VERBS FOLLOWED BY GERUNDS OR INFINITIVES
Gerunds? Infinitives? GERUND: A verb form that ends in –ing and used as a noun. (eating, running, flying) INFINITIVE: to + base form of a verb (to eat, to run, to fly)
Some verbs are followed by BOTH gerunds and infinitives begin, start, continue, can’t stand, hate love, like Do you see any common themes in these words? Talk about your present job (if you are working) or a previous job using these words followed by gerunds or infinitives.
Some verbs are followed by both infinitives and gerunds BUT... Their meaning changes drastically! Forget “Don’t forget to leave on time”; versus “I forget leaving” Remember “I remembered to catch the bus.” versus “I remember catching the bus... But I can’t remember anything after that.” Stop “She stopped speaking to her mother.” versus “She stopped to speak to Kim.” Talk about things you remember or forget doing in the past (using gerunds) Remind your classmate about something (using infinitives).
Some verbs are only followed by a gerund admit, deny, discuss, suggest, recall quit, finish avoid, escape, miss tolerate, resist enjoy, appreciate, imagine postpone, put off, practice Talk about studying, making sentences with some of these words followed by gerunds.
Some verbs are followed only by an infinitive agree, decide, expect, plan, mean ask, beg, claim, offer, promise, refuse want, wish need, hope, wait, promise, expect, pretend, manage, have Practice using these verbs followed by the infinitive. Imagine that your daughter has just said she’s getting married this summer. Report on a discussion with her, her boyfriend, or with the potential “in-laws.”
Some verbs follow the pattern: verb + noun/pronoun + infinitive Advise, command, instruct, urge, remind, warn, require, convince, persuade, allow, tell, order, cause, encourage, ask E.g., “She encouraged Becky to continue in the program” Do you see a common theme in those words? Think about a time that you were given strong advice (or a scolding); or think about a time when you expressed a strong opinion. Tell the group about that time, using the above words and sentence pattern.
Some verbs are followed by the base verb only (no “to”) Have (meaning “cause”) Let (meaning “allow”) Make (meaning “force”) Imagine you are part of a large family and will be away for a week. Use the above words to give instructions to your spouse (e.g., Don’t forget to make Jonny clean his room.)
Quiz! 1. I enjoy __________. A. ski B. to ski C. skiing D. skiid 2. The babysitter let Jonny ____________up until midnight. A. Stay B. To stay C. Stayed D. Staying
Quiz! 3. Lori told us _______the answers when first reading multiple choice questions. A. Cover B. To cover C. Covered D. Covering 4. We all hope __________the exam. A. Pass B. To pass C. Passing D. Passed
Quiz! 5. I miss ________spicy food. A. Eat B. To eat C. Eating D. Ate 6. She suggested ________index cards when studying. A. Use B. To use C. Using D. Used
Quiz! 7. Kim agreed _________with me tomorrow. A. Comes B. Come C. To come D. Coming 8. Pollen makes my eyes _________. A. Water B. To water C. Watering D. Watered
9. Sara asked us ________our Sociology texts today. A. Bring B. To bring C. To bringing D. Bringing 10. Next Fall we plan ________. A. Will graduate B. Graduate C. To graduate D. Graduating
11. Sandra intends __________at 3:00. A. Leave B. To leave C. Leaving D. Will leaves 12. Please stop __________that ball. A. Bounce B. To bounce C. Bouncing D. To bouncing
13. She decided _________married this summer. A. Get B. To get C. Will getting D. Getting 14. I started __________on the paper last night. A. Work B. Working C. To work D. Worked
Extra Practice? Go to the following website for a review of gerunds and infinitives, and quizzes: m m For another quiz, go to the following website, select “ESL Trouble Spots” and then select “Verbs followed by gerunds or infinitives” Player/Pages/Frameset.aspx Player/Pages/Frameset.aspx To learn much more about gerunds and infinitives, go to