This document discusses the uses of infinitives and gerunds in English. It explains that gerunds can be used as subjects of sentences or after certain verbs and prepositions. Infinitives can also be used as subjects or after certain verbs and adjectives. Some verbs like "begin" and "prefer" can take either an infinitive or gerund without a change in meaning, while verbs like "stop", "remember", and "regret" have different meanings depending on whether they are followed by an infinitive or gerund. The document provides examples to illustrate the different uses of infinitives and gerunds.

1. INFINITIVES AND
GERUNDS
Sergio Gonzalez
III-083-00387

2. GERUND. Uses:
 Subject of a sentense (General)
e.g. Running is very good to keep you fit.
 Behind some verbs :
Enjoy, admit, deny, mind, avoid, risk, miss, suggest, imagine, fancy, stop, finish,
continue, recommend, postpone, consider.
e.g. She enjoys visiting her grandparents every weekend
 Behind of prepositions :
e.g. Thank you for giving me another opportunity
 Behind some expressions :
give up, put off, go on/carry on, keep/keep on, can’t help, can’t stand, feel like, it’s no
use, be/get used to, look forward to, spend
e.g. You should give up smoking, it’s very bad for your health.
 Carefull whit negative sentences !!
When I’m on holiday, I enjoy not having to get up early.

3. INFINITIVE. Uses:
 Subject of a sentense (when we talk about a specific time)
e.g. To leave now would be a mistake.
 Behind some verbs :
Offer, agree, refuse, decide, plan, pretend, arrange, hope, manage, fail, deserve, claim,
afford, forget, promise, threaten, learn, appear/ seem, choose, expect, want/ wish,
tend.
e.g. She decided to go to the cinema yesterday.
 Behind some adjectives:
e.g. I’m very happy to see you again.
 Carefull whit negative sentences :
We decided not to go out because of the weather.
 The verbs let, make, hear, feel, see are followed by infinitive without to:
He makes me feel happy

4. VERBS FOLLOWED BY INFINITIVE OR GERUND :
 Some verbs can be followed by infinitive or gerund without affecting
its meaning :
begin, continue, forbid, start, like, prefer, propose, bother, intend,
love, hate.
e.g. It has started raining / It has started to rain
¡! But do not use gerund after ing.
e.g. It’s starting to rain

5. VERBS FOLLOWED BY INFINITIVE OR GERUND :
 Other verbs can be followed by infinitive or gerund but with a different meaning :
Stop
- Can you stop crying, please? (parar de llorar)
- She stopped to have a rest. (parar de hacer algo para descansar)
Remember
- I remember locking the door (past)
- Please remember to post the letter (future)
Regret
-I now regret saying what I said (arrepentirse)
- I regret to inform you that we cannot offer you the job (sentir)
Forget
- They forgot doing that composition (la hicieron, pero se les olvido que la habian hecho)
-They forgot to do that composition (no la hicieron, se les olvido hacerla)
Go on
- The president paused for a moment and then went on talking (same )
- After discussing the economy, the president then went on to talk about foreign policy (different)
Try
- I was very tired. I tried to keep my eyes open (make an effort)
- The photocopier doesn’t seem to be working. – Try pressing the green button (as an experiment or test)
Need
- I need to take more exercise (es necesario para mi)
- The batteries in the radio need changing ( necesita ser hecho)
Help
-Everybody helped (to) clean the house (ayudar a algo)

6. VERBS FOLLOWED BY INFINITIVE OR GERUND :
 Other verbs can be followed by infinitive or gerund but with a different meaning :
Stop
- Can you stop crying, please? (parar de llorar)
- She stopped to have a rest. (parar de hacer algo para descansar)
Remember
- I remember locking the door (past)
- Please remember to post the letter (future)
Regret
-I now regret saying what I said (arrepentirse)
- I regret to inform you that we cannot offer you the job (sentir)
Forget
- They forgot doing that composition (la hicieron, pero se les olvido que la habian hecho)
-They forgot to do that composition (no la hicieron, se les olvido hacerla)
Go on
- The president paused for a moment and then went on talking (same )
- After discussing the economy, the president then went on to talk about foreign policy (different)
Try
- I was very tired. I tried to keep my eyes open (make an effort)
- The photocopier doesn’t seem to be working. – Try pressing the green button (as an experiment or test)
Need
- I need to take more exercise (es necesario para mi)
- The batteries in the radio need changing ( necesita ser hecho)
Help
-Everybody helped (to) clean the house (ayudar a algo)