Gerunds and Infinitives: Rules for Advanced ESL Learners

📚 Understanding Gerunds and Infinitives

Gerunds and infinitives are verb forms that can function as nouns in a sentence. Mastering their usage is crucial for advanced ESL learners to achieve fluency and precision in English. This guide provides a comprehensive overview of their forms, functions, and the rules governing their use.

📜 A Brief History

The use of gerunds and infinitives dates back to the evolution of the English language, derived from Latin and Old English grammar structures. Over time, their functions have been refined, leading to the current rules that govern their usage.

🔑 Key Principles

• 📝 Gerunds: These are verb forms ending in '-ing' that function as nouns. Examples: swimming, reading, writing.
• 💡 Infinitives: These are the 'to' form of the verb (e.g., to swim, to read, to write) and can function as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs.
• 🎯 Subject of a Sentence: Both gerunds and infinitives can act as the subject. For example: Swimming is good exercise. or To travel is to learn.
• 💼 Object of a Verb: Gerunds and infinitives can be the object of a verb, but certain verbs prefer one over the other. For example: I enjoy reading. (gerund) or I want to travel. (infinitive).
• 🧭 Object of a Preposition: Only gerunds can be the object of a preposition. For example: She is good at painting.

⚙️ Verbs Followed by Gerunds

Certain verbs are consistently followed by gerunds. Here's a list of some common ones:

• 😄 Admit: He admitted stealing the money.
• 🚫 Avoid: Try to avoid making mistakes.
• 💭 Consider: I will consider moving to Spain.
• ⏳ Delay: They delayed leaving until the storm passed.
• 🥳 Enjoy: She enjoys playing the piano.
• 🛑 Finish: Have you finished reading that book?
• 👎 Mind: I don't mind helping you.
• 🙅‍♀️ Deny: She denied taking the cookie.
• 🚀 Suggest: I suggest going to the beach.
• 💸 Risk: He risked losing everything.
• 🤝 Appreciate: I appreciate you helping me.
• 🧐 Imagine: Can you imagine living here?
• 😥 Regret: I regret saying that.
• 💔 Miss: I miss traveling.
• 🙋‍♀️ Practice: I need to practice speaking English.

🛠️ Verbs Followed by Infinitives

Other verbs are consistently followed by infinitives:

• 🙋‍♀️ Agree: I agree to help you.
• 🥺 Afford: I can't afford to buy a new car.
• ✨ Ask: He asked to leave early.
• 💪 Attempt: I will attempt to finish the race.
• 🫶 Choose: I choose to stay here.
• 🫡 Decide: I decided to go to college.
• 😨 Expect: I expect to pass the exam.
• 🤕 Fail: I failed to start my car.
• 🙏 Hope: I hope to see you soon.
• 🥺 Learn: I am learning to drive.
• 💖 Love: I love to dance.
• 🥺 Need: I need to study.
• 🤝 Offer: I offered to help.
• 🤞 Promise: I promise to be there.
• ✅ Want: I want to travel.
• 🥳 Wish: I wish to go home.
• 🫣 Seem: She seems to be happy.
• ☝️ Tend: I tend to overthink things.
• 😠 Refuse: He refused to cooperate.
• 🤕 Prepare: I prepared to leave.

🎭 Verbs Followed by Either Gerunds or Infinitives (with different meanings)

Some verbs can be followed by either a gerund or an infinitive, but the meaning changes:

• 🧠 Remember:
  • 🔑 Remember doing (recall a past action): I remember locking the door.
  • 💡 Remember to do (not forget to do): Remember to lock the door.
• 😔 Forget:
  • 🔑 Forget doing (not recall a past action): I forgot locking the door.
  • 💡 Forget to do (not remember to do): Don't forget to lock the door.
• 🛑 Stop:
  • 🔑 Stop doing (cease an action): I stopped smoking.
  • 💡 Stop to do (pause to do something): I stopped to buy a coffee.
• 😥 Regret:
  • 🔑 Regret doing (feel sorry about a past action): I regret saying that.
  • 💡 Regret to do (used in formal announcements): I regret to inform you that...
• 💪 Try:
  • 🔑 Try doing (experiment with an action): Try adding salt to the soup.
  • 💡 Try to do (make an effort): Try to open the door.

✍️ Practice Quiz

Choose the correct form (gerund or infinitive) to complete each sentence:

1. ❓ She enjoys ________ (read) novels.
2. ❓ They decided ________ (go) to the beach.
3. ❓ He avoided ________ (answer) the question.
4. ❓ I want ________ (learn) Spanish.
5. ❓ Remember ________ (buy) milk.
6. ❓ I stopped ________ (eat) junk food.
7. ❓ He suggested ________ (watch) a movie.

Answer Key:

1. reading
2. to go
3. answering
4. to learn
5. to buy
6. eating
7. watching

🌍 Real-World Examples

In everyday conversation and writing, gerunds and infinitives are essential. For example:

• 🗣️ "I love listening to music." (gerund as object of the verb)
• ✈️ "To travel the world is my dream." (infinitive as subject of the sentence)
• 🤝 "He is looking forward to meeting you." (gerund as object of the preposition)

💡 Conclusion

Mastering gerunds and infinitives requires understanding their functions and the verbs that govern their usage. By studying the rules and practicing with real-world examples, advanced ESL learners can significantly improve their English proficiency. Keep practicing and don't be afraid to make mistakes – it's all part of the learning process!