VERB FORMS: Infinitive vs Gerund

Family Vacation

Reading 1

The Chow family is on vacation. They are staying in Hawaii for

five days. They rented a hotel room on the beach in Maui.
Everyone is excited. The kids ​want ​to go on a submarine tour
and see the fish in the Pacific Ocean. Mrs. Chow ​wants ​to go
shopping and take a sunrise tour of Haleakala Crater. Mr. Chow
wants the family ​to go hiking in the morning, visit museums in
the afternoon, and have a barbecue on the beach in the
evening. He is worried ​about ​spending too much money. Mrs.
Chow thinks her husband worries too much about money. She
wants him ​to relax and forget about money while they are on
vacation. What ​should Mrs. Chow ​do​? How ​can she ​solve her
problem?

True or False
1. ________ Mr. and Mrs. Chow are married.
2. ________ The Chow family is going to Hawaii for a week.
3. ________ Haleakala Crater is in Maui, and Maui is in Hawaii.
4. ________ Mr. Chow is concerned about the family’s budget.
5. ________ Hawaii is in the Atlantic Ocean.

New York City Cab Driver

Reading 2

Marty drives a cab in New York City. He works six days a week from 5:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. He
doesn’t always ​get​ ​to eat​ when he’s hungry or go to the restroom when he ​needs​ ​to go​.
Driving a cab is difficult. Traffic in the city is often slow and there are many accidents and
construction sites that drivers ​have to ​go around. Driving a cab
is also dangerous. When it rains or snows the roads are
slippery. Sometimes criminals steal the cab driver’s money.
Most of Marty’s passengers are nice. They tip him twenty
percent of the cab fare. Marty likes his job, but lately he’s been
feeling tired ​from ​working twelve hour shifts. Many of his
passengers are tourists, and they like to talk a lot. Unfortunately,
Marty ​is​ seldom ​in the mood​ ​to talk​ anymore. It’​s hard​ ​to be​ friendly every day.

True or False
1. ________ Marty is a bus driver in New York City.
2. ________ The traffic in New York City is often slow.
3. ________ Rain and snow make driving a cab safe and easy.
4. ________ Most passengers tip Marty twelve percent of the cab fare.
5. ________ In the picture, Marty is wearing a cap.

Healthy Family Meals

Reading 3

The Shinawatra family is ​trying ​to eat healthy meals,

but it is difficult. Both Mr. and Mrs. Shinawatra work all
day, and they are tired when they get home. They
also have two young sons who need a lot of attention.
Their oldest son is seven years old and the younger
son is nine months old. It ​is difficult for the
Shinawatras ​to plan healthy family meals when they
have such a busy schedule. Lately, the family has
been eating fast food that Mr. Shinawatra picks up on
the way home from work. This is a bad habit, and the
Shinawatras are worried that their children will
develop poor eating habits. They ​want ​to start ​eating
healthy homemade meals.

True or False
1. ________ Mr. and Mrs. Shinawatra are married, and they have three children.
2. ________ Eating fast food for dinner is a bad habit.
3. ________ Mrs. Shinawatra is tired when she gets home from work.
4. ________ The baby in the picture is sitting in a high chair and drinking a bottle.
5. ________ It is difficult to plan healthy family meals because the Shinawatras are busy.
 Did you notice that the second verb of a sentence changes depending on the 
first verb? 
Take a look at the ​underlined verbs​ (verb 1) and the v​ erbs in bold​ (verb2) 
Presentation

Verb Forms: Infinitive or Gerund

Sometimes verbs in a sentence are not conjugated and can take different forms:
Infinitive​ , to play; ​Bare Infinitive​, play; or ​Gerund​, playing, depending on its use or on
which verb they are following.

Let’s analyse the verbs ​in bold​ in the sentences taken from the previous readings:

“The kids ​want​ ​to go​ on a submarine tour...” (Reading 1)

“He is worried​ ​about​ ​spending​ ​too much money.” (Reading 1)
“How ​can​ she ​solve​ her problem?” (Reading 1)
“​Driving​ a cab is difficult.” (Reading 2)
“It ​is difficult​ for the Shinawatras ​to plan​ healthy family meals…” (Reading 3)

● In the first sentence, the main verb is “want”, which is conjugated in the present simple
tense for third person plural (they). The other verb, “to go”, is not conjugated. In this
sentence, “to go” is the *​object​ of the sentence.

