INGLÉS INSTRUMENTAL

UNIT 7. TO- INFINITIVE AND -ING

THE GERUND (-ING FORM)

The gerund is used like a noun. It is formed by adding –ing to the infinitive.
The negative is formed by adding not.
Smoking is bad for you.
Would you mind not smoking?

Gerunds can be the subject or the object of the sentence.

Living in a foreign country can be very difficult.
She likes running every morning before breakfast.

When a verb follows a preposition, it takes the gerund.

I was worried about getting home.
I'm interested in hearing more about your offer.

When we want to use two verbs together we often use the-ing form of the
second verb.
I really enjoy swimming in the sea.
Kate imagined competing in the final.

Some verbs are always followed by the –ing form. These are verbs such as:
admit, avoid, consider, deny, dislike, enjoy, fancy, finish, imagine,
involve, mind, miss, risk, can’t stand, suggest, and phrasal verbs such as
carry on, give up, keep on, put off…
She suggested meeting at seven o’clock.
The next day he denied forgetting about their arrangement.

THE INFINITIVE

Depending on the construction, infinitives are used with to or without to (bare

infinitives)
It's time to go.
Did you see the accident happen?

UNIT7. TO- INFINITIVE AND ING

 To- infinitive is used to express purpose.
I went to London to study English.
I drove to the airport to meet my parents.
In order to + infinitive and so as to + infinitive are also used to express
purpose. They can be more formal than to + infinitive:
In order to qualify for the award, you should be under twenty-five.

In order to + infinitive and so as to + infinitive are more common than to-

infinitive before verbs like be, have, and know:
I got up early so as to be ready for John's phone call

To express a negative purpose, in order not to + infinitive and so as not to

+ infinitive are more common than not to + infinitive:
He opened the door quietly so as not to disturb the baby.

After certain verbs we always use to-infinitive. These verbs are: agree, afford,
appear, arrange, attempt, dare, decide, fail, hope, learn, manage, offer,
plan, pretend, promise, refuse, seem, tend, threaten, want..
George decided to buy a new car.
Grace didn’t dare to tell her boss the truth.

Bare infinitives (without to) will be used only after the verbs make, let and
help, all modal verbs and the expression would rather.
Factory owners made young children work twelve hours a day.
Computer can help us analyse large amounts of information.
I can’t complete the work by next week.
Do you want to watch a DVD? No, I would rather play cards.

VERBS FOLLOWED BY EITHER –ING OR TO-INFINITIVE

Some verbs can be followed by either the –ing form or to-infinitive without any
change to the meaning. These are verbs such as: love, hate, begin, start,
continue, intend, not bother.
Tom loves going / to go for long walks in the country.
Pete began to study / studying French.

Other verbs can be followed by either the –ing form or to-infinitive but the
meaning is different. Compare the different meanings with these verbs:

UNIT7. TO- INFINITIVE AND ING

 forget / remember:
David remembered meeting Sally (= David remembered that he had
met Sally)
David remembered to meet Sally (= David had arranged to meet her,
he remembered the arrangement and did it)
stop:
I think you should stop painting the wall (= I think you should not
paint any more)
I think you should stop to paint the wall (= I think you should stop
what you are doing and paint the wall)
try:
I tried to open the window but it was stuck (= I couldn’t open it)
I tried opening the window but it was still too hot (= I opened the
window but it did not make the room cooler)

We can use both –in or to-infinitive after the verb like, but the meaning is
slightly different. We usually use the –ing form when want to say that we enjoy
something,
She likes relaxing at home (= She enjoys relaxing at home)

and we use to-infinitive when we want to say that we usually choose to do

something:
I like to wear a hat in the sun (= I prefer to wear a hat in the sun)

EXERCISES

A. Put the verb in the gerund or the to-infinitive

E.g. _Flying__ is really good fun (fly)

1. Th er e’s a l ot of w ork _____________ on th e n ew bu il di n g. (do)

2. ___________ i s a good f orm of ex er cise. (s wi m)
3. We man aged ___ _________ th e exam by ______________
each oth e r e ve ry ev en i n g. (pass / test)
4. I can ’t stan d _____________ th e wash in g u p. (do )
5. Dave d eci ded _________ Sh eila for a week o r two . (n ot ph on e)
6. I think I’m going to have to give up ______________ football. (play)

UNIT7. TO- INFINITIVE AND ING

 7. I miss ______________ to see my parents every day. (be able)
8. They wouldn’t let me ________________ in the driving seat. (sit)
9. We agreed ____________________ any more work (not do)
10. It’s your last chance ________________ you are sorry. (say)

B. What exactly do the following sentences mean? The first one is done for
you.

1. She stopped to tie her shoelaces.

She stopped what she was doing and tied her shoelaces.

2. She remembered meeting him at a concert.

3. Keith forgot sending that letter to his friend.

4. I stopped running and had a rest.

5. I hope you remember to phone me.

6. Julie forgot to water the plants

7. We never stop talking, you and I!

C. Put the verb into the correct form, to-infinitive or –ing.

1. When I’m tired, I enjoy _____________ television. It’s relaxing. (watch)

2. It was a nice day, so we decided ___________ for a walk. (go)
3. It’s a nice day. Does anyone fancy _________ for a walk? (go)
4. I’m not in a hurry. I don’t mind ____________. (wait)
5. They don’t have much money. They can’t afford ____________ out very
often. (go)
6. I wish that dog would stop ____________. It’s driving me mad. (bark)
7. Our neighbour threatened ____________ the police if we didn’t stop the
noise. (call)
8. We were hungry, so I suggested _____________ dinner early. (have)
9. Hurry up! I don’t want to risk ____________ the train. (miss)
10. I’m still looking for a job, but I hope ___________ something good. (find)

UNIT7. TO- INFINITIVE AND ING