UNIT 9.

GERUND, INFINITIVE
AND PARTICIPLE

Lecturer: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ho Ngoc Trung

hongoctrung74@gmail.com
0913 30 64 84
Facebook Page: TS. Hồ Ngọc Trung
 I. GERUND
Gerund derives from the verb but functions as
a noun.
Smoking is not allowed.
 GERUND FORM
Active Passive
Simple playing being played
Perfect having played having been played

He prefers playing to working.

He likes his songs being played.
Sara remembered having played that song before.
 Functions of gerunds
 
• Subject: Playing tennis is fun.
• Object: We enjoy playing tennis.
• Complement of Subject: My hobby is
playing tennis.
• Complement of a preposition: He’s excited
about playing tennis.
 Common verbs followed by gerunds

appreciate, avoid, consider, delay, discuss,

enjoy, finish, keep, mind, quit, suggest

• She quit smoking.

• I don’t mind washing clothes.
• We briefly discussed buying a second car.
• Did I mention going to see Vicky on Sunday?
Gerunds in some special expressions

• We had fun playing volleyball.

• We had a good time playing tennis.
• I had trouble finding his house.
 II. INFINITIVE
The infinitive: to infinitive and bare
infinitive. The infinitive: primarily used as a
noun

To see is to believe.
 FORM
Bare infinitive To- infinitive
simple play to play
perfect have played to have played
continuous be playing to be playing
perfect continuous have been playing to have been playing

I’d rather sit at the back.

I’d prefer to sit at the back.
It’s a pity I missed program. Id’ like to have seen it.
The weather seems to be getting worse.
I’d rather be lying on the beach than stuck in a traffic jam.
The man appeared to have been drinking.
• Simple infinitive: refering to the same time in the main
clause.
I’m pleased to meet you. (the pleasure and the meeting are
both in the present.)
 
• Perfect infinitive: for something before the time in the
main clause
I’d like to have seen that programme yesterday. (the desire is
in the present, but the programme is in the past.)
 
• Continuous infinitive: for something happening over a
period.
You’re lucky to be winning. (you are winning at the
moment.)
 FUNCTION
• Subject: To learn English is easy.
• Object: I like to work in the evening.
• Complement of Subject: My purpose of
learning English is to find a better job.
• Complement of Object: I heard her sing in
the bedroom.
• Complement of Adjective: I’m glad to meet
you.
Common verbs followed by infinitive

hope, plan, intend, decide, promise, agree,

offer, refuse, seem, appear, pretend, want,
expect, need

• I hope to see you again soon.

• He promised to be here by ten.
• She pretended to be ill.
• They refused to come.
Common adjectives followed by infinitive

glad, happy, pleased, delighted, sorry, ready,

prepared, eager, determined, careful,
hesitant, reluctant

• We were sorry to hear the bad news.

• I was surprised to see Tim at the meeting.
 The infinitive with too and enough

• That box is too heavy for Bob to lift.

• The ring is too expensive for me to buy.
• I am strong enough to lift that box.
• She has enough money to buy a house.
Bare infinitive after make, let, and help

• I made my brother carry my suitcase.

• My parents let me stay up late.
• The bank helped her start her own business.
 III. PARTICIPLE
A participle: a word formed from a verb
that can function as part of a verb phrase or
independently as an adjective
• has written
• working woman
 FORM
• The present participle, the past participle and the perfect
participle.
Present participle: ending in ing,
 
• in the continuous tense
I am learning English.
We were running through the woods.

• as an adjective
It is an interesting story.
 
 FORM
Past participle: indicating past or completed action or time.
• In the present perfect tense
I have learnt English.
 
• in the passive voice
Her hair was well brushed.
 
• as an adjective
He had a broken arm.
 
 Perfect participle: indicating completed
action.
having done, having finished, having read,
having spoken
 
Having improved her English Mary's
promotion prospects were much better.
 FUNCTION
Two main functions of participles:
• as adverbials in the clause
Having no money, we couldn’t get in.
 
• as attributives to nouns:
Boiling water turns to steam. (=water which is boiling)
I had a reserved seat. (=a seat which had been
reserved)
 
THE END