05. INFINITIVE, GERUND, AND PARTICIPLE.doc

8/14/2019 05. INFINITIVE, GERUND, AND PARTICIPLE.doc

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CHAPTER 5

INFINITIVE, GERUND, AND PARTICIPLE

General characteristics

Both the gerund and the infinitive can function as nouns standing alone, or they can function as verbs

in non-finite noun clauses.

1. The gerund and the infinitive can function as nouns, the gerund being more easily identifiable with

a noun.

a) The gerund may stand alone as the subject of a verb:

Readingis his favourite pastime.

The infinitive is not often used in this way.

b) Both the gerund and the infinitive may stand alone as the object of a verb:

I have finished working.

I want to leave.

c) Both may function as the complement of to be:

My worst vice ispeepingthrough the keyhole.

Her first thought was to killhim.

d) nly the gerund can be used as the object of a preposition:

He insisted on coming.

nly the gerund may be !ualified by adjectives:

This horse saddle makes easy riding.

nly the gerund can be used with an article and can have a plural form:

All the newspapers have now published thefindingsof the police.

I am not accustomed to his comingsandgoings.

". The gerund and the infinitive can operate as verbs in non-finite noun clauses.

a) They may be followed by a direct or indirect object:

Closing the factory means laying offmore people than expected. #$irect object)

He hates speakingto his former friends. #%ndirect object)

b) They may be !ualified by adverbs:

A teacher of nglish should avoid speakingtoo !uickly.

He wants to leaveimmediately.

c) They have perfect and passive forms:

&erfect: The clerk was accused of having cooked the books.

He pretended to have misunderstood the re!uest.

&assive: "o one likes being thought a fool.

#he doesn$t want to be toldabout the accident

' &erfect He resented having been told to drop dead.

passive: He claimed to have been stolenat the Customs.

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*. %n some of the above e+amples a that-clause could be used after the main verb in place of the

gerund or the infinitive:

a. Closing the factory means- laying off people.

- that people will lose their %obs.

b.He pretended- to have misunderstood the re!uest.

- that he had misunderstood the re!uest.

ne of the main problems is that of learning which form, - ingform, infinitive or that-clause, should be

used after another verb. ne can learn to associate a verb with its particular pattern only through practice.

erbs that are similar in meaning do not necessarily follow the same pattern:

I advised him to startin the morning.

I suggested that he (should) startin the morning.

The Infinitive

orms of the infinitive:

Active Passive

Present infinitive &to' ask &to' be asked

Present

progressive

infinitive

&to' be asking (

Perfect (past)

infinitive

&to' have asked &to' have been

asked

Perfect (past)progressive

infinitive

&to' have beenasked

(

The short infinitive

1. The short infinitive is mainly used after modal verbs #e+cept ought), including needand darewhen

they are modals.

I can)could)must /0studyharder.".*et infinitive. 2e use the imperative form *et$sas an au+iliary verb followed by a short infinitive

when ma3ing suggestions for actions that include the spea3er.*et$sis often associated withshall we4

Lets havea drink+ shall we4

The negative of*et$sin suggestions is:

Lets not/Dont letswalk home.

%nformally,*et$scan relate toIin offers and re!uests:

Lets seewhat you$ve got here.Lets havea look. #56an %47)

*etas an au+iliary can be followed by other pronouns or even nouns:Letthe children)themplayin the garden.

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*. Make #5compel7) short infinitive. Make noun9pronoun object can be followed by a short

infinitive meaning 5cause to7:

He made his students learnharder through new methods of teaching.

The cut of your suit makes you lookslimmer.

%n the passive makein this sense is followed by to:

They were made to tellthe truth.

Makewith the meaning of 5compel7 can never be followed by a passive infinitive. therwise it can:

,ules were made &created' to be brokenby the most powerful.

. The short infinitive occurs in a number of fi+ed verbal phrases with let and make: let fall+ let go+ let

me see+ let slip+ live and let live+ make believe+ make do.

8. 2e use the short infinitive after e+pressions in which -dcan be replaced by wouldor had:

a. 5d would: 5d rather, 5d sooner;

I$d rather stayat home thangoout.

b. 5d had; 5d better, 5d best #less common):

e$d better)best be going.

