Gerunds

after verbs of liking and disliking, such as love, hate, like, adore, appreciate, cant
bear, can't stand, detest, dislike, enjoy, fancy, loathe, mind, prefer
I love going to the cinema.; She hates getting up in the morning.; I dislike having
someone look over my shoulder while reading the newspaper on the bus., I cant bear
standing in queues and waiting for the bus., Greg really loves watching TV. He does it all
weekend.
after certain other verbs and verb phrases: admit, avoid, cant help, consider, deny,
imagine, mention, miss, suggest, postpone, practise, prevent, resist, risk
Jane admitted breaking the window., Tom mentioned seeing him in the park.
can be subject of a sentence/can be used as the subject or object of a verb to talk
about an activity in general: Smoking is bad for you., Swimming is fun. (the gerund is
the subject of is); I like swimming. (the gerund is the object of like)
after certain prepositions: We started by singing a song., Vicky ran home without
stopping., Shes good at swimming., We found the house by using this map.
we can use a gerund after phrases with prepositions, such as: accustomed to, afraid
of, apologise for, ashamed of, be used to, believe in, capable of, congratulate on,
dream of, famous for, fed up with, feel like, fond of, get used to, in spite of, insist on,
interested in, keen on, look forward to, no point in, put off, responsible for, succeed
in, think of, tired of
Sam was ashamed of stealing the money., Lisa is famous for making her own
clothes., Im fed up with studying all day., Im interested in learning Italian., She is
capable of winning the race.
we can use gerunds after these phrases: its no good, its no use, its a waste of time,
its worth
Its no good taking the exam if you havent studied., It was a waste of time going
to that film, Its worth reading that book, its great.
gerunds act like nouns: I enjoy tennis./I enjoy playing tennis.

Complete each sentence with a gerund (-ing). Use the verb in brackets.
a) Kate is good at (run) .
b) (take) a long walk is relaxing.
c) What do you think of (collect) stamps?
d) (eat) ..too much isnt healthy.
e) All my friends like (play)basketball.
f) (shout) .at people is rude.
g) Is Harry interested in (sail)..?
h) (cross) the road here is dangerous.
i) Do you feel like (go) .to the cinema?
j) (jog) .is good for you.

Rewrite each sentence so that it starts with a gerund (-ing).

Model: Its tiring to study late at night. Studying late at night is tiring.
a) Its hard to get up early.
b) It takes time to learn a language.
c) You are forbidden to park here.
d) Its interesting to visit other countries.
e) Its relaxing to listen to music.
f) You are not allowed to smoke.
 Infinitives
Form: the root form of the verb
Use of the infinitive without to:
all modal verbs, would rather, had better and used to:
My dad could speak Chinese., The doctor told me I must get fit., Gerald would
rather go to Tokyo than New York., You had better hurry up or well leave without you.,
Alice used to be fat but now she is very slim.
after the verbs make (when make means to force) and let (when let means to allow):
Dont make me apologise to him!, Dad let us go to a party last night.
Use of the infinitive with to:
as the subject of a verb (formal):To drink cold water in summer is a pleasure
as the object of verbs like want and wish: I dont want to eat now., I wish to speak to
them later.
after too+ adjective/adverb: Archie is too fat to catch mice.
after an adjective/adverb+ enough: Greg isnt old enough to go to university.
to give the purpose for doing sth (The Infinitive of Purpose): I came here to speak to the
headmaster., I went there to see Jessica., I phoned Megan to ask her about her holiday.,
It was growing dark so we hurried home.
after certain verbs: advise, afford, agree, appear, arrange, ask, attempt, dare, decide,
expect, fail, force, help, hope, invite, intend, learn, manage, mean(=intend), offer,
order, persuade, plan, prepare, pretend, promise, refuse, remind, seem, want, warn
Gerund and/or Infinitive
-some verbs can be followed either by a gerund or an infinitive with to but the meaning
changes
-if you use the gerund, the action of the gerund happened first
I stopped eating chips. I ate chips, then I stopped.,
I stopped smoking. I was smoking, then I stopped.
I regret saying that. I said it, and now I regret it.
-if you use the infinitive, the action of the infinitive happened second
I remembered to lock the door. I remembered, then locked the door.
-it can be tricky with to forget. Forget means stop thinking about sth. If you forget first, you
cant do it.
I forgot to lock the door. I forgot, so I didnt lock it.
I forgot locking the door. I did lock the door, then forgot about it.

Put the verbs in brackets at the correct Long or Short Infinitive:

1. He has decided (become).................... a mechanic.

2. Will you (come) .............. to the theatre with me?

3. You ought (revise) .............. for your exams this week.

4. We can (wait) .............. for you here.

5. I asked her (repeat) .............. the question.

6. Id rather (wait) .............. for you outside.

7. This book is too difficult for her (understand) ..............