GERUNDS and TO-INFINITIVES

Mr. José Espinoza

• A gerund is the –ing form of a verb that functions as a subject or object in a sentence.

�Example:

running is so much fun!

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My father’s hobby is playing chess.

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WHAT ARE THEY?

From the verb RUN

From the verb PLAY

• As a subject.

READING is my favorite activity at night.

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• As direct object after the verbs LIKE, LOVE, ENJOY, DISLIKE, CAN’T STAND, SUGGEST and STOP.

I suggest GOING to the movies.

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• After the verb be to give information about the subject of the sentence.

My sister’s hobby is DANCING K-Pop

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• After an adjective + preposition such as: good at, happy about, afraid of.

I’m very happy about MEETING new people.

ITS USES

DO NOT CONFUSE GERUNDS

WITH OTHER WORDS THAT END IN –ING!

PRESENT PARTICIPLES

I’M COOKING AT THE MOMENT.

ADJECTIVES

THIS MOVIE IS BORING.

PRACTICE SPOT

PRACTICE SPOT

PRACTICE SPOT

RE-WRITE THE SENTENCES USING A GERUND.

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Sarah watches movies. (Sarah enjoys __________ movies.)

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They play soccer after school. (They enjoy __________ soccer after school.)

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She listens to music. (She loves __________ to music.)

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Tom reads comic books. (Tom likes __________ comic books.)

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He practices the piano. (He enjoys __________ the piano.)

WHEN DO WE USE GERUNDS?

1. Talking about hobbies
1. Example: I love swimming in the pool.

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• Describing daily routines
• Example: I hate waking up early in the morning.

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• Expressing likes and dislikes
• Example: She enjoys reading mystery novels.

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• Talking about future plans
• Example: We are considering going hiking next weekend.

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PRACTICE SPOT

COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING TEXT. MANY OPTIONS COULD BE POSSIBLE, NOT ONLY GERUNDS.

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"Every Saturday, Sarah and her friends go to the park. Last weekend, they __________ (bring) their bicycles. While Sarah was __________ (ride) her bike, she noticed a beautiful butterfly __________ (fly) around the flowers. Her friends were __________ (play) catch nearby. Suddenly, Sarah's bike hit a rock, and she ended up __________ (fall) off! Her friends quickly ran to help her, but they couldn't stop __________ (laugh). Eventually, they all sat down, __________ (eat) sandwiches and __________ (talk) about their favorite bike trails."

• Infinitives are the base form of a verb, often preceded by "to.“

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USE an infinitive when the verb form is needed as an

• ADJECTIVE

She has a book TO READ.

• ADVERB

She studies hard TO SUCCEED.

• Or NOUN

TO SWIM in the ocean, is her dream.

WHAT ABOUT TO-INFINITIVES?

Remember that there are certain verbs that are followed by gerunds or infinitives. Sometimes the choice between a gerund or infinitive can change the meaning of the sentence.

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Verbs like "like," "love," "enjoy," "hate," "prefer," and "start" can take both gerunds and infinitives, but with different meanings.

REMINDER!

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