%nformally betteror subject betteroften occur without had:

/ou better stoparguing andget down towork.

The infinitive with or without to

1.Help short infinitive. 2e may use both infinitives after a few verbs li3e helpand know. The use of

a to-infinitive is more formal:He helped me (to) repairmy car.

2e do not usually omit toafter not:

How can a teacher help student not to failthe exams4

%n the passive tois obligatory after help:

#he was helped to solvethe problem in half the time.Help passive infinitive is possible, though rare:

The chemist was sure that drug will help him to be cured.

".0now infinitive normally re!uires a noun or pronoun object. The omission of tois only possible

with the perfect form of know:

I$ve never known her not (to) be frightenedof something. %n the passive tois obligatory:

#he was known to have published two collections of poems.

%nfinitives can be joined by and, but, except, or and than. Tois usually dropped before the second

infinitive:

I$d like to goand seethe new exhibition.

The short infinitive and ing forms after verbs of perception

1. erbs li3e hear,smelland watchwithout a noun or pronoun object followed by an


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e could hearscreaming in the haunted house.

". >ome verbs li3e feel, hear, listen to, look at, notice, observe, perceive, see, smell, watch, can be

followed by a noun or pronoun object short infinitive or


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He bought another car (in order) forhis son to learnto drive.

ther verbs such as bring, buy, need, take, use, wantoften introduce an object to-infinitive, which

tells us about the purpose of the object, usually an indefinite pronoun:

I$d like something to cheerme up.

ther verbs, such as apply, arrange, ask, call, plan, plead,phone,pray, ring,send, vote, wait, wish,

can be followed byfor object to-infinitive.3ormar3s the subject of the infinitive:

How long have you been waiting for Tom to confesshis guilt4

". >ometimes the to-infinitive in the second part of a sentence is used for the later event in a se!uence.

The to-infinitive, sometimes replaced by and verb, describes an event which is une+pected, or unwelcome

< especially when onlyis used in front of to:

e came home after our holiday (only) to findour house broken into and all the %ewels stolen .

A similar construction occurs with never:

#he left home never to return/never to be seenagain.

*. The to-infinitive is used to refer to the future or to an imaginary past with verbs li3e: hope, intend,

mean, &would' like to. A perfect infinitive is often used after a past verb, but it is not always necessary:

I would like to seethat play#now, or in the future).

I would like to have seenit#in the past).

I would have liked to seeit#but % didn7t have a chance).

I would have liked to have seenit.

Contrastive negatives

2e form the negative of a to-infinitive by putting notbefore to#in Am it is placed after to):

He soon learnt not to speakrudely to anybody.

2ith many verbs such as, advise+ ask+ instruct+ remind+ tell+ warn, the placing of the negative

influences the meaning:

1on$t ask Tom to telephone+ I$ll ring him myself.

Ask Tom not to telephone+ I don$t want to be disturbed. The placing of the negative has a similar

effect on meaning with adjectives and nouns infinitive:

I wasn$t sorry to go#5 % went7).

I was sorry not to go#5% didn7t go7).

It wasn$t a surprise to hearfrom #usan#5% heard from her7).

It was a surprise not to hearfrom #usan#% didn7t hear from her).

Cegatives are sometimes possible in both parts of the sentence:

I cantpromise not to belate, but this would be e+pressed more simply:

I cantpromise to beon time.

The split infinitive

To split an infinitive means to place an adverb or pleasebetween toand the verb. This is not a usual

procedure in written nglish but it is met in spo3en language, depending on the place of the emphasis.

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atterns with ad!ectives followed by infinitive

1. #he was kind to letus know the good news.

This pattern is used when we are praising or criticising people. The subject of the main verb and of the

infinitive is the same and sometimes an adverb e+presses the same idea:

#he very kindly told us what we were expected to do .

>ome adjectives used in this way are: brave, careless#not careful), clever, foolish, generous, good,

&un'kind,polite, right, wrong, rude, &un'selfish,silly, wicked.

". He is eager to please.

