# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Ending a Sentence with a Preposition - Merriam-Webster Ask the Editor

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Real Grammar: Is it OK to split infinitives?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
English Grammar: How to use "to" before an "-ing" verb

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Gerunds and infinitives are very common in the English language.

But how do you know when to use an infinitive and when to use a gerund?

The five simple rules below are sure to help!

Contents

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere.Click here to get a copy. (Download)

What Is an Infinitive? What Is a Gerund?

An infinitive is the verb form that has "to" at the beginning. For example, "to do," "to sleep," "to love" and "to create." It is the simplest verb form that you have to modify to fit into sentences.

For example, "She sleeps" no longer contains the infinitive of the verb "to sleep." Instead, it has been conjugated into the simple present third person form of the verb "to sleep": sleeps.

Infinitives are easy!

How about gerunds?

Gerunds are formed by adding "-ing" to the verb: "sleeping," "drawing," "swimming." But they are not the "-ing" verb forms that you see in the present or past continuous tense. They look the same, but gerunds are actually verb forms used as nouns.

Let's take the infinitive of the verb "to sleep" and use it in two different sentences:

This is the present continuous. "Sleeping" here is part of the verb. It is not a gerund. Here's the second sentence:

This is present simple, but it contains a gerund. "Sleeping" is the direct object of this sentence.

Now that you know the difference between infinitives and gerunds, let's introduce the rules that will help you use both correctly.

While the rules below will help you understand how infinitives and gerunds should be used, you should make sure to practice them so you can use them in real life. One easy way to do this is by learning with FluentU videos.

5 Simple Rules to Master the Use of Gerunds and Infinitives

Rule 1: Gerunds can be used as a subject of a sentence.

Take a look at some examples.
Walking is good for your health. Making friends has become more difficult since I moved to a new city. Becoming a millionaire is a dream of many young people today.
Here, the gerunds (in bold) are part of the sentence subjects ("walking," "making friends," "becoming a millionaire"). All three sentences sound like normal, everyday English.

Now read these two sentences:
"To be or not to be-that is the question.""To mourn a mischief that is past and gone is the next way to draw new mischief on."
(Both sentences are quotes from William Shakespeare's works.)

They sound formal, don't they? They are poetic, aren't they? Shakespeare is one of the greatest authors of all time, but his English is famously difficult to understand. And that's because it is literature. It is formal and it is art.

In those two quotes, the infinitives "to be" and "to mourn" are used as the sentence subjects.

So, it is possible to use both infinitives and gerunds as subjects, but gerunds are much more commonly used as subjects. Just pay attention to how the choice reflects on the tone and meaning of your sentences.

Rule 2: Both gerunds and infinitives can be used as objects of a sentence.

You may say:

You may also say:
"Yesterday, I decided to draw."
Both sentences are correct, but one has an infinitive as the object and the other has a gerund as the object.

What is the difference?

It's the verbs that precede (come before) the object! Some verbs require a gerund and some will require an infinitive. In the above examples, we can see that the formula is "enjoy" + [gerund] and "decide" + [infinitive].

With practice, you will be able to remember which one is which.

Here are a few examples of verbs that need to be followed by an infinitive:

There are lots of verbs that require an infinitive after. You will learn them naturally, as you progress in your English studies.

And here are a few examples of verbs that need to be followed by a gerund:

consider (think about): I considered staying silent, but I had to tell her.

mention (say something): She mentioned seeing my brother at a baseball game.

Rule 3: Infinitives should be used after many adjectives.

Here are three sample sentences that will help to illustrate this rule:
It is necessary to speak English to work in a hotel.
When you describe something with an adjective (underlined in the examples above), an infinitive should follow (in bold). Using gerunds here would be incorrect.

But remember! If you want to make that object into a subject (see Rule 1), a gerund should be used:
Graduating from university is not easy. Speaking English is necessary to work in a hotel. Having close friends is wonderful.
How else do you know if an adjective should be followed by an infinitive? The construct " too + [adjective] " is another way to tell!

For example:

And the same is true about "[adjective] + enough":

Rule 4: Only infinitives are used after certain verbs followed by nouns or pronouns referring to a person.
"We asked her not to go."
In this sentence, "we" is the subject, "asked" is the verb and "her" is the objective form of the pronoun "she." You must use an infinitive ("to go"), never a gerund, after certain verbs followed by nouns or pronouns referring to people.

To remember this rule, you will have to study verbs that take an object and an infinitive in this context.

Start with these examples. The objects (nouns and pronouns) are underlined. Notice how the underlined objects are all followed by infinitives.

hire (give a job to someone): Did the company hire youjust to sit in your office?

Rule 5: Only gerunds are used after prepositions (with one exception).

Consider this sentence:
I talked him out of taking that job.
Here, the gerund "taking" follows the preposition "of."

Prepositions can follow any word, be it a noun, a pronoun, a verb or an adjective. In the examples below, the prepositions are underlined, followed by the gerunds in bold.
A preposition that follows a noun: A preposition that follows a pronoun: A preposition that follows a verb: A preposition that follows an adjective:
There is one exception. Thankfully, it should be easy to remember!
The exception
"But" is a short word that connects two clauses of a sentence together. It is called a conjunction. Sometimes, "but" can also play a role of a preposition. When "but" is used as a preposition, it is the same in meaning as "except."

If "but" or "except" are used like this, they need to be followed by an infinitive:

I had no choice but to follow her.
(I had to follow her.)

Mary made no stops on the way except to get gas.
(Mary only stopped to get gas.)

There is nothing left for me to do but to collect my money and go.
(I only have to collect my money and go.)