Therefore, we learn from this first sentence that, when the second verb of a sentence is not
conjugated (when it is the ​object ), it can take one of the three different forms of the verbs:
Infinitive , to do; ​Bare Infinitive​, do; or ​Gerund​, doing. The form of the second verb will
depend on the first verb (the verb that is conjugated).  * To understand what the object of the
sentence is, Check Appendix 1 on page 12.

● In the second sentence, the verb ​to ​spend i​ s also the ​object of the sentence but this
time it is following a ​preposition​: ​about. ​This is why the verb ​to​ ​spend​ is in gerund form.

● In the third sentence, the verb ​to solve is considered an object for the modal verb ​can​.
After modal verbs, the verb takes the bare infinitive form. This is why ​to solve is in bare
infinitive.

● In the fourth sentence, the verb ​to drive is the subject of the sentence. Thus it takes the
gerund form because in this instance it is working as a noun(subject) not a verb.
 ● In the fifth sentence, the verb ​to plan is following the verb ​to be together with an
adjective​: … ​is difficult​… . This is why the verb ​to plan​ takes the infinitive form.

Take a look at the following table and compare it to the examples in the reading. 

Verb Forms Table: Infinitives and Gerund

We use ​Infinitive​ after: We use ​Bare Infinitive​ after: We use ​Gerund​ after:

ask (how) happen seem let admit listen to ( sb)**

afford have stop make* advise mention
agree help swear see*/ ** allow mind
aim (also tend hear*/ ** appreciate miss
without permit
appear threaten help avoid
to)​
arrange trouble can't help postpone
hesitate
attempt undertake Modal verbs: can't stand practise
hope
beg volunteer can consider prevent
learn
care vow could continue quit
long
choose want may delay reject
manage
claim wish might deny resist
mean
condescen would hate must dislike risk
need*
d would like shall enjoy save
neglect
consent would love should escape see **
offer
dare would prefer will fancy spend (sth+ing)
ought
decide would finish stop
plan
demand go (activities) suggest
prepare
deserve Certain expressions: hear ** understand
pretend
determine had better imagine used to
proceed
endeavour would rather involve waste (sth+ing)
promise
expect keep watch**
refuse
explain lose (sth+ing)
(how) resolve
fail
guarantee

● After interrogatives: how to drive, *These verbs take the ● After prepositions except ​to​ and
where to go, etc. infinitive form when about​ ​(only what/how about)
 ● To show purpose: We are here to
learn, To do this, you have to…,
● After adjectives
○ that describe feelings/emotions
(happy, glad, sad, sorry, etc)
○ that express willingness (eager,
reluctant, willing, etc.)
● After too/enough
● After expressions like: be in the
mood
* need can sometimes be followed by
a gerund when the gerund means a
noun. In this case the sentence
takes a passive meaning:
“The house needs cleaning.”
The sentence above means:
"the house needs to be cleaned.”
conjugated in passive voice
** also used in gerund
with b. inf. describe a
complete action
○ exceptions: look forward to, be
used to, get used to, in addition to
● as Nouns (subject or object of the
sentence)
● After expressions like
○ be busy
○ it’s worth
○ it’s no use
○ can’t help
○ can’t stand
○ there is no point
○ have difficulty/trouble
** also used in bare infinitive
with gerund describe an incomplete
action

Verbs followed by Gerund and infinitive with the same meaning:

■ attempt ■ continue
■ begin ■ intend
■ cannot bear ■ start*
■ cease

*Start: s​ ometimes, an infinitive means that you did not complete or continue an action.
“started to eat one hour ago” 
 

Verbs followed by Infinitive and Gerund with the same meaning but with a
difference in use:

Verb Object + Infinitive Gerund (with no object)

advise I advise you to go  I advise going by 
by bus.  bus. 
allow / permit He allowed her  He allowed 
to take the car.  taking the car. 
forbid She forbids us to  She forbids 
smoke.  smoking. 
 
