Gerundy and the infinitive in English: a table with examples

The grammar of a foreign language always seems to be something complicated and incomprehensible. Therefore very often those who study English, face the problem of using the infinitive and gerund.

When should you use this or that? What is the difference between the gerund and the infinitive in English? A table with words and grammatical forms can not always help. Unfortunately, there is no clear basic rule. However, here you can find the necessary hints.

Gerundium for Beginners

What kind of design is it, you ask? Gerundium is a verb form that is close to a noun, which is formed by adding the ending -ing. For example, the word read in the gerund will sound like reading. This form of the verb can act as a subject or complement in the sentence.

For example:

• Reading helps you study .
• She likes reading - addition.

This form of the verb can be in a negative form, if you add not to it.

Some verbs need a gerund after their use (see the full list of these verbs below).

For example:

• She suggested eating at a cafe.

• Nancy keeps complaining about her issues.

Infinitive for beginners

Infinitive is the initial form of the verb with the addition of a particle to. Hence, the word learn in the infinitive will sound like to learn.

Like the gerund, an infinitive can act as a subject or complement.

For example:

• To learn is important - subject
• The most valuable thing is to learn

Infinitive can also take a negative form when adding a particle not.

As in the case of gerund, after a certain group of verbs, the initial form of the verb should be put (see the full list below) .

For example:

• She wants to visit her Grandma.
• Lucy needs to cool down.

When to choose this or that design?

Both the infinitive and the gerund in English can be used as a subject or complement in the sentence. However, the second in this case sounds like ordinary spoken English. Infinitive, in turn, seems a little abstract.

That is, the gerund sounds more natural and more common in colloquial speech. Infinitive stresses the possibility or potential of something and sounds somehow philosophically. If you are confused by this explanation, then just remember that in 90% of cases the gerund is the subject of the sentence and the addition in the sentence.

For example:

• Learning is important.
• To learn is important.
• The main thing is learning .
• The main thing is to learn .

It can be difficult to understand whether the form or the infinitive should be chosen as the subject. In such cases, both designs are not mutually interchangeable. Usually the predicate determines what is needed in the sentence.

For example:

• She enjoys singing .
• She wants to sing .

Enjoy requires using after yourself a gerund, and want is an infinitive.

For more advanced students

Now it's time to move on to complicated cases where you need a gerund and an infinitive in English. The explanatory table below will help you figure it out.

Now you must understand how to use the gerund and the infinitive in English. The table with examples shows only the frequently occurring cases.

Private examples of the form -ing

When describing a particular sport, the following combination is often used: go + v-ing:

• I go jogging every morning.

This form is also used after prepositions. All words are difficult to remember, but the main thing is not to forget the structure of the "verb + preposition". Usually it is in this case that the gerund comes next.

For example:

• My brother made up for forgetting my birthday.
• She is thinking about moving abroad.

In cases of "adjective / noun + preposition", too, one should use a gerund. If you do not know the lists of such constructions - it's not scary. Just remember that after the pretext there is a gerund:

• Adjective + preposition.
• Noun + preposition.

More complex uses

Sometimes there can be both a gerund and an infinitive, but the meaning in each variant will be:

• Lucy remembered writing down the address. "Lucy has memories of how she wrote down the address."
• Scott remembered to take umbrella with him. "Scott did not forget to take an umbrella with him."

Sometimes the infinitive and gerund in English after the verbs can have a small difference in the translation:

• She likes dancing . "She likes dancing."
• She likes to dance . "She likes to dance."

Although in this case the result is almost identical in value, the difference is still there. Gerundy assumes that you are talking about real actions and experiences. The infinitive indicates that you are talking about potential or opportunities. It is because of this slight difference in meaning that it is not always possible to interchange the gerund and the infinitive in English. Table - help! Refer to her for help! In it you can find the following examples:

• The writer likes living in California. - The writer likes life in California.
  
• The writer likes to live in California when he comes to the United States. - The writer likes that there is an opportunity to live in California when he comes to the United States.

Many combinations of be + adjective are used before the infinitive:

• He was anxious to start.
• She was happy to get such good critiques.

Also there are nouns, after which it is usually used:

• It was a wonderful decision to start anew.
• Hana's desire to work amazed me.

Some verbs in front of the gerund

There is a separate list of words for each case. It should be noted that sometimes it is possible to alternate between a gerund and an infinitive in English. The table contains words suitable for one and the other cases. So be careful. Sometimes the meaning of such a replacement does not change, in other cases the use of one form or another can completely change the translation of the sentence. Also note that it is not always necessary to translate words in -ing form into Russian as a noun. Look for equivalents that are more suitable for our speech in sentences, where the gerund and the infinitive in English are used. The table with the translation, which you see below, names the main ones.

Does it help to understand the rules on the gerund and the infinitive in the English language table? Photos of information on the board in the school can always be done.

However, the material is poorly remembered, it is best to write it in a notebook by hand.

When is it better to use the initial form?

Among these words, too, can be a gerund and an infinitive in English. The table of verbs is not limited to this list, only the abbreviated version is presented here.

What is it? Represent the gerund and the infinitive in English? The verb table will help to understand the design even for a beginner.

Of course, here are only the main verbs, but you will have enough of them for the first time.