Rules for using gerunds and infinitives gerunds and infinitives gerund the ing form of a verb which works as a noun is known as a gerund. Choose the correct answer for each gap below, then click the check button to check your answers. Passive infinitives and gerunds passive and causative. When they are used with an infinitive they refer to something that happens at or after a certain time. Simple rules to master the use of gerunds and infinitives. Use it is adjective to infinitive to make the infinitive the subject of a sentence. Publishing house, minneapolis, 1985 describes 12 important principles or rules for. Making friends has become more difficult since i moved to a new city. We shall look at this particular type of verb from three angles. The ed form of a regular verb is its past participle. Tomorrow, we will get his friend help us pack the boxes. Eating too much fast food is not good for your health. Students decide whether it is a gerund or an infinitive that go with the rule. Gerund and infinitives verb lists free pdf in english when two verbs come side by side to is placed between them or ing is added to second verb.
Aug 26, 2014 note that some verbs cannot be followed by infinitives. For this reason, here you have a deep explanation of all their uses. Complete the following sentences using the appropriate verb form. In english, if you want to follow a verb with another action, you must use a gerund or infinitive. To sneeze, to smash, to cry, to shriek, to jump, to dunk, to read, to eat, to slurp all of these are infinitives. Infinitives can be used as three different parts of speech. T he i nfi ni tive recognize an infinitive when you see one. Learn about infinitives in order to improve your grammar for ielts. While the grammar rules regarding split infinitives are being debated, style dictates that we write our sentences to be clear and consistent. After prepositions that follow a verb or an adjective gerunds. To download the johnny grammars word challenge app for free, v. Grammar gerunds and infinitives learning how to use gerunds and infinitives is one of the most challenging aspects of learning english.
Infinitives are a type of nonfinite verbs or verbals, the other types being gerunds and participles. Test your english in johnnys new quiz app for phones and tablets, on both ios and android. This mean that a tense is not applied and it isnt wound to any form of a subject. Infinitives definition of infinitives by the free dictionary. Gerunds, infinitives, and describing actions magoosh toefl blog. Do you dislike doing homework or just avoid handing it in. Gerunds and infinitives can function as the subject of a sentence or the object of a. Today, however, most linguists agree that split infinitives are acceptable. Verbs followed by gerunds or infinitives slideshare. Divide students into three groups, ideally of three or four students.
Gerunds and infinitives can replace a noun in a sentence. To be doing it is used to indicate an activity in progress or ongoing she had hoped to be working 34. Gerunds and infinitives can function as the subject of a sentence or the object of a verb. Infinitives synonyms, infinitives pronunciation, infinitives translation, english dictionary definition of infinitives. Also, most textbooks dont cover the fact that there are a few helpful rules for deciding whether to use a gerund or an infinitive in a sentence. Live worksheets english english as a second language esl gerund or infinitive gerunds and infinitives gerunds and infinitives recognize when to use gerunds or infinitives. It is important that you can use them correctly in your ielts speaking and writing or when you use english more generally. Basic rules for gerunds and infinitives tru newsroom. A verbal is a word formed from a verb but functioning as a different part of speech, usually a noun. The next time youre doing gerunds and infinitives in class, try teaching the rules belowyour students will thank you. Gerunds and infinitives worksheet with answers 3 for esl students and teachers. Infinitives use to before the verb so the examples above would be to eat, to play, and to listen. Complete the sentences with a gerund or an infinitive. Using gerunds and infinitives a gerund is a verb form that ends in ing and is used as a noun walking, traveling, voting.
Both gerunds and infinitives can occur in the perfect form having done to have done it is used to indicate that the activity is in the past we appreciate having heard her sing. The toinfinitive is used following a large collection of different verbs as well. An infinitive is the base form a a verb, with or without to. A compilation of upper level rules of gerunds and infinitives. Feelsee hear watch someone do doing i heard him tell you about the letter. Forget with the infinitive means something happens at or after a certain time. Infinitives can be used as nouns, adjectives or adverbs. In english, both gerunds and infinitives can be used to. Nov 10, 2016 gerunds and infinitives can replace a noun in a sentence. Some verbs are followed by infinitives while others are followed by gerunds. An infinitive will almost always begin with to followed by the simple form of the verb, like this. Both can be used as the subject or object of a sentence. Rules for using gerunds and infinitives when to use. Gerund and infinitive phrases the university of texas at dallas.
