GERUNDIOS E INFINITIVOS

• El GERUNDIO a veces se usa como nombre: - Smoking is bad for you - She's good at swimming.
* Nota algunos cambios necesarios: lie-lying take-taking sit-sitting

• Un verbo DESPUÉS DE PREPOSICIÓN va siempre en GERUNDIO: - After closing the door...

• Algunos verbos suelen ir seguidos por gerundio:

Los más comunes son: Otros verbos menos usados que también rigen gerundio son

like love start stop detest, prevent, avoid, risk, admit, deny, delay,

enjoy miss postpone, fancy, imagine, forgive, pardon, excuse, suggest,

dislike hate begin finish keep, understand, mind, consider, miss, involve, can't stand,

prefer give up can't help, it's no use.

• El INFINITIVO, precedido de la preposición TO se usa para expresar FINALIDAD:

I came here to see you. - I went to London to study English. - I drove to the airport to meet my parents.

• Los verbos más frecuentes que suelen ir seguidos de to + infinitive son:

learn, remember, forget, promise, swear, agree, refuse, regret, try, fail, hope, hesitate, prepare, decide,

determine, manage, arrange, seem, want...

•Se usa to + infinitive después de ciertos adjetivos o de ciertos nombres o pronombres:

Im
́ SURPRISED to hear you say that. I ve
́ got some HOMEWORK to do.

• Se usa infinitivo sin la preposición to detrás de los verbos siguientes: - shall, will, can, could, must,
•después de make y let + nombre/ pronombre: - We let THEM go home.
•después de verbos de "seeing, hearing, & feeling" + nombre/ pronombre: - I saw HIM arrive

CUANDO EL SIGNIFICADO CAMBIA

Con algunos verbos el significado de las oraciones se altera si se utilizan gerundios o infinitivos:

Remember/Forget (recordar/olvidar)

Con los verbos remember (recordar) y forget (olvidar), el gerundio hace referencia a una acción que ocurrió ANTES QUE el

hecho de recordar u olvidar:

I remember giving him the key significa...I remember having given him the key, o lo que es lo mismo...I remember the moment

in which I gave him the key.

I will never forget going water rafting in Africa significa...I will never forget the occasion on which we went water rafting in

Africa.

Sin embargo, con remember y forget, el infinitivo hace referencia a una acción que ocurrió DESPUES QUE surgiera el hecho de

recordar u olvidar. Veamos...

I remember to feed the cat significa...

I remember that it was my responsibility to feed the cat and I fed her.
I forgot to post that letter significa...

I did not post the letter because I forgot.

Regret (lamentar/se)

La estructura regret + gerund (ing) se puede traducir como arrepentirse mientras que regret + infinitive se usa para presentar

malas noticias (I regret to say..., I regret to tell you..., I regret to inform you... )

I regret telling him the secret (Me arrepiento de haberle contado el secreto)

I regret to say that I just ran over your dog! (Siento decirle que he atropellado a su perro)

Stop (dejar de)

La estructura stop + gerund (ing) expresa que se ha interrumpido la acción mencionada en el gerundio: You must stop smoking.

(Debes dejar de fumar)

Sin embargo, stop + infinitive expresa que se interrumpel la actividad que se está realizando para llevar a cabo la actividad

mencionada en el infinitivo: The window-cleaners stopped to smoke. Significa They stopped cleaning the windows in order to

have a cigarette.

Go on (seguir, continuar)

La estructura go on + gerund expresa lo mismo que continue + gerund/infinitive: He went on talking about himself, even

though nobody was listening.

Sin embargo, go on + infinitive significa to start something new: He went on to talk about his children significa He was

talking about one thing and then he changed the subject and started to talk about his children.

Try (tratar, intentar)

Existe una ligera diferencia entre try + infinitive y try + gerund. La estructura try + infinitive sugiere que la acción del

infinitivo es difícil y posiblemente la persona no llegue a realizar la acción: Try to open the window. I can't because I'm not very

strong and it has recently been painted.

