2. Use the gerund …
• After prepositions
I’m very good at remembering names
• As the subject of a sentence
Eating out is quite cheap here
3. Use the gerund …
• After a phrasal verb
You should give up smoking now
I’m really looking forward to seeing you
4. Use the gerund …
• After certain verbs* and expressions (enjoy, can’t help, can’t stand,
feel like, fancy, don’t mind … page 236)
I enjoy listening to music
We couldn’t help laughing
I don’t feel like going out tonight
Do you fancy going to the cinema?
We don’t mind sharing the room
5. Feel like making love https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjJU_wQPpKk
I can’t help falling in love https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnhamPnvXuQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rEU-jCYrYo
I can’t stand losing you
6. Use the infinitive (with to)…
• To express a reason or purpose - MORE INFORMATION IN NEXT SLIDE
He’s saving money (in order) to buy a car
• After adjectives
My flat is easy to find
• After wh-question words (except why)
We didn’t know where to go
7. Use the infinitive (with to) …
• After certain verbs (want, afford, need, …* page 236)
I want to meet her at once
We can’t afford to own a Mercedes
They need to start working now
8. INFINITIVE OF PURPOSE
• DO NOT use ‘for’ when you want to say the reason or purpose
why you do/did something:
I’m saving money for to buy a car
• You can use gerund after “for” to talk about a function
This handle is for opening the door
9. Use the infinitive (with or without to) …
• After help
They helped us decide what house to buy
They helped us to decide what house to buy
10. Use the infinitive (without to) …
• After modal verbs (can, must, may, …) and certain expressions (would
rather, had better), and after make* and let
We must decide where to go now
She’d better do her homework
I’d rather eat in than go out tonight
My parents made me study at the weekend
Make* needs to in the passive: I was made to study at the weekend by my parents
11. NEGATIVES
• Gerunds and infinitives form the negative with ‘not’
not to be, not being
Try not to be late, please
I love not having to get up early on Sundays
12. Verbs
followed by
gerund
and verbs
followed by
infinitive
When one verb follows
another, the 1st verb
determines the form of
the 2nd. This can be
the gerund (V+ing) or
the infinitive.
13. 4. Gerund or infinitive
• Some verbs (start, begin, continue) can be followed by gerund or
infinitive with no difference in meaning
It started raining/to rain as soon as we went out
14. 5. Gerund or infinitive
• Some verbs (stop, remember, forget, try, need…) can be followed by
gerund or infinitive but the meaning changes
Remember + to-infinitive = not forget what you have to do
Remember to lock the door
Remember + gerund= have a memory of what you did or happened in
the past
I remember going to Venice when I was a child
15. 6. Gerund or infinitive
• Some verbs (stop, remember, forget, try, need…) can be followed by
gerund or infinitive but the meaning changes
forget + to-infinitive = not remember to do something that you had to do
I forgot to lock the door
forget + gerund= being unable to remember what you did or happened in
the past
I’ll never forget going to Venice when I was a child
16. 7. Gerund or infinitive
• Some verbs (stop, remember, forget, try, need…) can be followed by
gerund or infinitive but the meaning changes
try + to-infinitive = make an attempt or effort to do something difficult
I tried to open the window
try + gerund= use, do, or test something to see if its good, suitable
Try calling her on her mobile
17. 8. Gerund or infinitive
• need + gerund is a passive construction
You need to clean the car
The car needs cleaning
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLRiGX3L-kw
Lady Madonna 1:47
18. Like, love, hate, and prefer
• They are generally followed by the gerund, but they can also be used
in the infinitive (with to).
• We tend to use the gerund when we talk generally, and the infinitive
when we talk specifically
I like swimming – I like to swim first thing in the morning
• When they are used with would/’d, they are ALWAYS followed by to-
infinitive
I’d prefer to stay at home tonight
19. OTHER USES OF GERUNDS AND INFINITIVES
We use the gerund after certain expressions with it or there – it’s no
use, there’s no point, it’s not worth
It’s no use worrying. There’s nothing you can do
Is there any point (in) asking him? He never has anything useful to say.
It’s no good talking to my dad because he doesn’t listen to me.
20. OTHER USES OF GERUNDS AND INFINITIVES
We use the infinitive with to:
• After nouns formed from verbs which take the infinitive: agree (agreement),
plan (plan), hope (hope) …
Our plan is to leave on Sunday.
We have an agreement to share the costs.
• After expressions with quantifiers (enough, too much, a lot, plenty of …)
There wasn’t enough snow for us to ski
There’s too much to see; you can’t visit Paris in just one day
21. OTHER USES OF GERUNDS AND INFINITIVES
We use the infinitive with to:
• After something, anywhere.
Is there anything to eat?
There’s nowhere to go at night
• After superlatives and first, second, last, etc
Who was the first person to walk on the moon
