5 SIMPLE RULES TO MASTER THE USE OF

GERUNDS AND INFINITIVES

RULE 1: GERUNDS CAN BE USED AS A SUBJECT OF A SENTENCE.
Take a look at some examples.
Walking is good for your health.
Making friends has become more difficult since I moved to a new city.
Becoming a millionaire is a dream of many young people today.
Here, the gerunds (in bold) are part of the sentence subjects (“walking,” “making
friends,” “becoming a millionaire”). All three sentences sound like normal, everyday
English.
Now read these two sentences:
“To be or not to be—that is the question.”
“To mourn a mischief that is past and gone is the next way to draw new mischief
on.”
(Both sentences are quotes from William Shakespeare’s works.)
They sound formal, don’t they? They are poetic, aren’t they? Shakespeare is one of the
greatest authors of all time, but his English is famously difficult to understand. And
that’s because it is literature. It is formal and it is art.
In those two quotes, the infinitives “to be” and “to mourn” are used as the sentence
subjects.
So, it is possible to use both infinitives and gerunds as subjects, but gerunds are much
more commonly used as subjects. Just pay attention to how the choice reflects on the
tone and meaning of your sentences.

RULE 2: BOTH GERUNDS AND INFINITIVES CAN BE USED AS OBJECTS

OF A SENTENCE.
You may say:
“I enjoy drawing.”
You may also say:
“Yesterday, I decided to draw.”
Both sentences are correct, but one has an infinitive as the object and the other has a
gerund as the object.
What is the difference?
It’s the verbs that precede (come before) the object! Some verbs require a gerund
and some will require an infinitive. In the above examples, we can see that the
formula is “enjoy” + [gerund] and “decide” + [infinitive].
With practice, you will be able to remember which one is which.
Here are a few examples of verbs that need to be followed by an infinitive:
agree: I agreed to go to a party with my friend.
decide: The president decided not to participate in the discussions.
deserve: Everyone deserves to be respected.
expect: I expect to know my exam grade by tomorrow.
hope: We were hoping to avoid traffic by leaving early.
learn: He learned not to trust anyone.
need: She needs to learn how to cook.
offer: I offered to help my brother with homework.
plan: We are planning to watch a movie tonight.
promise: My friend promised to find the time to help me move.
seem: We seem to be lost.
wait: I cannot wait to see my family.
want: I don’t want to go to bed yet.
There are lots of verbs that require an infinitive after. You will learn them naturally, as
you progress in your English studies.

And here are a few examples of verbs that need to be followed by a gerund:
admit: They admitted changing the schedule.
advise: I advise proceeding (moving forward) with caution.
avoid: She avoided looking me in the eye.
consider (think about): I considered staying silent, but I had to tell her.
deny: I denied knowing about his secret.
involve: The course involved writing three tests.
mention (say something): She mentioned seeing my brother at a baseball game.
recommend: I recommend practicing gerunds and infinitives.
risk: Don’t risk losing your job!
suggest: I suggest reading more English short stories.
 RULE 3: INFINITIVES SHOULD BE USED AFTER MANY ADJECTIVES.
Here are three sample sentences that will help to illustrate this rule:
It is not easy to graduate from university.
It is necessary to speak English to work in a hotel.
It is wonderful to have close friends.

When you describe something with an adjective (underlined in the examples above), an
infinitive should follow (in bold). Using gerunds here would be incorrect.
But remember! If you want to make that object into a subject (see Rule 1), a gerund
should be used:

Graduating from university is not easy.

Speaking English is necessary to work in a hotel.
Having close friends is wonderful.

How else do you know if an adjective should be followed by an infinitive?

The construct “too + [adjective]” is another way to tell!
For example:
 This dress is too big to wear.
 This car is too expensive to buy.