Sin embargo, try + gerund sugiere que la acción del gerundio no es compleja pero desconocemos si la consecuencia de esa acción

será lo que buscamos o deseamos. Se utiliza la estructura try + gerund cuando realizamos algo para descubrir cuáles serán las

consecuencias. Observa...

A: Phew! It's hot in here!

B: Try opening the window. Although it's probably just as hot outside!  

Need (necesitar, tener necesidad de)

Con el verbo need, el infinitivo adquiere un significado activo y el gerundio uno pasivo.

I need to talk to you significa I must talk to you.

My shoes need cleaning significa My shoes need to be cleaned.

The car needed servicing significa The car needed to be serviced.

 REVISION 17    (GERUNDS)
A)  Write down the gerunds of these verbs.

1. Do .........................4. ride ............................... 7. run....................10. drive ......................

2. play  .................... 5.   try .............................     8.   fly .......................11. swim .......................

3. travel  ...................   6.   write ...........................    9.   stop ...................... 12. lie........................

B) Fill in the gaps with the gerunds from  A.

1. She likes .............................  every morning before breakfast.

2. After .................................. my homework, I usually watch TV.

3. I enjoy ..............................  on the beach.

4. My little daughter doesn’t like ........................... with other children.

5. ............................... is a fast way of ................................. . You can go from London to Paris in just one hour.

6. She likes sport,  especially .............................. horses and ................................... .

7. After ............................... several times, I finally passed my exams.

8.  Lisa thought about ............................. all the way from London to Edinburgh.

9. .................................  at the shoulder in this motorway can be dangerous.

10. I think she is very bad at  ............................... ; I’m reading one of her short stories and I don’t like it at all.

C)  Rewrite these sentences, starting with a gerund. You may need to change some words.

1. A good way of keeping fit is to swim every day.    ................................................................................

2. It takes a long time to learn a foreign language.    ...............................................................................

3. Clean the machine more often; that will solve your problems.  ............................................................

4. Grow your own food. It’s less expensive.              .....................................................................................

..........

5. Give up smoking; it will make you feel better.          .....................................................................................

.........

6. It is cheaper to go by rail than by air.                     ............................................................................

....................

7. You are not allowed to smoke in here.                   ...............................................................................

.................

8. It’s not very pleasant to be in hospital.                    ...........................................................................

...................

9. It’s very difficult to windsurf properly.                      .........................................................................

.....................

10. It’s more difficult to speak a foreign language than to read it.   ...........................................................................
.

11. It is forbidden to walk on the grass.                        ........................................................................

.......................

12. One thing I can’t do is swim on my back.                ................................................................................

...............

13. It’s difficult to be polite to someone you don’t like.    .........................................................................................

..

D)      Write these sentences, changing the verbs into gerunds.

1. Do you like ( make ) cakes?                                             7.    I miss ( have ) a

coffee with her after work.

 
 2. I dislike ( get up ) at seven o’clock every morning.         8.    I love ( sit ) here by the sea in the
evenings.

3. I started ( work ) for this company eight years ago.        9.    I think it’s time to stop ( play ) tennis.

4. Do you prefer ( travel ) by plane or by ship?   10.  What time did you finish ( do ) your homework last
night?

5. I hate ( write ) ‘thank you’ letters.                                  11.  Why don’t you like ( go ) to
discos?

6. I gave up ( drive ) after I had a bad accident.                    12.  I think I’ll start ( pack ) my
suitcase.

E)      Complete these sentences, putting the verbs into the gerund and using one of the following
prepositions.

about             of            in            to            after          

by          for         on           at            without

1. We talked .............................................................. ( go ) to France for our holiday.

2. I look forward ......................................................... ( see ) you again next year.

3. She’s tired ................................................................ ( work ) for that company.

4. I’m very happy ................................ my parents ........................................ ( come ) home.

5. ................................................................. ( open ) the front door, I entered the house very quietly.

