Lesson 1A: Infinitives
1 Infinitives with to
We use an infinitive with to in several specific situations:
Explain the purpose:
"You should eat them to reduce your risk of heart failure."
"Sugar is added to make the bread rise."
After certain verbs:
(agree, allow, expect, plan, promise, need, fail, etc.)
"You need to make sure you drink a lot of water."
"They often fail to notice all the details."
After certain adjectives:
(difficult, easy, helpful, likely, quick, important)
"They're quick and easy to cook."
"It's important to remember that..."
After ordinal numbers:
(first, second, third, last, etc.)
"I'd be the last to help him!"
2 Bare Infinitives (without 'to')
We use an infinitive without to after let and make.
Note: The verb help can be followed by the infinitive with or without 'to'.
"They may help your brain (to) grow."
Lesson 1A: Gerunds (-ing form)
We use a gerund in the same way as a noun:
"Making bread involves..."
(avoid, consider, enjoy, fancy, imagine, risk, suggest, involve...)
"It involves taking a test."
"...to prevent it from rising too much."
"I'm not used to pushing my body to the limit." (Situation is unfamiliar)
"I'm getting used to doing more exercise." (Becoming more familiar)
Infinitive or Gerund (No change in meaning)
Verbs followed by either form with no difference in meaning: begin, continue, hate, love, start
The verb Prefer:
-
Prefer + infinitive (Specific situation):
"I'd prefer to stay in tonight." -
Prefer + gerund (General preferences):
"I prefer staying in to going out."
Lesson 3A: Change in Meaning
Some verbs can take either form, but the meaning changes completely depending on which one you use. Pay close attention!
Remember
+ Infinitive (Do it as a task)
"I always remember to take a sandwich."
+ Gerund (Recall a past memory)
"I remember thinking that I needed a system."
Forget
+ Infinitive (Failed to do a task)
"I forgot to mention that..."
+ Gerund (Usually negative: never forget a memory)
"I'll never forget failing that exam."
Try
+ Infinitive (Make an effort, it's difficult)
"I always try to plan it so that..."
+ Gerund (Experiment / see what happens)
"You should try working in the library."
Stop
+ Infinitive (Pause one thing TO do another)
"I keep stopping to make a cup of tea."
+ Gerund (Quit an action completely)
"I don't stop studying till I've finished."
Verbs of Perception & Passive Sense
Completed Action
After verbs like feel, hear, see, watch, use object + infinitive without to.
"I saw somebody fall in the water."
Action in Progress
After those same verbs, to emphasize an ongoing action, use object + gerund.
"I saw him talking to the lifeguard."
Passive Sense
After need, deserve, require, the gerund acts passively.
"The car needs cleaning"
(= needs to be cleaned).
Practice Quiz
Apply what you've learned. Answer all 20 questions to see your final score!