Comparison Between Gerund and Infinitive

***Some verbs can be followed by either gerund or infinitive without there being any change in the meaning:

Like-love-hate-prefer-begin-start-attempt-intend-continue-can’t bear-be accustomed to-be committed to.

Ex: We all began eating\to eat our food after a hard day’s work.

I hate working\to work on Sundays. I do not go out at night .I prefer staying\to stay at home. I intend telling\to tell him the truth about his performance. After he took a sip from his mug, he continued talking\to

talk.

***I like swimming\to swim.(I enjoy swimming)

When I attend a meeting,I like to wear a black tie.(I choose it; it is my habit).

*** We do not say ‘I am beginnig learning’,we say I am ‘beginnig\starting to learn.’

Note:Advise-Allow-Encourage-Recommend-Forbid-Permit-Suggest.

After these verbs,if there is not a direct object, we use gerund.But if there is, we use ‘to infinitive’.

I advise making a reservation before going to there. I advise you to make a reservation before going there.

He recommended staying at home until he gave me a call. He recommend me to stay at home until he gave me a call.

They don’t allow\permit smoking in the meeting room. They don’t allow\permit people to smoke in the meeting room.

**People are not allowed\permitted to smoke in the meeting room.

***Remember-forget-mean-regret-stop-try-go on:Remember:

1-Reminds sth we did in the past.

I remember meeting\having met him before.

2-Reminds sth we must do:

I remember to run the gas off before I left the home. Remember to hand in your term papers at the end of this week.

Stop: 1-To give up our hobby or pause for a while. We stopped playing tennis because of the bad weather. He stopped eating fast food as he had put on a lot of

weight.

2-In order to start sth new: I stopped to get gas on the way home. While chatting, I stopped to listen to the last minute news.

Forget1-Do not remeber sth we did in the past:

He forgot being invited\having been invited to the reception. I forgot taking pictures on his birthday.

2-Do not remember sth we must do:

I forgot to bring my assigment for today.

Try 1-To do sth with an effort: I tried to move the table,but it was so heavy. He tried hard to get a job in a bank.

2-To test sth whether it works or not: I tried putting the table on the other side of the room. Try sending an e-mail if you can not find him on the phone.

Mean:1-To intend to do sth:

I really didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. He mean to leave the job if he didn’t get a reasonable pay rise.

2-Sth ( as a consequence) convey the meaning of sth else.

Henry ford said,’Quality means doing it right when no one is looking.

Getting prepared for university entrance exam means working a lot.

Forget: 1-To be sorry for sth done in the past. I regret not listening\not having listen to what my father said. He regrets not accepting\not having accepted the job offer.

2-Before giving a bad news we use it with ‘tell,say,inform’.

I regret to tell you that your prices are not competitive enough.

We regret to inform you that your application has been rejected.

Go on

1-Continue what we are doing: He went on giving his speech although sb screamed all of a

sudden. He went on reading his paper without making any

response.

2-After finishing sth, continue with sth else:

After they came to a conclusion about the budget, they went on to discuss who to assign the post in the second half of the meeting.

Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verbs.

 I enjoy _______especially Chinese food. (eat )They suggested _____ a picnic by the river.

(have)He promised _____his homework. (do) She learned _____the piano last year. (play ) We practiced _____ the ball into the goal. (hit)She wants ____ psychology when she’s older.

(study)We decided ______ a movie on television. (see)My parents always ______ doing my

assignments.(Warn\ not\ put off)

End

Ahmet Keskin & Mustafa Şahin