English — Gerunds and Infinitives: Rules — 3rd Year Middle School — Algerian Curriculum

Gerunds and Infinitives: Rules

Gerund: verb + -ing (acting as a noun). Infinitive: to + base verb.

1. When to use the Gerund (-ing)

• After certain verbs: enjoy, finish, avoid, suggest, mind, practice, keep.

“I enjoy reading.” “She suggested going to the park.”

• As subject of a sentence: “Swimming is good exercise.”
• After prepositions: “Thank you for helping me.” “He is good at drawing.”

2. When to use the Infinitive (to + verb)

• After certain verbs: want, need, hope, decide, plan, promise, learn.

“I want to go home.” “They decided to travel.”

• To express purpose: “I am studying to become a doctor.”
• After adjectives: “It is important to study.” “I am happy to see you.”

3. Verbs that take both (with different meanings)

• stop + gerund: quit an activity. “I stopped smoking.”
• stop + infinitive: pause to do something. “I stopped to smoke.” (paused in order to smoke)
• remember + gerund: recall a past action. “I remember locking the door.”
• remember + infinitive: not forget to do. “Remember to lock the door.”

Exercises

1) Complete with gerund or infinitive: I enjoy … (read). She wants … (travel). They finished … (work).
2) Choose: I stopped (to smoke/smoking) five years ago. I stopped (to buy/buying) some water.