The subject of the main verb, be,feel,lookand the subject of the infinitive are the same. The use of

this pattern implies the spea3er7s concern for the people7s feeling about an action or situation, I9we fitting

naturally. There is no alternative structure withIt. >ome adjectives used in this pattern are: afraid, anxious,

ashamed, careful#not careless), curious, determined, due, eager,fit, free, frightened, glad, keen,prepared,

!uick, ready, reluctant,slow,sorry, willing.

My friend is always prepared to takethe bull by the horns.

3or noun9pronoun can be used after a very limited number of adjectives, such as anxious,

determined, eagerand keen, referring to situations that have not yet occurred:

He$s anxious for his son to passthe entrance exam.

A few adjectives referring to possibility or probability can be included here: bound)certain to+

&un'likely to+ sure to.

He is bound+ certain)likely)sure to winthe first pri8e.Itcan be used as a preparatory or empty subject:

It$s bound)sure to rainon our trip to the mountains.

*. He is easy to please.

The infinitive in this pattern usually refers to things done to someone or something. The subject of this

pattern is also the subject of the infinitive. TheIt structure is often used:

It is easy to pleasehim.

>ome adjectives used in this pattern are agreeable, amusing, boring+ difficult, easy, hard, impossible,

niceand others.

. It is good to behere with you.

2e can find many adjectives that fit in this pattern. The infinitive subject is usually replaced byIt.

!o accepttheir %ob is out of the !uestion.

It is out of the !uestion to accepttheir %ob.

3or noun9pronoun can occur after many of these adjectives:

It won$t be easy for him to findthe perfect wife.

>ome of the adjectives as3 for an


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A number of adjectives used in this way #e. g. advisable, important, necessary, vital) refer to advice,

necessity, duty and can be followed by that/should:

It is important to findthe solution to this problem)that we should find9

8. He is the first to arrive.

2e can use the first+ the second, etc, the next+ the last, and superlative li3e the best+ the most suitable

in this pattern.

"d!ectives patterns with #too$ and #enough$

Toocomes before the adjective and has the meaning of 5e+cessive7 or of restriction:

He isn$t clever: he believes everything he$s told.

He is toostupid to think by himself.

Gere the subject of the main verb is also the subject of the infinitive. %n other circumstances the

subject of the main verb is the object of the infinitive:

The problem is too difficult. I can$t solve it.

The problem is too difficult&for me' to solve.

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b) >ome nouns are followed by a preposition -ingform.

He can$t hope to make friends with her.

There$s no hope ofmaking friends with her.

>ome nouns can be followed by an infinitive or by a preposition:

It$s a pleasure to studynglish.

There is nothing better than the pleasure of studyingnglish.

c) >ome nouns combine with other infinitive forms: a surprise to be)to havebeen: a change to be

sitting)lying on the beach, etc.

". There are instances where the to-infinitive is related to the nouns it follows. Eany of these

adjectives have e!uivalent nouns #usually having different forms). But not all these nouns can be followed by

to-infinitives:

#he$s determined)eager)willing to acceptthe offer.

1ue to her determination)eagerness)willingness to acceptthe offer we can finish the %ob.

But we have noun preposition -ingform:

It was generous)kind &of you' to lendus the money we need.

Thank you for your generosity)kindness in lendingus the money.

*. The to-infinitive is often used after a noun to convey advice, purpose etc. This construction has the

role of a relative clause:

The best person to helpyou is your father &that can help you'.

>ometimes active and passive infinitives are interchangeable:

There is something to do)to be doneabout that matter.2hen the subject is the same for the sentenceand the infinitivewe do not normally use the passive:

He has homework to do.

. The to-infinitive can be used after words used in place of nouns, such as something+ someone+ a lot:

There was a lot to read/to be readfor the exam+

or they can have different meanings:

There was nothing to doin the evenings so we watched T; #we were bored).

He$s already in prison. There is nothing to be doneabout his bail #we can7t change it).

8. 2e also have the constructionsso9as toandsuch a)an9as to:

I$m not so stupid as to tellyou where the money is.

I$m not such a fool as to tellyou where the money is.

2e use the to-infinitive after a noun preceded by an adjective in e+clamations, sometimes the

adjective being omitted when criticising:

hat a rude thing to say.

The ing form

1. After verbs. erbs li3e en%oy, denycan be followed directly by the


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- Active:He denied having comehere in his own car.