Verbs followed by Gerund or Infinitive with ​a slight difference​ in meaning
It is sometimes confusing to know which verb forms to use after the verbs in this table. This is
because the difference in meaning between Infinitive and Gerund is very small. Analyse the
examples in the table:

Gerund (general enjoyment) Infinitive (specific preference/habit)

Love Love
I love reading I love to read romantic 
(I love reading at all times and I enjoy most novels on rainy days
genres in literature) (I love to read in this specific situation)

Like Like
I like playing the guitar  I like to play the guitar 
(I enjoy this experience in general) by the campfire​.
(I like this activity/option when I go
camping)

Prefer Prefer
She prefers working in  She prefers to work in 
the morning the mornings 
(In general she enjoys more this option. immediately after she 
There is no significant difference in wakes up 
meaning) (she prefers this option/possible activity) 

Dislike Dislike
I dislike driving I dislike to drive when 
(I don’t enjoy this action/activity) there is a lot of traffic.
(I normally enjoy driving, except when there
is a lot of traffic)

Hate Hate
I hate watching romantic  I hate to watch romantic 
movies  movies with my sister 
(I don’t like romantic movies)  (I like romantic movies, I just don’t like to
watch them with my sister)

When using gerunds we can infer that the subject refers to real actions or experiences.
On the other hand, when using infinitives we infer that the subject refers to possible
actions or experiences options. Taking this into account, most of the verbs above
cannot be followed interchangeably by a gerund or infinitive.
Verbs followed by Infinitive or Gerund with difference in meaning

Verb Infinitive Gerund

forget / remember with regard to the future with regard to the past
Remember to  Do you 
feed the dog,  remember 
before you  feeding the 
leave.  puppy? 
go on start something new continue with the same
Go on to read. action
Go on reading. 
regret be sorry/sad with regard to the past
I regret to say  I regret saying 
you failed the  bad words when 
exam.  i argued with 
her.
stop interrupt another action terminate/finish doing
I stopped to  something
drink something.  I stopped 
I was thirsty. drinking. The 
doctor 
recommended 
so
try do something complicated do it and see what happens
Try to solve this  Try talking to 
problem.  him.
mean intend to involve
I never meant to  A baby means 
hurt you having a lot of 
responsibilities 
Practice

Now that you know the rules, go on to answer the following practice exercises.

Activity 2​: Go back to the readings and put the underlined words/ phrases in the correct
categories. Then, in parenthesis, write the type of word or phrase it is; ​(verb), (preposition),​ etc.
List of words/phrases followed by :
An Infinitive: A ​Bare Infinitive​: A ​Gerund:​

Want (verb) Should (verb) About (prep.)

………………………. ……………………… ………………………

………………………. ………………………

……………………….

……………………….

……………………….

……………………….

Activity 3​: ​Answer the following exercises​.

Exercise 1. ​Complete the sentences with the correct form, Inf., bare inf., or gerund, of the verbs
in brackets.
1) Jack delayed …………………... (get) out of bed .
2) My mom demanded ………………… (speak) to the principal of the school.
3) I offered ………………… (help) with his homework. .
4) I miss ………………… (go) to my grandma's house.
5) We postponed ………………… (do) the shopping.
6) I'd hate ………………… (see) my ex with someone else.
7) Carl admitted ………………… (cheat) on the exam.
8) I chose ………………… (be) here with you today.
9) Sam waited ………………… (go) to the bathroom.
10) I really appreciate ………………… (have) lunch with you.
11) I couldn't help ………………… (laugh) when the professor hit himself with the desk.
12) Ed seems ……………… (be) happy, but I’m not sure. He sometimes smiles when he’s sad.
13) Charlie is considering ………………… (move) to another country.
14) Grace practised ………………… (speak) in front of her mirror .
15) Finally I managed ………………… (finish) my thesis.
16) I really can't stand ………………… (walk) in the sun.
17) Unfortunately, we can't afford ………………… (go) on holiday this year..
18) Ruth risked ………………… (be) pregnant at 50.
19) I'd love ………………… (have) dinner with you.
20) John prepared ………………… (be) the coach of the team.
Exercise 2​. Read the text and complete the gaps with the verb in parentheses in the appropriate
form.