And the same is true about “[adjective] + enough”:

 My child is not tall enough to ride this rollercoaster.
 The course was detailed enough to widen his knowledge base.
This rule is useful enough to understand the usage of infinitives!
 RULE 4: ONLY INFINITIVES ARE USED AFTER CERTAIN VERBS
FOLLOWED BY NOUNS OR PRONOUNS REFERRING TO A PERSON.
“We asked her not to go.”
In this sentence, “we” is the subject, “asked” is the verb and “her” is the objective form
of the pronoun “she.” You must use an infinitive (“to go”), never a gerund, after certain
verbs followed by nouns or pronouns referring to people.
To remember this rule, you will have to study verbs that take an object and an infinitive
in this context.
Start with these examples. The objects (nouns and pronouns) are underlined. Notice
how the underlined objects are all followed by infinitives.

ask: Can I ask you to help me with something?

expect: I never expected him to become famous.
hire (give a job to someone): Did the company hire you just to sit in your office?
invite: I invited a friend to attend the ceremony.
order: She ordered the child to stay at home.
remind: Please remind me to wash the dishes.
require: The test required him to concentrate fully.
teach: That will teach you to follow the rules!
tell: Who told you to come here?
urge: They urged me to continue my research.
warn: I am warning you not to do this!
RULE 5: ONLY GERUNDS ARE USED AFTER PREPOSITIONS (WITH ONE
EXCEPTION).
Consider this sentence:
I talked him out of taking that job.
HERE, THE GERUND “TAKING” FOLLOWS THE PREPOSITION “OF.”
Prepositions can follow any word, be it a noun, a pronoun, a verb or an adjective. In the
examples below, the prepositions are underlined, followed by the gerunds in bold.
A PREPOSITION THAT FOLLOWS A NOUN:
Novels about growing up are popular among teenagers.
I have an interest in becoming a painter.
A PREPOSITION THAT FOLLOWS A PRONOUN:
I forgive you for not telling the truth.
A PREPOSITION THAT FOLLOWS A VERB:
She is thinking about trying martial arts.
He looks forward to meeting his cousins.
A PREPOSITION THAT FOLLOWS AN ADJECTIVE:
I am wary of going alone.
My mom is scared of flying.
There is one exception. Thankfully, it should be easy to remember!
THE EXCEPTION
“But” is a short word that connects two clauses of a sentence together. It is called a
conjunction. Sometimes, “but” can also play a role of a preposition. When “but” is
used as a preposition, it is the same in meaning as “except.”
If “but” or “except” are used like this, they need to be followed by an infinitive:
I had no choice but to follow her.
(I had to follow her.)
Mary made no stops on the way except to get gas.
(Mary only stopped to get gas.)
There is nothing left for me to do but to collect my money and go.
(I only have to collect my money and go.)
You may not see “but” and “except” used this way often. Just follow the rule of gerunds
after prepositions, and you will get it right most of the time!
GERUNDS AND INFINITIVES MAY BE CONFUSING, BUT THEY MAKE
YOUR ENGLISH SPEECH MORE VARIED AND COLORFUL. IT IS VERY
USEFUL TO STUDY THEM AND PRACTICE USING THEM CORRECTLY.
THE MORE YOU NOTICE GERUNDS AND INFINITIVES IN YOUR STUDY
OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, THE EASIER IT WILL GET!
SOMETIMES YOU WILL BE UNSURE IF YOU NEED TO USE AN
INFINITIVE OR A GERUND IN A SENTENCE. IN THIS SITUATION, TRY
CHANGING THE SENTENCE AND SAYING WHAT YOU WANT TO SAY IN
A DIFFERENT WAY.
TAKEN FROM:
https://www.fluentu.com/blog/english/gerunds-and-
infinitives/https://www.fluentu.com/blog/english/gerunds-and-infinitives/
 EXERCISES:
PART A:
Gerund or Infinitive – Fill in the correct form.
1. I can’t imagine __________________ at home. (work)
2. We have decided against __________________ a new car. (buy)
3. She seems __________________ her new job. (like)
4. The students hope __________________ the exam. (pass)
5. He won’t go by plane. He is afraid of __________________ . (fly)
6. I am lazy. I don’t feel like __________________ any work. (do)
7. Remember __________________ the letter. Otherwise they won’t get it by
Saturday. (post)
8. Have you ever learned how __________________ such a plane? (fly)
9. They were too lazy __________________ out with us. (go)
10. I always enjoy __________________ to my grandfather. He always tells me
great stories. (talk)
11. I’m very interested in __________________ French. (learn)
12. My pen friend is coming next Friday. I’m really looking forward
__________________ her. (meet)
13. Don’t you mind __________________ away from your family for such a long
time? (be)
14. The children promised __________________ back by nine. (be)
15. I wanted to go alone but Joe insisted on __________________ with me. (come)
16. Tom offered __________________ me home. (bring)
17. Why not __________________ a weekend in Scotland? (spend)
18. I’m sorry I can’t come to your party but thank you for __________________
me. (invite)
19. Our neighbors apologized for __________________ such noise. (make)
20. Paris is always worth __________________ to. (travel)
21. I’m sure I gave him back the money. I remember __________________ it back
to him. (give)
22. She eventually managed __________________ her bike. (repair)
23. Would you like __________________ a cup of coffee? (drink)
24. There’s no point in __________________ the matter. He has already made his
decision. (discuss)
25. I prefer __________________ to skiing. (snowboard)
26. Do you mind __________________ Anita to the doctor? (bring)
27. It is difficult __________________ him. (understand)
28. We had difficulties __________________ your house. (find)
29. They decided __________________ Tennis in the afternoon. (play)
30. We expect him __________________ us on Sunday. (join)
 PART B
Fill in the correct form: Gerund or Infinitive (with or without "TO")
1. It's impossible __________________ on this pitch because the ball won't
bounce. (PLAY)
2. They accused his youngest son of __________________ the fence. (BREAK)
3. I blamed him for __________________ me with my homework. That's why I
got a bad mark.(NOT HELP)
4. I would like to know why he insisted on __________________ this alone (DO).
5. I suggest __________________ for a walk this afternoon. How about it? (GO)
6. The doctor advised him __________________ swimming because of his cold.
(NOT GO)
7. I managed to balance my account without __________________ out a new loan.
(TAKE)
8. I can't afford __________________ money on new clothes. (SPEND)
9. She can't tolerate __________________ the centre of attention. (NOT BE)
10. I regret __________________ that the event must be cancelled due to the
circumstances.
(SAY)
11. Dad demanded __________________ what I was doing up at this time of the
night. (KNOW)
12. For some people it's difficult to get used __________________ up early in the
morning.
(WAKE)
13. Why did you avoid __________________ your father the truth? (TELL)
14. Do you fancy __________________ out with me tonight? (GO)
15. In the old days you were allowed __________________ almost everywhere.
(SMOKE)
16. My teacher forbade us __________________ school during lessons. (LEAVE)
17. I forgot __________________ at the store for some groceries. (STOP)
18. This car needs __________________. Could you do for me? (WASH)
19. We postponed __________________ to the cinema until next week. (GO)
20. I didn't expect her __________________ the award. (WIN)
21. He spends all his spare time __________________ stamps and coins.
(COLLECT)
22. When I was in London, I managed __________________ almost all the
important sights, despite the little time I had. (SEE)
23. He denied __________________ contact with the suspect. (HAVE)
24. I remember __________________ to my first concert when I was 18. (GO)
25. We were anxious __________________ abroad for the first time. (GO)
 PART C
Fill in the correct form: Gerund or Infinitive (with or without "TO")

