Theme: Gerunds and infinitives

Theme:Gerunds and infinitives

A verb is one thing, and a noun is another completely separate thing … right? Not always. There are certain verb forms that can actually take the place of a noun in a sentence. These adaptable verb forms are called gerunds and infinitives. Below, we’ll give you all the details about what they look like, when to use them, and more. 

1. Gerunds can be the subject of a sentence

2. Gerunds and infinitives can both be the object of a sentence

3. Some verbs only work with gerunds as the object

4. Some verbs only work with infinitives as the object

5. Some verbs work with both gerunds and infinitives

6. Infinitives are often used after adjectives

7. Infinitives are used with ‘too’ and ‘enough’

8. Infinitives are used after indirect objects

9. Gerunds are used after most prepositions

10. Infinitives are used to explain purpose

Is it an infinitive or gerund?

First things first: let’s compare the difference between the gerund verb form and the infinitive verb form.
A gerund is in the form of the present participle, meaning it ends in ‘-ing’ – ‘swimming’, for example. And what is an infinitive? The infinitive, on the other hand, begins with ‘to’, as in ‘to swim’.
Even though both gerunds and infinitives can be used as nouns in a sentence, there are very specific rules telling us when to use which one. 
Let’s discuss these rules below.

1. Gerunds can be the subject of a sentence

It’s common to see these ‘-ing’ verb forms at the beginning of a sentence. 
Look at this sentence, for example: ‘Smoking is bad for you’.
In the above example, you can see that the gerund ‘smoking’ is acting as the subject. Also, you know it’s taking the place of a noun, because you can replace it with a more traditional-looking noun, and the grammar would still work (e.g., ‘Chocolate is bad for you’.)
Note: While it’s sometimes possible for infinitives to be the subject of a sentence, it sounds very formal and is not as common in everyday English.