English – Gerunds and Infinitives: Usage Rules – BAC – Literary Stream

English – Gerunds and Infinitives: Usage Rules – BAC – Literary Stream

Gerunds (verb+ing acting as nouns) and infinitives (to+verb) are important grammatical structures for the BAC exam. Knowing which verbs are followed by gerunds, which by infinitives, and which by both is essential.

1. Gerund (Verb-ing)

Uses of gerunds:

• As subject of a sentence: “Swimming is good for health.”
• After prepositions: “She is interested in learning English.”
• After certain verbs: enjoy, avoid, suggest, finish, mind, consider, practice, deny, recommend, admit

Examples: “I enjoy reading books. / He avoided answering the question. / She suggested going to the cinema.”

2. Infinitive (To + Verb)

Uses of the infinitive:

• To express purpose: “She studied hard to pass the exam.”
• After certain verbs: want, need, hope, decide, plan, promise, expect, agree, refuse, seem, appear
• After adjectives: “It is important to study.” / “She was happy to help.”
• After question words: “I don’t know what to do.” / “She taught me how to swim.”

Examples: “I want to learn French. / He hopes to travel abroad. / They decided to stay home.”

3. Verbs Followed by Both (Gerund or Infinitive)

Some verbs can be followed by either form, sometimes with a change in meaning:

• Stop: “I stopped smoking.” (quit entirely) vs “I stopped to smoke.” (paused to smoke)
• Remember: “I remember locking the door.” (past) vs “Remember to lock the door.” (future)
• Forget: “I forgot meeting him.” (past) vs “I forgot to meet him.” (future/obligation)
• Try: “Try pressing the button.” (experiment) vs “Try to press the button.” (attempt)

Exercises

Exercise 1: Complete: “He enjoys (play) football. / She decided (study) medicine. / I avoid (eat) junk food.”

Exercise 2: Choose: “I remember (locking / to lock) the door. Did I? / Remember (locking / to lock) the door before leaving.”

Exercise 3: Correct: “She suggested to go out. / He is interested to learn Arabic.”

See also Conditional Sentences and Passive Voice.