1. I can't afford __________________ a job at the moment. I really need the

money. (NOT HAVE)
2. The new job will involve you __________________ some time in Europe.
(SPEND)
3. I don't remember __________________ for help. I wonder why he's here.
(CALL)
4. We'll get everything finished, even if it means __________________ up late at
night. (STAY)
5. She stopped __________________ a newspaper on her way home. (BUY)
6. The members of the council have delayed __________________ a decision.
(MAKE)
7. We chose __________________ to Mark's engagement party. (NOT GO)
8. I hate it when the phone keeps __________________ all the time. It's
disgusting! (RING)
9. I reminded him __________________ a few things on his way home from work.
(BUY)
10. Have you considered __________________ the house? (SELL)
11. My dad insisted on __________________ me the money for the tickets. (GIVE)
12. Our boss convinced everyone __________________ longer hours. (WORK)
13. They couldn't help __________________ when she tripped over the carpet.
(LAUGH)
14. Remember __________________ Harriet as soon as you get home. (CALL)
15. Anna denied __________________ the vase. (BREAK)
16. The teacher demanded __________________ why we hadn't cleaned the
blackboard. (KNOW)
17. The shop assistant warned us __________________ the flowers. (NOT
TOUCH)
18. We are looking forward __________________ you next week. (SEE)
19. I suggested __________________ him there and __________________ back
home. (LEAVE, GET)
20. The kidnappers threatened __________________ their hostages. (SHOOT)
21. The thief admitted __________________ the money from the old woman.
(STEAL)
22. English is a lot easier __________________ than French or other languages.
(LEARN)
23. Mom told her to stop __________________ such strange noises. (MAKE)
24. We are very anxious __________________ a plane for the first time. (BOARD)
25. My husband blamed me for ____________________ have a second child. (NOT
WANT)
 PART D
Gerund or Infinitive – Fill in the correct form.

