Gerunds and infinitives are sometimes referred to as verb complements.
They look like verbs but
do not function like them.
A gerund ends with -ing and names an activity rather than a person or thing. Any action verb can
be made into a gerund: bake baking.
Gerunds look like present participles, which are used to form an action in progress or incomplete
actions: she was baking cookies. However, gerunds are different from present participles because
gerunds are -ing verbs that function as nouns.
Gerund Present Participle
Baking takes a lot of time. She was baking cookies.
I don’t like living alone. I am living alone.
Spelling is my best subject. He was spelling the new words.
Gerunds can appear at the beginning of a sentence when used as a subject:
Jogging [subject] is [verb] a hobby of mine.
Fidgeting helps me focus.
Gerunds can act as an object following the verb or preposition:
Daniel [subject] quit [verb] smoking [object] two months ago.
I look forward to helping you paint the house.
An infinitive is a verb + to: to think. Infinitives can function as nouns (as subjects of the sentence),
adverbs, or adjectives.
Infinitive as nouns (subjects) at the beginning of a sentence:
To travel [noun/subject] around the world requires [verb] a lot of money.
To give advice is easy.
Infinitives as adverbs following the verb:
Jim [noun/subject] always forgets [verb] to eat [adverb].
My sister decided to get a job.
Infinitives as adjectives following a noun:
Tara [noun/subject] has [verb] the ability to succeed [adjective].
I have some things to sell.
abhor discontinue give up (stop) prevent urge
acknowledge discuss keep (continue) put off warrant
admit dislike keep on recall
advise dispute mention recollect
allow dread mind (object to) recommend
anticipate endure miss report
appreciate enjoy necessitate resent
avoid escape omit resist
be worth evade permit resume
can’t help explain picture risk
celebrate fancy necessitate shirk
confess fear omit shun
consider feel like permit suggest
defend feign picture support
delay finish postpone tolerate
detest forgive practice understand
agree demand mean seek
appear deserve need seem
arrange determine neglect shudder
ask elect offer strive
attempt endeavor pay struggle
beg expect plan swear
can/can’t afford fail prepare tend
can/can’t wait get pretend threaten
care grow (up) profess turn out
chance guarantee promise venture
choose hesitate prove volunteer
claim hope refuse wait
come hurry remain want
consent incline request wish
dare learn resolve would like
decide manage say yearn
begin can’t stand hate love propose
can’t bear continue like prefer start
forget I forgot to meet him.
(I didn’t meet him because I forgot to do it.)
I forgot meeting him.
(I don’t have the memory of meeting him before.)
go on He went on to learn English and French.
(After a period of time, he learned the languages.)
He went on learning English and French.
(He continued learning the languages.)
quit She quit to work here.
(She quit another job in order to work here.)
She quit working here.
(She quit her job here. She doesn’t work here anymore.)
regret I regret promising to help you.
(I’m sorry that I made the promise.)
I regret to tell you that we can't hire you.
(I’m telling you now, and I’m sorry.)
remember She remembered to visit her grandmother.
(She didn’t forget to visit.)
She remembered visiting her grandmother.
(She had memories of this visit.)
stop I stopped to call you.
(I interrupted another action in order to call you.)
I stopped calling you.
(I stopped this activity. Maybe we had a fight.)
try I tried to open the window.
(I attempted this action but didn’t succeed.)
I tried opening the window.
(This was one option I sampled. Maybe the room was hot.)
Exercise 1. Look at each sentence and decide how the infinitive is used. Then write noun, adverb,
or adjective in the blank provided.
1. __________________ I bought the car to make you happy.
2. __________________ He doesn’t like to run after a big dinner.
3. __________________ The book to read is Moby Dick.
4. __________________ She gave me a gift to show her gratitude.
5. __________________ To pay taxes is a privilege.
Exercise 2. Look at each sentence and decide how the italicized word is used. Then write verb,
adjective, or noun in the blank provided.
1. __________________ Running water is a modern convenience.
2. __________________ We are taking the family on a picnic.
3. __________________ This is a continuing problem.
4. __________________ Playing in the street is dangerous.
5. __________________ I don’t like skiing.
6. __________________ Do you prefer jogging or tennis.
Exercise 3. Explain how the meaning of each sentence changes if a gerund or infinitive is used.
1. I quit (to pursue/pursuing) my passion.
2. After everything that happened, Mary stopped (to send/sending) texts.
3. My brother tried (to study/studying) biology.
4. I remembered (to try/trying) new ice cream flavors.
