Infinitives, Gerunds & Participles

Infinitives
Form
Infinitive Examples
Active to see I hope to see you again. He promised not to see the girl.
Passive to be seen Such disgusting scenes are not to be seen here.

Form
- The infinitive is the form of the verb NOT changed for person, number or tense. It is
usually introduced with to.
- The negative is formed by putting not before the infinitive.

Usage
The to-infinitive is used Examples
1. as subject. To find fault is easy.
2. as object. He refused to pay the bill.
3. after a noun. There is a lot of work to do/to be done today.
4. after an adjective. She was happy to win the prize.
5. after a question word. I don’t know what to do.
6. after the verb to be. She is to see her class teacher after school.
7. after certain verbs. He wants to become a lawyer.
8. after too/enough constructions. He has got enough money to live on.
9. with only to express disappointment. She came in only to find her boyfriend had left.
10. in expressions: to begin with/be honest To tell the truth, I don’t like him.

Bare infinitives
Form - The infinitive is used without to after certain verbs.

Usage
The bare infinitive is used Examples
1. after the verbs do, does and did. He did not write down the answer.
2. after modal verbs-can,could,should,will … You can leave now if you want.
3. after perception verbs-see,hear,smell,feel.. I saw Tom run out of the bank.
4. after let and make. They made him pay for the damage.
(passive + to-infinitive) He was made to pay for the damage.
5. after would rather, had better. I would rather not go out tonight.
I had better stay at home.
6. after except,cannot but, can do nothing but. We could do nothing except/ but wait.
Gerunds
Form
Gerunds Examples
Active seeing Seeing is not believing.
Passive being seen She does not mind being seen to work in the restaurant.

Form
- The gerund is a verb ending in - ing. It acts as a noun.
- The negative is formed by adding not before the gerund.

Usage
The gerund is used Examples
1. as a noun – subject/ object. Reading is fun. Your car needs washing.
2. after prepositions. The child is fond of playing chess.
3. after certain verbs: spend, waste, avoid … He spends his free time digging the garden.
4. after possessive adjectives/ noun+’s. Do you mind my joining you on the trip?
5. after go + verb–ing (activities) Let’s go shopping/ swimming/ camping.
6. after be busy/ worth. He is busy doing exercise. It is worth seeing.
7. after certain phrases: I look forward to seeing you soon.
look forward to/ devoted to/ objected to/ I am not used to going to bed late.
consent to/ used to/ accustomed to… He objected to pulling down the old house.
8. after certain expressions: It is no use crying over spilt milk.
It’s no use/good…There’s no/no point in.. There is no joking about this matter.
It’s a waste of time/money… It is a waste of time playing online games.
have difficulty(in) /can’t help I can’t help laughing.
as/ like/ than It was like being in the desert - so quiet!

Verb + to-infinitive or –ing?

Usage
1. The to-infinitive and the gerund are used after certain verbs.
The to-infinitive is used after certain verbs: The gerund is used after certain verbs:
afford, agree, appear, ask, attempt, decide, admit, anticipate, appreciate, avoid, consider,
expect, fail, hope, learn, manage, offer, plan, delay, discuss, enjoy, escape, excuse,
prepare, pretend, promise, refuse, seem, fancy, finish, forgive, imagine, involve, keep
threaten, want, wish … mention, mind, miss, object to, practise,
prevent, postpone, quit, recall, report, resent,
e.g. He offered to help us. resist, risk, save, stand, suggest, tolerate …

e.g. We should avoid making mistakes.

2. Either the to-infinitive or gerund can be used after certain verbs with no difference in
meaning.
advise, allow, begin, bother, can’t bear, continue, encourage, hate, intend, like, love, permit,
prefer, propose, recommend, require, start ...

e.g. We started to do/ doing our summer homework.