6. We got into the house ............................................ ( climb ) through a window.

7. I’m looking forward ......................................................... ( work ) with you.

8. Are you interested ................................................... ( join ) the commitee?

9. I’m tired ..................................................... ( come ) to the same place every week.

10.He’s very keen ......................................................... ( swim ) at the moment.

11.i’m not interested ..................................................... ( hear ) your excuses.
12.She’s very good .......................................................... ( speak ) German.
13.This is used ...................................................... ( cut ) metal.
14.The car drove off ...................................................... ( stop ).
15.I’m worried ..................................... Lisa ..................................... ( get ) to the airport on time.
F)   Write the verbs in the box in the correct making these sentences. Use each verb once only.

 
  have            learn           help                say             work          
live               see                watch             smoke            write move          
study          look after         eat             go               walk             go
out           get up become make
1. ............................... is unhealthy, but a lot of people find it difficult to stop.

2.I’m fed up with ......................................... in the city; it’s too dirty and crowded.

3.I enjoy .................................. in the garden at weekends.

4. I have decided to stop ...................................... in the evenings so that I can save some money for my holidays.

5. He’s an artitstic person; very good at ................................... poetry.

6. That machine? Oh, it’s used for .................................... toasted sandwiches.

7. She’s going to continue ..................................... for another two years, until her exams.

8. Before ........................................ a teacher, he worked in advertising.

9. They don’t like .................... and go everywhere by car. 15.  They hate ..................... early in the morning.

10.They’re thinking of ........................... house. 16.  Thank you for ............................ me with my homework.

11. They’ve given up .......................... meat.           17.  They’re very keen on ........................... how to play
chess.

12. I’m not really interested in ......................... to university.          18.  We love ......................... parties at
weekends.

13. ........................................ children can be very tiring.                19.  She left without ..............................
goodbye.

14. We’re looking forward to ................................. you.                         20.  ......................... television

seems

ANSWERS

Exercise A
Exercise B Exercise C
1.      doing
1. running 1.      Swimming is a good way of keeping fit.
2.      playing
2. doing 2.      Learning a foreign language takes a long time.
3.      travelling
3. lying 3.      Cleaning the machine more often will solve your problems.
4.      riding
4. playing 4.      Growing your own food is less expensive.
5.      trying
5. Flying i/travelling 5.      Giving up smoking will make you feel better.
6.      writing
6. riding/swimming 6.      Going by rail is cheaper than going by air.
7.      running
7. trying 7.      Smoking is not allowed in here.
8.      flying
8. driving 8.      Being in hospital is not very pleasant.
9.      stopping
9.stopping 9.      Windsurfing properly is very difficult.
10. driving
10. writing 10. Speaking a foreign language is more difficult than reading it.
11. swimming
11. Walking on the grass is forbidden.
12. lying
12. Swimming on my back is one thing I can´t do.
Exercise F
13. Being polite to someone you don´t like is diffcult.
1.      Smoking
Exercise D
2.      living
1.      like making
3.      working Exercise E
2.      dislike getting up
4.      going out 1.      about going
3.      started working
5.      writing 2.      to seeing
4.      prefer travelling
5.      hate writing 6.      making 3.      of working

6.      gave up driving 7.      studying 4.      about my parents coming

7.      miss having 8.      becoming 5.      After opening

8.      love sitting 9.      walking 6.      by climbing

9.      stop playing 10. moving 7.      to seeing

10.   finish doing 11. eating 8.      in joining

11.   like doing 12. going 9.      of coming

12.   start packing 13. Looking after 10. on swimming

14. seeing 11. in hearing

15. getting up 12. at speaking

16. helping 13. for cutting

17. learning 14. without stopping

18. having 15. about Lisa getting

19. saying

20. Watching