Infinitive form of a verb what is the infinitive form of a. Both gerunds and infinitives can be subjects in sentences, and both gerunds and infinitives can serve as the object of a verb. Gerunds and infinitives are a part of english grammar that many english learners find challenging. Infinitives can occur in the progressive but gerunds cannot. Because their function is that of a noun, gerunds may be used as the subject of a sentence. Gerund it is a verb form which ends in ing and works as a noun in the following cases. You have to learn which verbs go with which pattern. Note that some verbs cannot be followed by infinitives.
Gerunds and infinitives some important rules the form of the verb that ends in ing is called a gerund when used as a noun. Gerunds and infinitives part 1 easy and clear rules the gerund can be used as the subject of a sentence. Review charts and rules for gerunds and infinitives as needed. Verbs that show emotion and the fulfillment of unfulfillment of an activity may affect the meaning depending on the choice of an infinitive or a gerund. As there are no rules regarding this, you have to study which verbs take infinitives and which verbs take gerunds. The compilation of both the word to and the verb are in fact the infinitive. You can use a gerund as the subject, the complement, or the object of a sentence. In a nutshell, a word formed from a verb acting as a noun and ending in ing is a gerund. Becoming a millionaire is a dream of many young people today. Because their function is that of a noun, gerunds may be used as the subject of.
At upper intermediate level b2 on the cef level and fce cambridge exams students are confronted with this problem and it is often useful to practise more thoroughly to help the difference in meaning of the verbs become part of the learners active knowledge. The other nonfinite verb forms in english are the gerund or present participle the ing form, and the past participle these are not considered infinitives. In these examples, the infinitives are shaded and the infinitive phrases are in bold. The redcard holders write down verbs followed by gerunds. English gerunds and infinitives are often treated as nearly equivalent ways of using verb phrases as syntactic. Defining a rule for the use of infinitive and gerund. Infinitives and gerunds take the place of a noun in a sentence. In english, both gerunds and infinitives can be used to talk about the reason why we use or do something. If you want to know how to use gerunds and infinitives, here are 6 rules that will help you. Imperatives and infinitives for giving suggestions. Gerunds and infinitives worksheet really learn english. A gerund is the ing form of a verb that functions the same as a noun. Apr 15, 2012 some verbs are followed by infinitives while others are followed by gerunds. Both gerunds and infinitives can be subjects in sentences, and both gerunds and infinitives can serve as the object of a.
Afterwards, they discuss the difference in meaning of some verbs which can take both gerunds and infinitives. The toinfinitive is used in many sentence constructions, often expressing the purpose of something or someones opinion about something. Apr 17, 2015 gerunds, infinitives, and describing actions by david recine on april 17, 2015 in grammar a lot of my students ask me about the use of infinitives verbs that come after the word to versus the use of gerunds verbs ending in ing. If there is to between two verbs, we call it infinitive and ing added to second verb it is called gerund.
Understanding the use of infinitives english grammar. The words and rules dichotomy also comes into play for english learners and their teachers confronted with another arduous grammar point, the topic most grammar books refer to as gerunds and infinitives. The negative version of both gerunds and infinitives is made simply by adding not. Gerunds and participles are also compared and contrasted in a separate section of this handout because they can both end in ing but have different functions in a sentence.
There are unique verbs that require the infinitive losses the word to. Gerunds and infinitives some important rules azar grammar. Take the rule that governs regular verb conjugation. How to use gerunds and infinitives 6 rules to help you. Gerunds, participles, and infinitives in this handout, the three types of verbals are discussed. The verbal to achieve, in both cases, is an infinitive because its a verb preceded by to. This activity looks at the problem of whether verbs are followed by the gerund or infinitive. Gerund the present participle ing form of the verb, e. Remember that an infinitive phrase is the infinitive form of a verb plus all the bits that go with it i.
Aug 03, 2011 test your english in johnnys new quiz app for phones and tablets, on both ios and android. Infinitive phrases normally referred to as infinitives are formed with the word to in front of a verb. Irregular verbs form their past participles in various ways for example, bend. Some rules of gerunds and infinitives busy teacher. As the subject or object of a sentence swimming is good exercise. In these two examples, the infinitive verbs are functioning as nouns.
This blog post is available as a convenient and portable pdf that you. There are also some verbs that are followed by both gerunds and infinitives. In this post, i will help you understand when to use a gerund or infinitive to describe the purpose of someone or something. With this information alone, you can create lesson plans that focus on the various uses of gerunds and. Whether you use a gerund or an infinitive depends on the main verb in the sentence.