3. Verbs taking to-infinitives or gerunds have a change in meaning.

Verbs taking to-infinitives Verbs taking gerunds

1. forget: forget to do sth 1. forget: forget a past event
e.g. I’m sorry, I forgot to lock the car. e.g. We’ll never forget visiting Paris.
2. remember: remember to do sth 2. remember: recall a past event
e.g. Remember to read the instructions. e.g. I don’t remember meeting Ali before.
3. mean: intend to 3. mean: involve
e.g. He means to move to New York. e.g. Love means sharing.
4. try: do one’s best; attempt 4. try: do sth as an experiment
e.g. She tried hard to cope with her job. e.g. Try adding more sauce to your pasta.
5. stop: pause temporarily 5. stop: finish; cease
e.g. He stopped to buy a gift on his way. e.g. Stop talking to each other, please!
6. regret: be sorry to 6. regret: feel sorry for what we’ve done
e.g. I regret to tell you that you’ve failed. e.g. I regret telling lies.
7. be sorry: feel sad 7. be sorry for: apologise
e.g. I’m sorry to hear the bad news. e.g. I’m sorry for being late.
8. hate: hate what one is about to do 8. hate: feel sorry for what one is doing
e.g. I hate to interrupt, but I must do so. e.g. I hate making you feel uncomfortable.
9. be afraid: too frightened to do sth 9. be afraid of: afraid that sth may happen
e.g. I’m afraid to walk over that bridge. e.g. She is afraid of being too fat.
10. would prefer/love/like: specific preference 10. prefer/love/like: in general
e.g. I ‘d prefer/like to see the manager. e.g. I prefer/love watching TV.
11. want/need: wish/ have to 11. want/ need: sth needs to be done
e.g. I want/need to find a better job. e.g. Your dress wants/needs cleaning.
12. go: action 12. go: for activities
e.g. He went to see his sick grandparents. e.g. We often go shopping/ hiking.
13. go on: finish doing sth & start to do sth 13. go on: continue
e.g. After sleeping, she went on to study. e.g. She goes on doing exercise.
Note
1. I saw Ken swim. It spent him an hour. (I saw the whole action from beginning to end.)
I saw Ken swimming. ( I saw part of the action. I didn’t wait until he had finished.)
2. The teacher doesn’t allow us to eat in class. (object + to-infinitive)
We are not allowed to eat in class. (passive form + to-infinitive)
The teacher doesn’t allow eating in class. (verb + gerund)

Participles
Form
Form Usage Examples
Present participle (verb+ing) - tell what sbd/sth is - The film was an exciting.
- being active - The burning candle was mine.
Past participle (verb+ed) - tell how sbd feel - The students were excited.
- being passive - The burnt candle was mine.

Sentence Transformation
1a. Driving fast is dangerous.
b. It is dangerous to drive fast.
2a. I prefer driving to flying.
b. I prefer to drive rather (than) fly.
3a. They made him admit his guilt.
b. He was made to admit his guilt.
4a. They let him enter the building.
b. They allowed him to enter the building.
5a. She was too inexperienced to get the job.
b. She wasn’t experienced enough to get the job.
6a. We were interested in the lecture.
b. The lecture was interesting to us.
7a. Could you clean up the room?
b. Do/Would you mind cleaning up the room?
c. Would you be so kind as to clean up the room?
8a. It was difficult for him to do the crossword.
b. He had difficulty (in) doing the crossword.
c. He found it difficult to do the crossword.
d. He could hardly do the crossword.
9a. It took her an hour to prepare the meal.
b. She took an hour to prepare the meal.
c. Preparing the meal took her an hour.
d. She spent an hour preparing the meal.
Exercise A
Find out the bare infinitive (B), the infinitive (I), the gerund (G), the present participle (Pr.p),
or the past participle (P.p.) in each sentence. Underline and identify them.
e.g. My mother let me go to the party. ( B )
1. Penny wants to learn Japanese. I ( )
2. Do you enjoy going to the beach in the summer? G ( )
3. The doctor is saving the injured baby. Pp ( )
4. My aunt went shopping with me yesterday. ( )
5. I am really frightened by you! ( )
6. Would you go with me? ( )
7. The talk was boring. ( )
8. You should listen to me! ( )
9. He is too young to understand the situation. ( )
10. The finished product is a piece of artwork! ( )

1. to learn (I) 2. going (G) 3. injured (Pp) 4. shopping (G) 5. frightened (Pp)
6. go (B) 7. boring (Pr.p) 8. listen (B) 9. to understand(I) 10. finished (Pp)

