Using Gerunds and Infinitives
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Written by Martine Johnston,
International Student Centre
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Gerunds and infinitives are verb
forms that can take the place of a noun in a sentence. The following guidelines
and lists will help you figure out whether a gerund or infinitive is needed.
Following
a verb (gerund or infinitive)
Both gerunds and infinitives can
replace a noun as the object of a verb. Whether you use a gerund or an
infinitive depends on the main verb in the sentence. Consult the lists below to
find out which form to use following which verbs.
I expect to have the
report done by Friday.
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[INFINITIVE]
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I anticipate having
the report done by Friday.
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[GERUND]
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Some
common verbs followed by a gerund (note that phrasal verbs, marked here with *,
always fall into this category):
acknowledge
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She acknowledged receiving
assistance.
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* accuse of
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He was accused of smuggling
contraband goods.
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admit
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They admitted falsifying
the data.
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advise
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The author advises undertaking
further study.
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anticipate
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He anticipates having
trouble with his supervisor.
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appreciate
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I appreciated having
a chance to read your draft.
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avoid
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He avoided answering
my question.
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complete
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I finally completed writing
my thesis.
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consider
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They will consider granting
you money.
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defer
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She deferred writing
her report.
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delay
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We delayed reporting
the results until we were sure.
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deny
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They denied copying
the information.
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discuss
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They discussed running
the experiments again.
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entail
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This review procedure entails
repeating the test.
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* look after
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He will look after mailing
the tickets.
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* insist on
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He insisted on proofreading
the article again.
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involve
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This procedure involves testing
each sample twice.
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justify
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My results justify taking
drastic action.
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mention
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The author mentions seeing
this event.
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* plan on
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They had planned on attending
the conference.
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postpone
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The committee has postponed
writing the report.
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recall
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I cannot recall getting
those results before.
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resent
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He resented spending
so much time on the project.
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recommend
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She recommends reading
Marx.
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resist
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The writer resists giving
any easy answers.
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risk
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She risks losing her
viewing time.
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sanction
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They will not sanction copying
without permission.
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suggest
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I suggest repeating
the experiment.
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* take care of
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He will take care of sending
it to you.
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tolerate
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She can't tolerate waiting
for results.
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Some
common verbs followed by an infinitive:
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afford
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We cannot afford to
hesitate.
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agree
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The professors agreed to
disagree.
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appear
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The results appear to
support your theory.
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arrange
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They had arranged to
meet at noon.
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beg
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I beg to differ with
you.
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care
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Would you care to
respond?
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claim
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She claims to have
new data.
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consent
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Will you consent to run
for office?
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decide
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When did he decide to
withdraw?
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demand
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I demand to see the
results of the survey.
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deserve
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She deserves to have
a fair hearing.
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expect
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The committee expects to
decide by tomorrow.
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fail
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The trial failed to
confirm his hypothesis.
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hesitate
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I hesitate to try
the experiment again.
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hope
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What do you hope to
accomplish?
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learn
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We have learned to
proceed with caution.
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manage
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How did she manage to
find the solution?
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neglect
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The author neglected to
provide an index.
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need
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Do we need to find
new subjects?
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offer
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We could offer to change
the time of the meeting.
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plan
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They had planned to
attend the conference.
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prepare
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He was not prepared to
give a lecture.
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pretend
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I do not pretend to know
the answer.
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promise
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They promise to
demonstrate the new equipment.
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refuse
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She refused to cooperate
any longer.
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seem
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Something seems to be
wrong with your design.
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struggle
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We struggled to
understand her point of view.
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swear
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He swears to tell
the truth.
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threaten
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The team threatened to
stop their research.
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volunteer
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Will you volunteer to
lead the group?
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wait
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We could not wait to
hear the outcome.
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want
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She did not want to go
first.
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wish
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Do you wish to
participate?
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Following
a preposition (gerund only)
Gerunds can follow a preposition;
infinitives cannot.
Can you touch your toes without
bending your knees?
He was fined for driving
over the speed limit.
She got the money by selling
the car.
A corkscrew is a tool for taking
corks out of bottles.
Note: Take care not to confuse the preposition "to"
with an infinitive form, or with an auxiliary form such as have to, used
to, going to
He went back to writing
his paper.
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[PREPOSITION + GERUND]
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I used to live in
Mexico.
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[AUXILIARY + VERB]
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I want to go home.
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[VERB + INFINITIVE]
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Following
an indirect object (infinitive only)
Some verbs are followed by a pronoun
or noun referring to a person, and then an infinitive. Gerunds cannot be used
in this position.
Some
common verbs followed by an indirect object plus an infinitive:
ask
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I must ask you to
reconsider your statement.
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beg
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They begged her to stay
for another term.
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cause
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His findings caused him to
investigate further.
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challenge
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Wilkins challenged Watson to
continue the research.
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convince
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Can we convince them to
fund our study?
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encourage
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She encouraged him to
look beyond the obvious.
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expect
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They did not expect us to
win an award.
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forbid
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The author forbade me to
change his wording.
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force
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They cannot force her to
reveal her sources.
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hire
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Did the department hire him
to teach the new course?
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instruct
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I will instruct her to
prepare a handout.
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invite
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We invite you to attend
the ceremony.
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need
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They need her to show
the slides.
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order
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He ordered the group to
leave the building.
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persuade
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Can we persuade you to
contribute again?
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remind
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Please remind him to
check the references.
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require
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They will require you to
submit an outline.
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teach
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We should teach them to
follow standard procedures.
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tell
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Did she tell him to make
three copies?
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urge
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I urge you to read
the instructions before you begin.
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want
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I do not want you to
have an accident.
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warn
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Why didn't they warn me to
turn down the heat?
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