with the help of auxiliary verbs) in a sentence.
Basis of the Participle Gerund
difference
1. Definition
A participle is a form of verb which works A gerund is a present participle (verb
as an adjective, noun, or verbs (with the which works as a noun in a sentence
help of auxiliary verbs) in a sentence.
2. Relation
A definite type of present participle can be All the gerunds are participles; prese
gerunds. participles to be exact.
3. Function
A participle can function as a verb (with A gerund can only function as a nou
the help of auxiliaries), an adjective, an
adverb, and a noun.
4. Types
Participles are mainly of two types: A gerund is a type of present particip
itself. However, it can be divided into
1. Present Participle 2. Past Participle
types:
1. Subject Gerund 2. Object Gerund
5. Examples 1. I saw him sitting there. 1. Sitting idly is not in my habit
2. They had broken up their marriage. 2. Breaking up is easy
3. Don’t sit on that spinning chair. but putting together is not.
4. Playing for this team is an honor. 3. Chair-sitting is a funny game
4. Playing for this team is an ho
5. I will be sleeping at this time
5. Sleeping at this hour of the d
tomorrow.
not good for health.
Gerunds and infinitives are sometimes referred to
as verb complements. They may function as subjects or objects in
a sentence.
What are Gerunds?
A gerund is a verb in its ing (present participle) form that
functions as a noun that names an activity rather than a person or
thing. Any action verb can be made into a gerund.
Spelling Tip
Verbing (Present Participle)
Add ing to most verbs. Ex. play > playing, cry > crying, bark
> barking
For verbs that end in e, remove the e and add ing. Ex: slide
> sliding, ride > riding
For verbs that end in i.e., change the i.e. to y and add ing.
Ex: die > dying, tie > tying
For a verb whose last syllable is written with a consonant-
vowel-consonant and is stressed, double the last letter
before adding ing. Ex: beg > begging, begin >
beginning. However: enter > entering (last syllable is not
stressed)
Gerund Examples
Gerunds can appear at the beginning of a sentence when used as
a subject:
1. Jogging is a hobby of mine.
Gerunds can act as an object following the verb:
1. Daniel quit smoking a year ago.
Gerunds can serve as an object after a preposition:
1. I look forward to helping you paint the house.
Note: The same spelling rules that apply to the progressive tenses
also apply to gerunds.
Some verbs and verb phrases are directly followed a gerund:
1. Paul avoids using chemicals on the vegetables he grows.
Some verbs can be followed by a gerund or an infinitive without
causing a change in meaning:
1. Some people prefer getting up early in the morning.
2. Some people prefer to get up early in the morning
Some verbs can be followed by a gerund or infinitive but with a
change in meaning:
1. He remembered sending the fax. (He remembered the act of
send the fax)
2. He remembered to send the fax. (He remembered the fax and
sent it.)
What are Infinitives?
An infinitive is a verb form that acts as other parts of speech in a
sentence. It is formed with to + base form of the verb. Ex: to buy,
to work.
Infinitive Examples
Infinitives can be used as:
an object following the verb:
1. Jim always forgets to eat.
2. a subject at the beginning of a sentence:
1. To travel around the world requires a lot of time and money.
2. an adverb modifying a verb:
1. You promised to buy me a diamond ring.
an adjective modifying a noun:
1. Tara has the ability to succeed.
Some verbs are directly followed by an infinitive:
1. Do you want to call your family now?
Some verbs are directly followed by a noun or pronoun and then
by an infinitive:
1. I convinced Catherine to become vegetarian.
2. He advised me to sell all my shares of stock.
Some verbs can be followed by an infinitive or a gerund without
causing a change in meaning:
1. Will you continue working after you give birth?
2. Will you continue to work after you give birth?
Some verbs can be followed by an infinitive or a gerund but with a
change in meaning:
1. He stopped drinking coffee. (He never drank coffee again.)
2. He stopped to drink coffee. (He stopped what he was doing and
drank some coffee.)
Exercises – Gerunds and Infinitives
Choose the correct gerund or infinitive from the parenthesis at the
end of the sentence.
1. She likes to get up early in the morning. (likes / dislikes)
1. 1. Alan can’t stand _________ on trains. (riding/ to ride)
2. Mr. Harris enjoys _________ people out to dinner. (inviting / to
invite)
3. In the old days, gentlemen challenged their rivals _______. (fighting
/ to fight)
4. As the famous saying goes, there’s no use ______ over spilt milk.
(crying / to cry)
5. Jim stopped _________ his shoelace. Wait for him. (tying / to tie)
6. My wife always volunteers ___________ cakes PTA meetings.
(baking / to bake)
7. Don’t waste my time ___________ about your salary. (complaining/
to complain)
8. Eva is having trouble _________ on the exam. (concentrating / to
concentrate)
9. Please allow me ____________ your Facebook page. (joining / to
join)
10. You won’t forget _________milk on your way home, will you?
(picking up /to pick up)
Answers:
1. riding
2. inviting
3. to fight
4. crying
5. to tie
6. to bake
7. complaining
8. concentrating
9. to join
10. to pick up
Reference Lists – Gerunds and Infinitives
Common verbs and phrases that are followed by
a gerund
admit
advise
avoid
be used to
can’t help
can’t stand
consider
deny
discuss
dislike
end up
enjoy
feel like
finish
forget
get used to
give up
go on
have difficulty
have problems
have trouble
imagine
it’s no use
it’s worthwhile
keep
look forward to
mention
mind
miss
recommend
remember
quit
spend time
stop
suggest
understand
waste time
work at
Common verbs that can be followed by either a
gerund or an infinitive without causing a change
in meaning
begin
continue
hate
intend
like
love
prefer
start
Common verbs that can be followed by a gerund
or infinitive but with a change in meaning
forget
remember
stop
Common verbs that are followed by an infinitive
afford
agree
appear
arrange
ask
care
decide
demand
expect
fail
forget
hope
learn
manage
mean
offer
plan
prepare
pretend
promise
refuse
remember
seem
stop
volunteer
wait
want
wish
Common verbs that are directly followed by a
noun or pronoun and then by an infinitive
advise
allow
ask
cause
challenge
command
convince
expect
forbid
force
hire
instruct
invite
order
pay
permit
program
remind
teach
tell
urge
want
warn
