Gerunds and infinitives

2.  There are some situations when
we need to decide between
using an infinitive or a gerund.

3. We use infinitives after some verbs:
 Need
 Decide
 Would like
 Want
 Forget
 Promise
 Hope

4. Examples
*Jenny forgot to pay
her bills
*Tom would like to
have a lot of money
*I need to go to the
bathroom

5. After many adjectives
Examples:
It’s difficult to get up early
It’s nice to see you
Negative:
It’s important not to be late for the meeting.

6. To show purpose
Examples:
❑ He went to the UK to study English
❑We turned on the TV to watch the
news.

7.  We use gerunds after some verbs:
 Enjoy
 Finish
 Practice
 Spend time
 Feel like

8. Examples
*Bob doesn’t feel
like doing
homework.
*Susan finished
writing the report for
her boss.
* Kids enjoy being
on the beach.

9.  We use gerunds as the subject of a
sentence
Examples:
 Drinking water is good for your body.
 Talking to my friends is great!
 Traveling in December is expensive.

10.  We use gerunds after prepositions
Examples:
❖ I’m not good at playing chess.
❖ Mark always has breakfast after taking a
shower.
Some prepositions: Of , at, for, after, before, with, without, by, about.

11. Like, love, hate ( I like singing/I like to
sing)
Start ( She started writing a novel/ She
started to write a novel)