1. They are likely __________________ up at any time. (show)

2. The man denied __________________ the crime. (commit)
3. Their memories of __________________ in Africa will stay with them forever.
(travel)
4. He has always been afraid of __________________. (fly)
5. __________________ is good for your health. (swim)
6. Would you mind __________________ me the sugar. (pass)
7. She promised __________________ the report as soon as possible. (read)
8. I had a hard time __________________ the situation to my husband. (explain)
9. She had some problems __________________ without glasses. (read)
10. Paul gave up __________________ five years ago. (smoke)
11. What about __________________ to the zoo tomorrow? (go)
12. Barca __________________ in winning the Spanish championship. (succeed)
13. They had fun __________________. (ski)
14. My friend was happy __________________ me at the party. (see)
15. He was ashamed __________________ that he had lied. (admit)
16. It was very kind of you __________________ me. (help)
17. She always wastes her time __________________ bad books. (read)
18. We had no problem __________________ from the airport to the train station.
(drive)
19. She hadn’t expected this task __________________ so difficult. (be)
20. It’s no use __________________ a taxi. We’ll be late anyway. (take)
21. Don’t forget __________________ the document as soon as you are finished.
(sign)
22. She made me __________________ like a real man. (feel)
23. __________________ video games all the time is very boring. (play)
24. She is fond of __________________ comics. (read)
25. Alvaro admitted __________________ during the English test. (cheat)
26. The teacher reminded us __________________ irregular verbs. (learn)
27. The boy refused __________________ what his mother said. (do)
28. Brenda really hates __________________. (study)
29. I used __________________ basketball during my college years. (play)
30. How long does it take you __________________ to the university? (walk)
 PART E
Fill the gaps with the verb in brackets in the appropriate form.

1 I can't stand ________________ in queues. ( to wait )

2 I wouldn't like ________________ in his shoes. ( to be )

3 Jim loves ________________ in Thailand. ( to work )

4 I hate ________________ the shopping on Saturday. ( to do )

5 Blast! I forgot ________________ milk. ( to buy )

6 In the end we decided ________________ in. ( to stay )

7 I need ________________ some information about Portugal. ( to find )

8 My parents like ________________ for long walks at the weekend. ( to go )

9 Tony gave up ________________ years ago. ( to smoke )

10 I wanted ________________ and see Troy but no one else was interested. ( to
go )

11 Mrs Leith offered ________________ us to the airport. ( to take )

12 Clare refused ________________ clean up after the party. ( to help )

13 I tried ________________ him to come but it was no use. ( to persuade )

14 Do you mind not ________________ ? ( to smoke )

15 Everybody really enjoyed ________________ the cha-cha-cha. ( to dance )

16 Lionel admitted ________________ my chocolate mousse. ( to eat )

 PART F
Use the verbs in brackets to fill the gaps.

1 We arranged _____________ under the station clock at half nine. ( to meet )

2 I always try to avoid _____________ him whenever I can. ( to see )

3 I long _____________ in Scotland again. ( to be )

4 My Mum demanded _____________ the manager. ( to see )

5 My brother denied _____________ my chocolate mousse. Maybe his hamster

ate it. ( to eat )

6 I tried _____________ but I just couldn't. ( to understand )

7 In the end I gave up _____________ to persuade her. ( to try )

8 Charlie was pretending _____________ a chicken. ( to be )

9 They chose _____________ in a cheap hotel but spend more money on meals.
( to stay)

10 We like Galicia so much that we keep _____________ back there. ( to go )

11 He deserves _____________ severely punished. ( to be )

12 When we visit my aunt, they expect me _____________ on my best behaviour. (

to be )

13 I didn't mean _____________ her feelings. I'm really sorry. ( to hurt )

14 I always put off _____________ my homework until the last possible moment. (
to do )

15 He goes on _____________ me the same thing over and over again. ( to tell )

16 I can't stand _____________ in the queue at the baker's. ( to wait )

17 The firemen managed _____________ the fire pretty quickly. ( to put out )

18 I never risk _____________ through that part of town. ( to go )

19 Clare offered _____________ me to the airport, which was very kind of her. ( to
take )

20 Dad threatened _____________ my pocket money if I didn't do my homework.

( to stop )