Exercise B
Choose the correct option in each sentence.
e.g. My boss expects me to work overtime. (work, to work, working, worked)
1. I must ____________ more to keep fit. (exercise, to exercise, exercising, exercised)
2. I remember ____________ Sue last Sunday. (visit, to visit, visiting, visited)
3. The salesman seemed _____________ impatient. (get, to get, getting, got)
4. I really miss ____________ in the countryside. (live, to live, living, lived)
5. She was ____________ by the exhibition.(fascinate, to fascinate, fascinating, fascinated)
6. If you don’t stop ___________, you’ll kill yourself. (diet, to diet, dieting , dieted)
7. The boy ____________ a red T-shirt is my neighbour. (wear, to wear, wearing, worn)
8. The cup ____________ with orange juice is yours. (fill, to fill, filling, filled)
9. She is incapable of _____________ good decisions. (make, to make, making, made)
10. I can’t wait ____________ her again. (see, to see, seeing, seen)

Exercise C
Fill in the blanks with the correct form of verbs given.
e.g. I was afraid of hurting his feelings. (hurt)
1. After dinner, she continued ____________ her homework until late at night. (do)
2. Tom stopped ____________ up his washing on the way home. (pick)
3. Tell me your plan. I’m interested ____________ about it. (hear)
4. The ____________ drama has won several awards. (amaze)
5. Most of Hong Kong people don’t like _____________ meat. (freeze)
6. I think you should give up __________ because you have a very poor voice. (sing)
7. He isn’t strong enough ____________ in the basketball team. (be)
8. ____________ is good exercise. (walk)
9. It is getting dark. We had better ____________ now. (go)
10. It is very cold. I would rather ____________ at home. (stay)
Exercise D
There is one mistake in each sentence. Underline the mistakes and correct them.
‘X’: extra word; ‘^’: missing word; ____: wrong word
e.g. The girl is too young enough( X ) to look after herself. ( X )
The girl is ( ^ too) young to look after herself. ( ^ )
The girl is too young looking (to look) after herself. ( __ )
1. I dislike to argue. ( __ )
2. You ought finish the project now. ( ^ )
3. I suggested to take a walk in the garden. ( __ )
4. The teacher made Rose to do homework again. ( X )
5. Paul did not object to join the party. ( __ )
6. The broken chair needs be repaired. ( ^ )
7. It is no use to asking Mike for help. He is selfish. ( X )
8. You are not old enough join the club. ( ^ )
9. They didn’t see her to come in. ( X )
10. Depressing after losing all his money in gambling, George decided to start a new life. ( __ )

Exercise E
Rewrite the following sentences using the words given, without changing the meaning.
e.g. We were shocked by the news. (shocking)
The news was shocking to us.
1. Dad didn’t allow Jimmy to drive his car. (let)
_________________________________________________________________________
2. Would you be so kind as to move over a little? (mind)
_________________________________________________________________________
3. We found the horror film terrifying. (terrified)
_________________________________________________________________________
4. It was difficult for her to cope with city life. (difficulty)
_________________________________________________________________________
5. He wasn’t tall enough to be a policeman. (short)
_________________________________________________________________________
6. Mom advised us to catch the early train. (suggested)
_________________________________________________________________________
7. We should not make friends with triad members. (avoid)
_________________________________________________________________________
8. It is my pleasure to meet you. (meeting)
_________________________________________________________________________
9. They ordered him to clean the bathroom. (made)
 _________________________________________________________________________
10. It took me several days to do the task. (spent)
_________________________________________________________________________

Suggested Answers
Exercise A
1. to learn (I) 2. going (G) 3. injured (Pp) 4. shopping (G) 5. frightened (Pp)
6. go (B) 7. boring (Pr.p) 8. listen (B) 9. to understand(I) 10. finished (Pp)

Exercise B
1. exercise 2. visiting 3. to get 4. living 5. fascinated
6. dieting 7. wearing 8. filled 9. making 10. to see

Exercise C
1. to do/doing 2. to pick 3.to hear/in hearing 4. amazing 5. frozen
6. singing 7. to be 8. Walking 9. go 10. stay

Exercise D
1. to argue arguing 2. ought (^ to) 3. suggested taking 4. to (X) 5. joining
6. (^ to be) 7. to (X) 8. (^ to join) 9. to (X) 10. Depressed

Exercise E
1. Dad didn’t let Jimmy drive his car.
2. Would you mind moving over a little?
3. We were terrified by the horror film.
4. She had difficulty coping with city life.
5. He was too short to be a policeman.
6. Mom suggested us catching the early train.
7. We should avoid making friends with triad members.
8. Meeting you is my pleasure.
9. They made him clean the bathroom.
10. I spent several days doing the task.