Diana Szewczyk

Hello English students,

Do you know when we should use gerunds and infinitives? Well, let's have a look at some main rules:

We use the gerund (verb+ing):

- after certain verbs and expressions, especially those expressing liking or disliking

e.g. I don't mind getting up early in the morning. 

Common examples of verbs: like, love, enjoy, adore, fancy, feel, don't mind, detest, hate, loathe, can't stand, dislike, finish, avoid, give up, keep, miss, suggest, consider, imagine

Common examples of expressions: it's not worth, it's / there's no use, there's no point (in)

- after all prepositions expect to

e.g On hearing the news, she burst into tears.

EXCEPTIONS: to look forward to (doing), to object to (doing), to get used to (doing)

- after adjective and preposition combinations

e.g. Steven is fantastic at cooking Thai food.

Common examples: 

good / wonderful / fantastic / bad / awful / terrible at

happy / pleased / glad / anxious / sad / worried about

afraid / frightened / scared / terrified of

interested in

keen on

capable of

proud of

- after verb and preposition combinations

e.g. I don't approve of people drinking and driving. 

Common examples:

insist on

consist of

approve of

believe in

apologise for

succeed in

accuse someone of

congratulate someone on

- after phrasal verbs

e.g. I gave up playing tennis when I hurt my knee. 

We use the infinitive:

- after certain verbs

e.g. I learnt to speak Spanish in Valencia.

Common examples: afford, agree, ask, choose, help, hope, want, intend, pretend, promise, expect, prefer, used

- after certain adjectives

e.g. I was surprised to see him at the party.

Common examples: difficult, possible, happy, certain, simple

- after verbs which follow the pattern verb + someone + to do + something

e.g. I asked her to open the window.

Common examples: encourage, permit, allow, persuade, teach, force

- to express purpose

e.g. I went to the shops to get some bread.

Remember that after modal auxiliaries (e.g. can, must) and after let, had better and would rather, we use the infinitive without to. 

As always, if you have any questions, feel free to write me :)

Regards,

Diana