Knowing whether to use the gerund or infinitive can be difficult.
Until now…
Watch this lesson, read the notes, and then get your free download to FINALLY learn how to do this.
Infinitive vs Gerund
Look at the following sentences:
- I want to go
- I enjoy going
The first one shows that after the verb want we use the infinitive (to go).
The second highlights that after the verb enjoy we use the gerund (going).
There are no rules to learn. You just have to get used to it.
Here are more examples:
- we decided to get the red car (infinitive)
- I avoided talking to him about it (gerund)
- do you want to continue watching this lesson (infinitive/gerund)
Verb + Preposition + Gerund
Here are some examples:
- I’m thinking about buying that red car
- I apologize for saying that
Adding in Object Prepositions
Most people make mistakes with this. Here are some examples:
- I want HIM to go there
- I want her to go there
- I want you to go there
- I want you to do it
- She asked me to give it to her
Two Meanings
Certain verbs have different meanings depending on which one you use.
I stopped smoking = I gave up smoking
I stopped to smoke = I stopped doing something else to have a cigarette
Go here to learn more about these examples.
Different Tenses
It doesn’t matter which tense the first verb takes – the pattern is always the same.
- I want you to do it
- I wanted you to do it
- I’m going to want you to do it
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