- &assive: They resented having been accused.

2hen we want to use another verb immediately after the verbs in the following list, it can only be in

an


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imagine+ it involves+ like+ love+ mention+ mind &-ob%ect to$'+ miss+ it necessitates+ pardon+ prevent+ resent+

resist+ understand+ can$t bear+ can$t help+ can$t stand.%n speech the accusative is generally preferred:

I can$t imagine him)his climbingthe verest.

". After adjectives and nouns. Ii3e the to-infinitive, the


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/our main concern must be about his passinghis exams. Eany verbs are followed by prepositions:

apologise for, approve of, insist on,prevent somebody)something from+ thank somebody for. The


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The >

29. Complete the following sentences with the gerund or the infinitive of the verbs in brackets.

1. The chairperson suggested to the committee that all the money should be devoted to ..supporting..

#support) shelters for old people.

". +pensive presents are the 3ey to #open) her heart.

*. The president felt committed to #try) to #put) his promises into practice.

. Gis becoming a specialist in dermal diseases is nearer to #become) a reality after the course he hasattended.

8. Although she is confident on her opinion, she canJt swear to #have) seen the whole scene.

=. Ge got used to #be) thoroughly searched at the 6ustoms due to his 6reole comple+ion.

@. Mane came very close to #win) the first priNe in the chess competition.

D. %t might be better to #try) to #tal3) to your son as man to man.

F. They used to #hate) their noisy neighbours but now they resigned to #put) up with them.

1(. Brea3ing oneJs word is the most important obstacle to #ma3e) a true friend.

3. Put the verbs in brackets into their correct form.

1. Ge had to as3 the children ...to stop..#stop) #ma3e) so much noise.

". They canJt consider #emigrate) before #pay) bac3 all their debts.

*. %f you canJt #recover) with chemical drugs, try #use) homeopathic remedies.

. % donJt want #you, tell) him about #%, arrive) late last night.

8. % canJt understand #Mane, crave) for sweets, as she has tried #lose) weight so many times.

=. GeJs always loved #s3ate). %Jd li3e #see) #he, compete) in the 2orld 6hampionship.

@. The headmaster let the teachers #go) on a trip with their students.

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D. After #get) #li3e) classical music through #hear) it on 6$s, he finished by #collect) old records.

F. 6an you manage #finish) #dig) the garden without any help4

1(. % saw her #write) a letter to her boyfriend and then heard her #read) it aloud.

3!. Complete the following sentences with the verbs from the list in their correct form.

play+ give+ buy+ say+ fly+ become+ drink+ be eaten+ study+ confess+ know+ take.

1. >he is afraid of ..flying/so she went there by boat.

". >he wal3ed out of the room without even /goodbye.

*. Ey new neighbour spends all the afternoons /the piano.

. % went to the boo3shop /the new novel written by Mohn owles.

8. >he didnJt mind /him a lift to the office.

=. Ge stopped /as he didnJt want / addicted.

@. They made him /everything about the theft.

D. Oou had better /hard if you want /all your e+ams in the winter session.

F. The stea3 is not done yet /

1(. % thin3 /a foreign language ma3es you richer.

32. "inish the following sentences without changing the meaning of the sentences printed before them.

1. Ge is too absent-minded to hear what youJre saying.

Ge isnJt attentive enough to hear what you>re saying.

". Ge canJt remember switching off the light before leaving.Ge has ////////////////////

*. %t too3 him five hours to get to that remote village.

Ge spent ///////////////////

. $o you intend to go in for the competition4

Are you////////////////////

8. %Jm not in the habit of gossiping, so please spare me with all this rumour.

%Jm not used///////////////////

=. Ge was able to solve that difficult problem.

Ge was ////////////////////..

@. %t was difficult for them to tal3 with natives, as they didnJt 3now the language too well.

They had ////////////////////

D. 6ould you buy me a loaf if you go out4

2ould you ///////////////////.

F. %t isnJt worth going there after so much rain.

%tJs a //////////////////////

1(. % donJt intend to go there without being told why.

% have/////////////////////..

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05. INFINITIVE, GERUND, AND PARTICIPLE.doc