Holidays in Space...
​ It's a long time since men last went to the Moon; but there are now people living all the
time in the Russian space station Mir. Today, space is just for astronauts: but soon ordinary
people will be able to enjoy the experience.... if they can ​1.​ ​……. (afford) it.

When you're 50, what sort of holiday will you want ​2.​ ……….. (take)?
If you're under 30 today, perhaps you'll be able to take a holiday in space!
A Japanese company, Shimizu, plans ​3. ……….. (open) the first hotel in space ​within 15
years.
They want to offer 3-day holidays in a space station, which will ​4. ………..(be) bigger
than the International Space Station. However, holidays in space will be very expensive! About
90,000 dollars for three days! Shimizu believe that there are enough people who will be ready ​5​.
………..(pay) the price.
Other ​firms​, in Japan and the USA, want to open hotels on the moon! ​Trips to the moon
will be even more expensive!
The Japanese firm is quite serious; but they cannot yet start ​6​. ………..(build) their
orbiting hotel.
First they will have to ​7. .……….(buy) a commercial re-usable ​shuttle​. Today there are
no shuttles. The old American shuttles, such as Atlantis and Columbia, were very expensive ​8.
………..(​launch)​. They had to be launched into orbit with a big rocket which cannot be re-used.
Tomorrow's shuttles will ​take off and land ​on their own​, probably like aeroplanes. They will
therefore ​9.​ .………. (be) much more economical.
​Such shuttles do not yet exist; the Americans are working on them, but they will not be ready
for several years.
 However, there are other big difficulties too. How will ordinary people ​react to life in
space? Today's astronauts spend months ​10. .………. (train) before going into space. They
have to be in top form too.
Holidays in space will not be for tomorrow, that is certain; but they will come. That is
virtually certain too!

Answer Key

Activity 1
Reading 1: Reading 2: Reading 3:
1. True 1. False 1. False
2. False 2. True 2. True
3. True 3. False 3. True
4. True 4. False 4. False
5. False 5. True 5. True

Activity 2

An Infinitive: A ​Bare Infinitive​: A ​Gerund:​

Want (verb) Should (verb) About (prep.)

Get (v) Can (v) From (prep)
Need (v) Have to (v)
Be in the mood
Be hard ( be + adj.)
Try (v)
Be difficult (be + adj.)
Activity 3

Exercise 1: Exercise 2:
1. getting 11. Laughing 1. afford
2. To speak 12. To be 2. to take
3. To help 13. Moving 3. to open
4. going 14. Speaking 4. be
5. doing 15. To finish 5. to pay
6. To see 16. Walking 6. building
7. cheating 17. To go 7. buy
8. To be 18. Being 8. to launch
9. To go 19. To have 9. be
10. having 20. To be 10. training
Appendix

The Elements of Sentence Construction

All the sentences are formed by a ​Subject​ and a ​Verb​:

He is sleeping . 
Subject  Verb 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Subject: ​It’s the element that performs/does the action​. I​ t is also what we talk
about.
Verb: ​It’s the element that shows the action/state​. 

There is also a complement that can show ​where,how, when, ​ the action takes place.
The complement is optional.

He is sleeping now . 
Subject  Verb  Complement 
(When) 
He is sleeping in his room . 
Subject  Verb  Complement (Where) 
 
He is sleeping quietly.  
Subject  Verb  Complement 
(How) 
Sometimes, if the verb requires it, there is an ​Object ​in the complement.

Carl ate the apple  

Subject  Verb  Object  
 
 
 
Object: ​It’s the element that receives/is affected by the action​. 

In the example above, ​Carl​ performed the action, ​ate​ is what Carl did, and ​the 
apple​ received the action. The apple is now in Carl’s stomach.

The ​Object​ sometimes can be another ​verb​. Check the following sentences:

1. Tom wants an apple.  

Subject  Verb  Object 
 

2. Tom wants ​to eat​ .  

Subject  Verb  Object 
 
The two examples show what Tom wants, Thus, both, an apple and to eat, receive the action.