Gerund vs. Infinitive

All about "Gerunds"

1- we use gerunds as a subject (noun). It's appeared more often than in infinitives
ex. Cycling is very common in the Netherlands. (more authentic and natural use than To cycle is very common in.)

2. ■ Gerunds are used after certain verbs i.e. verbs of liking, disliking, saying, thinking, etc. ■ after common Phrasal verbs
ex. ■I like walking after having my dinner/I fancy eating out with my friends ■ she kept on working even after 6.

3. gerunds are used with certain expressions.
ex. I can’t see the point of playing further on.

4- ■ after prepositions ■ verbs and expressions after the preposition to ■ by + ing/without + ing = how people do something
ex. ■I am not interested in working with her. ■We look forward to hearing from you. ■ By taking the intensive course, she passed the test.

5- after the verbs of senses to describe experiencing an incomplete part of an action
BUT: when the same verbs are used with bare infinitive it describes that one has experienced (seen, heard, watched, noticed, etc.) the whole action.
ex. I heard her talking to Tim. (I heard a part of her conversation but not the whole of it)
I heard her say that. (you experienced the whole of her conversation, not just a part or residue of it)

6- verbs such as waste, lose, spend (time, money, etc.) also take gerunds
ex. He lost all of his money investing in a wrong place.

7- when replacing a relative clause (participle clause)
ex. The woman standing at the door was his wife. (who was standing at the door)

8- to express reason why something took place or happened. (Participle clause)
ex.Having finished my homework a little earlier, I went to bed.
ex. Being hungry at that time, I devoured all of it.

9- To express time ■ action happening at the same time ■ actions occurring one after another.
ex. After taking/ having taken the bath, I went to bed.
<font color="green">ex. 10- replacing past simple in narratives when actions happened immediately one after another.
ex. Seeing him coming, she locked the front door. = She saw him coming and she locked the door.

11- Gerunds are used to avoid repeating the past continuous in the same sentence.
ex. She was eating her sandwich and driving. = she was eating her sandwich and she was driving at the same time.

1- The simple –ing form refers to the present or future. 2- The perfect –ing indicates the fact that the action of the -ing form happened before the action of the verb 3- simple –ing = perfect - ing
ex. 1- Jogging is really good for being fit, slim and smart. 2- He admitted to having stolen the watch/he denied having lied to the jury/he mentioned having visited her often 3- She admitted to having slapped/slapping him

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Verbs taking the –ing form or to + inf. with a change in meaning

1. go on + inf. = then
go on + -ing = continue

2. regret (pr. Simple) + inf. (say, tell, etc.) = be sorry to
regret + -ing = feel sorry about

3. try + inf = attempt
try + -ing = to experiment

4. like + inf. = prefer to do sth even though we may not enjoy it
like + ing. = enjoy (hobbies & interests)
would like to + inf. =want (specific preference)

5. sorry + inf. = apologizing for a present action
sorry + ing = apologize for an earlier action

6. mean + inf. = intend to
mean + ing = one thing resulting in another

7. forget + inf. = not remember
forget + ing = not recall

8. remember + inf. = not forget (necessary actions)
remember + ing = recall

9. stop + inf. = stop briefly to do sth else
stop + ing = give in, give up

10. be afraid + inf. = unwilling to do sth
be afraid + ing = afraid that what is mentioned through -ing form may take place.

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Verbs taking the –ing form or to +inf. without a change in meaning

NOTE: we never have two – ing forms together:
√ It’s starting to get hot.
X It’s starting getting hot.

1- begin, start, continue, pro- pose, bother, intend
ex. Don’t bother to do/doing it.

2- advise, allow, permit, recommend, encourage + to-inf. (when followed by an object or in passive form) + ing (when they are not followed by an object)

3- need, require, want + ing /+ passive infinitive = some thing needs to be repaired/ improved
ex. His jacket needs ironing/to be ironed.