Infinitives and gerunds

Infinitives and gerunds for ESO-4

1. USE OF THE INFINITIVE AND GERUND
BARE INFINITIVE (INFINITIVE WITHOUT TO) (go)
 After modal verbs:
o I must go now.
o He shouldn’t speak so loud.
 After some verbs (let, make, see, watch, hear, help, etc.) in the active:
o Let me continue now.
o I saw her steal the books.
o Could you help me unload the tractor?
INFINITIVE (to go / not to go)
 After some verbs such as: decide, want, promise, hope, pretend, refuse, offer, agree, seem, appear, choose, expect,
learn, plan, wish, allow, would like, etc.
o I decided to buy another mobile phone.
o She wants to finish her exams as soon as possible.
o They didn’t promise to come with us.
o He refused to leave the car in the street.
o I offered to buy another computer for her.
o I agreed to choose a present for him.
o They seemed to be happy.
 After some adjectives such as: easy, happy, sad, lucky, hard and nice.
o It was hard to find her dog in the forest.
o I’m happy to volunteer.
o They were lucky to pass their exam.
o It was nice to win so much money in the lottery.
GERUND (going)
 As the subject of a sentence when speaking in a general way about something:
o Visiting London was a great experience.
o Dancing is a way of exercising.
o Smoking is dangerous for everyone.
 After a preposition:
o She is good at dancing tango.
o I am looking forward to seeing you.
o After having lunch we’ll play cards.
o Before going to bed I always have a glass of hot chocolate.
 As a direct object after some verbs, such as: finish, enjoy, avoid, miss, recommend, suggest, imagine, regret, keep,
mind, etc.:
o They decided to keep us waiting for over an hour.
o We enjoy eating Mexican food.
o My mother suggested travelling to Switzerland next summer.
o I regret wasting so much time.
o My mother doesn’t mind cooking on Sundays.
 After some expressions: can’t stand, don’t mind, feel like, it’s no use, look forward to, etc.
o He can’t stand waiting in a queue.
o I don’t mind walking to school.
o I feel like sleeping until noon.
o It’s no use crying over spilt milk.
o We are looking forward to hearing from you (in a letter).
INFINITIVE OR GERUND KEEPING THE SAME MEANING
 Some verbs have the same meaning whether followed by a gerund or an infinitive: like, love, hate, prefer, begin, start,
continue, etc.
o I like to dance. = I like dancing.
o They continued studying after the match. = They continued to study after the match.
INFINITIVE OR GERUND WITH A DIFFERENT MEANING
 Other verbs have a different meaning if they are followed by a gerund or by an infinitive:
o Remember:
 remember + infinitive: remember something that will be done later:
 I have to remember to lock the house.
 remember + gerund: remember something that was done earlier:
 I remember speaking to Susan on the day of the accident.
o Forget:
 forget + infinitive: not remember something that will be done later:
 Don’t forget to phone your parents tonight.
 forget + gerund: not remember something that was done earlier:
 I’ll never forget studying at CPI Tino Grandío.
o Stop:
 stop + infinitive: stop so that you can do something:
 I stopped to speak to my parents.
 stop + gerund: end an action:
 I stopped dancing because I was very tired.

2. Complete the following sentences with the verb in the right form: bare infinitive, infinitive or
gerund:
1. Please, stop ________________ (ask) me questions!
2. I don’t enjoy ________________ (drive) very much.
3. Has it stopped ________________ (rain) yet?
4. It was a very sunny day but suddenly it began ________________ (rain).
5. I can’t stand ________________ (eat) Padrón peppers. They are too hot for me.
6. The teachers offered ________________ (let) us take a second test.
7. It was difficult ________________ (find out) the truth about the event.
8. Will you let us ________________ (go) with your team?
9. Rick is very stubborn. He keeps ________________ (make) the same mistake with all his
girlfriends.
10. Do you mind ________________ (travel) at night? You might get a much cheaper flight.
11. We’ll go to bed after ________________ (wash) all the dishes that have been used.
12. Please, remember ________________ (lock) the door when you leave.
13. My sister can’t stand ________________ (wait) for trains.
14. I bought a new bicycle instead of ________________ (go) away on holiday.
15. The president doesn’t want ________________ (resign) this month.
16. They shouldn’t ________________ (be) so rude with us.
17. She was late so we decided ________________ (not / wait) for her.
18. Someone must have taken my green pen. I clearly remember ________________ (put) it on
my desk.
19. ________________ (eat) so much fat is definitely bad for your health.
20. My father will never let me drive the car before ________________ (get) the driving licence.
21. Your friends helped us ________________ (mow) the lawn yesterday morning.
22. The lecturer refused ________________ (answer) any more questions that morning.
23. My cat loves ________________ (sleep) in the sun.
24. ________________ (read) books is my passion.
25. The exercise wasn’t difficult ________________ (do).
26. While we were on holidays my brother forgot ________________ (water) the plants so they
died.
27. The baby learned ________________ (use) the dummy.
28. I can’t ________________ (spend) so much money on that.
29. The salesperson suggested ________________ (drive) the car around the city.
30. They stopped ________________ (phone) the emergency service because Julia was having a
heart attack.
31. Are you good at ________________ (swim)? You might take part in the competition.
32. They always avoid ________________ (speak) to him when he is so angry.
33. It’s no use ________________ (ask) for help. Everyone is in a hurry this week.
34. My parents miss ________________ (have) a baby. They will have to wait until they become
grandparents!
35. Would you like ________________ (have) chips or boiled potatoes with your fish?
36. This knife is only for ________________ (cut) cheese.