Unit 5 - Gerunds & Infinitives
Gerunds & Infinitives
Unit 5 - Gerunds & Infinitives
Kim: I miss talking with my best friend. I remember going with him everywhere!
Ron: Why did you stop talking
Kim: We celebrated turning 30 at the same time, but then he got a new job and moved to a new city.
Ron: I remember hearing that. Have you talked to him recently?
Kim: Yes, but I regret not calling him more often.
Ron: I imagine being far apart is difficult.
Kim: It is. I enjoy spending time with him!
Unit 37 (cont.) - INFINITIVES (VERB + INFINITIVES)
Ben: Do you want to go to the movies?
Heather: No, I need to buy a new swimsuit at the store.
Ben: Oh, I forgot to tell you - I bought you a new swimsuit already!
Heather: You did?? You promised to save money for our trip!
Ben: I offered to pay for it before but you said no, so I bought it when I went shopping alone!
Heather: That's nice of you, but I refuse to accept it.
Ben: I hope to get my money back from the store when I return this.
Heather: I don't mean to make you upset, but you need to save money!
Gerunds and Infinitives: Verb+Gerund / Verb+ Infinitive
A gerund is a verb
that functions as noun. For example:
- I enjoy playing tennis. I enjoy play
tennis" is incorrect.
- We practice speaking English every
day.
- They just bought a new swimming pool.
In English the infinitive
is made of to and the verb. For example:
- I want to learn a new language.
- You forgot to close the door.
Verbs are often followed by infinitives or gerunds and choosing which to use has few fixed rules, it depends mainly on the individual verb.
Verb + Gerund
Here are some common verbs that can be followed by gerunds, but not infinitives.
admit - He admitted
taking the money.
celebrate - We celebrated winning the competition.
deny - The government denied spending too little
on education.
dislike - I dislike complaining.
enjoy - She enjoys meeting her friends.
finish - I finished working there last month.
imagine - I imagine being a waitress is a difficult
job.
keep - Where are my keys? I keep losing them.
mind - I don't mind waiting, we've got time.
miss - I miss talking with my sisters.
remember - Do you remember going to Italy?
risk - Jeff's always late. He risks losing his
job.
stop - Don't stop singing, it's really nice.
suggest - I suggest having lunch first.
Gerunds are also
used after some phrasal verbs. For example:
- If you keep on doing the same thing,
you'll get the same results.
- She wants to give up drinking coffee.
Verb + Infinitive
Below are some common verbs that can be followed by infinitives, but not usually gerunds.
aim - I'm aiming
to finish this book by the end of March.
afford - I can't afford to buy new clothes.
agree - My boss agreed to give me a reference.
decide - We decided to have a baby.
deserve - You deserve to have a better score.
forget - Don't forget to lock the door.
hope - I hope to go to Harvard Business School.
learn - I learnt to read when I was 3 years
old.
mean - I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you
angry.
need - You don't need to study a lot, you need
to study a little for a long time.
offer - He offered to help me carry these bags.
plan - They plan to go abroad next year.
pretend - He's pretending to be sick.
promise - She promised to be here on time.
refuse - Why do they always refuse to listen?
seem - She seems to be really intelligent.
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Grammar Exercises
Complete the sentences using a gerund or an infinitive.
Example: I strongly
suggest _____ an attorney on hand before signing
a contract to buy a home.
a) having
b) to have - The answer is: a) having
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