Gerunds and Infinitives

Gerunds = verb + ing

We use gerunds at the beginning of a sentence.

Going home after a hard day’s work is the best.

Taking my Mom out for lunch has always been great.

Gerunds = verb + ing

We use gerunds after a preposition.

Michael was afraid of losing his job.

I have breakfast before leaving for work in the morning.

Infinitive = to + verb

We use infinitives after adjectives.

Marcia was anxious to go home.

You don't look happy to see me.

Infinitive = to + verb

We use infinitives to express purpose.

Mike’s saving money to buy a flat.

Tom will come to the party to pick up Julia.

Infinitive = to + verb

Be careful some verbs include the preposition, so you use a

gerund not an infinitive.

I’m looking forward to hearing from you.

Verb + verb + gerund

Some verbs are usually followed by another verb in gerund.

admit / avoid / enjoy / dislike / finish / keep / like / mind /

recommend / suggest
Verb + to + infinitive

Some verbs are usually followed by to and infinitive

agree / decide / help / hope / learn / need / plan / promise /

want / would like
Verb + Verb (gerund / infinitive)

These verbs can be followed by either the gerund or the

infinitive with a change in meaning.

remember / forget / stop / try / go on

Remember + gerund

This is when you remember something that has happened in

the past. You have a memory of it.

I remember going to the beach when I was a child. (I have a

memory of going to the beach).
Remember + to + infinitive

This is when you think of something that you need to do. (And
usually, you then do the thing).

I remembered to buy milk.

(I was walking home and the idea that I needed milk came into my
head, so I bought some).
Forget + gerund

This is when you forget about a memory, something that

you've done in the past.

I told my brother that we'd spent Christmas at Granny's house

in 1985, but he'd forgotten going there.
Forget + to + infinitive

This is  when you want to do something, but you forget about

it.

I forgot to call my mother.

(I wanted to call my mother, but the idea to call her left my head, and
I didn’t call her).
Try + gerund

This is when you do something as an experiment. The thing

you do is not difficult, but you want to see if doing it will have
the result that you want.

I tried using nicotine patches to stop smoking.

(Using nicotine patches was easy, but I wanted to know if it
would help me stop smoking).
Try + to + infinitive

This is when the thing you do itself is difficult. It usually

means you do not succeed on it.

Verónica tried to catch the bus, but she couldn't run fast
enough.
Stop + gerund

When we stop doing something it means the verb in the gerund

is the thing we don’t do anymore.

My grandmother stopped driving when she was 85. 

(She doesn’t drive anymore).
Stop + to + infinitive

We stop something else in order to do the verb in infinitive.

I stopped to eat lunch.

(I stopped working, because I wanted to eat lunch).
Go on + gerund

This is when we do something for a very long time.

It was a long speech. The President went on speaking for 3

hours.
Go on + to + infinitive

This is when we do something as the next logical step.

After introducing her proposal, she went on to explain the

benefits for the company.
Sense verbs

These verbs are usually followed by an object and a gerund.

see / watch / hear / listen to / feel / smell / taste

Tom heard something making a loud noise.
Let’s do an exercise

https://wheeldecide.com/index.php?c1=Stop&c2=Like&c3=Re
commend&c4=Agree&c5=Need&c6=Want&c7=Forget&c8=T
ry&c9=Go+on&c10=Would+like&t=The+Gerunds+and+Infini
tives+Wheel&time=5
Thank you!