You may not see "but" and "except" used this way often. Just follow the rule of gerunds after prepositions, and you will get it right most of the time!

Gerunds and infinitives may be confusing, but they make your English speech more varied and colorful. It is very useful to study them and practice using them correctly. The more you notice gerunds and infinitives in your study of the English language, the easier it will get!

Sometimes you will be unsure if you need to use an infinitive or a gerund in a sentence. In this situation, try changing the sentence and saying what you want to say in a different way.

Practicing is how you become more fluent. It is important to practice.

Happy studying!

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere.Click here to get a copy. (Download)

And One More Thing...

If you like learning English through movies and online media, you should also check out FluentU. FluentU lets you learn English from popular talk shows, catchy music videos and funny commercials, as you can see here:

The FluentU app and website makes it really easy to watch English videos. There are captions that are interactive. That means you can tap on any word to see an image, definition, and useful examples.

For example, when you tap on the word "searching," you see this:

Learn all the vocabulary in any video with quizzes. Swipe left or right to see more examples for the word you're learning.

The best part? FluentU remembers the vocabulary that you're learning. It gives you extra practice with difficult words-and reminds you when it's time to review what you've learned. You have a truly personalized experience.

Start using FluentU on the website with your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or from the Google Play store.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Gerunds and Infinitives in English: What They Are and How to Use Them | FluentU English Blog

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Do you know when to use gerunds and infinitives? Check out this guide for English learners which explains the topic in five simple rules! We explain what gerunds and infinitives are exactly, then go into rules such as gerunds as subjects, gerunds and infinitives as objects, plus a lot more.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
When I introduce a gerunds and infinitives activity in class, I'm usually faced with looks of quiet desperation or grim determination. Most students find the endless list of verbs to memorize daunting, to say the least! Also, most textbooks don't cover the fact that there ARE a few helpful rules for deciding whether to use a gerund or an infinitive in a sentence. The next time you're doing gerunds and infinitives in class, try teaching the rules below-your students will thank you!

The Basics

Gerund: VERB + -ING ( eating, going, studying)
Infinitive: TO + BASE VERB ( to eat, to go, to study)

A gerund is the present participle (-ing) form of the verb. An infinitive is to + the base verb (the verb with no ending). Both gerunds and infinitives are action words (i.e., verbs) in meaning, but they act like nouns in the sentence. They always take a noun position: a subject or an object of the main verb. A gerund or infinitive is never the main verb (e.g., I hiking and I to study are incorrect).

Even when the gerund or infinitive is the object of a sentence, it is common for a second object follow the gerund or infinitive because of their "verb" meaning.

Three Gerund Rules

1. Subject = Gerund

When you need an action as a subject, use a gerund. Infinitives are possible, but they are very formal and not very common in this position.

2. Preposition + Gerund

After a preposition, use a gerund. This is true for prepositions that are part of phrasal verbs, too.

I thought about calling my grandma, but I was too tired.

Are you planning on going to the party? (See the Notes section below to find out why planning is not a gerund.)

3. Verb + Gerund

A gerund or an infinitive can be used after a main verb. It depends on the verb, and there isn't an easy rule for this case. Memorizing the most common verbs that take a gerund, such as advise, avoid, enjoy, finish, practice, quit, and suggest, is helpful.

*Don't forget that some verbs take either a gerund or an infinitive with no change in meaning! Some common verbs include like, love, and hate.

Three Infinitive Rules

1. Adjective + Infinitive

After an adjective, it is common to use an infinitive verb. A gerund is possible in some cases, but an infinitive is usually the better choice.

2. Noun + Infinitive

If the main verb has an object that is a noun or a pronoun, it is almost always followed by an infinitive verb instead of a gerund.

*Note: This rules is very helpful, because it is stronger than the "verb + gerund" rule. For example, the verb advise normally takes a gerund ( She advised studying for the test), but a noun/pronoun object will override this rule ( She advised her students to study for the test).

3. Verb + Infinitive

A gerund or an infinitive can be used after a main verb. It depends on the verb, and there isn't an easy rule for this case. Memorizing the most common verbs that take a infinitive, such as ask, choose, decide, get, need, plan, promise, and want, is helpful.

*Try typing in "gerunds and infinitives verb list" into a search engine to see lists of common verbs that take a gerund or an infinitive.

Notes

Students often get confused by the other functions of -ing words in English. It's worth pointing out that Be + -ing verb can also be a progressive verb form, and that -ing adjectives are possible after the Be verb or before a noun.

I am studying for my test. (present progressive verb; not a gerund)

That game was exciting. (adjective; not a gerund)

That was an exciting game. (adjective; not a gerund)

Practice

Try our Being Brave: Gerunds & Infinitives lesson in the Grammar Stories section of our Grammar School! Students can see gerunds and infinitives in context and practice through a variety of tasks, including a short reading, discussion questions, a writing activity, and two grammar exercises.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
6 Easy Grammar Rules for Gerunds & Infinitives

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
When I introduce a gerunds and infinitives activity in class, I'm usually faced with looks of quiet desperation or grim determination. Most students find the endless list of verbs to memorize daunting, to say the least! Also, most textbooks don't cover the fact that there ARE a few helpful rules for deciding whether to use a gerund or an infinitive in a sentence.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Flashcards Gerund or Infinitive | Quizlet

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Quizlet is a lightning fast way to learn vocabulary.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Free gamified quizzes on every subject that students play in class and at home. Pick an existing quiz or create your own for review, formative assessment, and more.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The security system for this website has been triggered. Completing the challenge below proves you are a human and gives you temporary access.