Gerunds and infinitives. MEANING. Verbs + gerund or infinitive. FORGET and REMEMBER. REGRET

Gerunds and infinitives

MEANING

- TO + INF: After a verb often describes a future event, an event following the main verb

-       The GERUND describes the an activity

uses

• After certain verbs: They agreed to come

• After certain verbs and person: Peter asked her to come here

The complement of to be: his favourite sport is playing tennis

• After to be: My last reaction was to call you

• To express purpose: She went to Paris to tell you the new news.

After prepositions: His father is really good at listening to the rest.

• After BE + Adjective (+of + noun/pronoun):

• After the first/second/last/only/best(and other superlatives adjectives) + noun or pronoun ¨ one¨:

After possessive adjectives, nouns and object pronouns: I hope she does not mind Peter coming to the wedding

• After verbs of knowing and believing: V+OBJ+INF or Verbs in the passive + infinitive:

• After verb + question word:

· In certain expressions:

- Thanks for sharing

- No swimming/smoking/drinking

- Is this for peeling potatoes

- What about meeting this afternoon at five.

- I usually go skiing at the weekend.

• After too and adj. and after adj. and enough:

• After is/are to describe a future event:

· NOTE: Gerunds can take objects and can be qualified by adverbs: I enjoy watching films(obj) so funny(adv)

• NOTE: infinitives can take objects and can be qualified by adverbs: - Maria wanted the rice quickly

NEGATIVE FORMS

· NOT + GERUND

• NOT + (TO-) INFINITIVE

THE BARE INFINITIVE

USES

Verbs + gerund or infinitive

Some verbs can be followed by either a gerund or an infinitive, and the meaning remains the same: begin, propose, forbid, intend, start...

Some verbs can be followed by either a gerund or an infinitive, but the meaning changes (stop, remember, forget…)

FORGET and REMEMBER

We use forget/remember doing for memories of the past.

We use forget/remember to do for actions someone is/was supposed to do (the remembering happens before the action).

Peter won’t forget calling you.

I remember opening the door.

GO ON

We use go on doing when we continue doing something.

We use go on to do when we move on to do something else.

Sarah went on dancing all day. (did the same thing)

The kind went on to say they did their homework.

MEAN

We use mean doing when one thing results in or involves another.

We use mean to do to express an intention.

This means leaving at 6. 00. (involves)

This means that we will have to leave at 6. 00. (has a result)

REGRET

We use regret doing when we are sorry about something that happened in the past.

Kate regretted not buying the house.

We use regret to inform/to tell when we are giving bad news. This use is formal.

I regret to tell you that you have failed this examination.

STOP

We use stop doing when we end and action.

We use stop to do when we give the reason for stopping.

I stopped going to evening classes. (gave up going)

I stopped to buy some coffee. (in order to buy)

Verbs followed by the to-infinitive or gerund

GERUND

My favourite sport is skiing       (the gerund behaves like a noun and describes an activity)

I clearly remember phoning her the other day.

- Means: remember something that happened in the past’.

I’ve never forgotten meeting her

for the first time ten years ago

- Means: an action in the past you still remember.

Why don’t you try sleeping without an pillow?

- Means ‘make an attempt’

or ‘do something to see if it has an effect

I regret giving up my last job.

- Means ‘be sorry that one has done something in the past’

Will you please stop making that noise?

- Means ‘not continue’

We went on talking all night

- Continuo doing the same thing.

I love to go for a walk before dinner

- Describes a regular activity. I love it because I think is a good idea.

I don’t go out at the weekend. I prefer to stay in.

I don’t go out at the weekend. I prefer to staying in.

The meaning of these sentences is very similar.

He began/started/continued shouting    The meaning of theses sentences is very similar

He began/started/continued to shout

They recommend/advised us to leave

They Advised leaving

These verbs are usually followed by an object+ to-infinitive. Occasionally they have no object. In that case, they take a gerund.

I need to get up early at the weekends

It is necessary for me to do it.

Preposition + Gerund

After preposition, we use the gerund.

NOTE

- We use an object pronoun (me, us) more often than a possessive adjective (my, our) after a preposition. The use of a possessive adjective is rather formal.

- ¨ TO¨ may be part of a the to-infinitive, or it may be a preposition preceding a gerund.

-

Adjective + to infinitive

We can use a to-infinitive after an adjective

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