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What is an infinitive? When should I use infinitives? When should I use gerunds? What is a nonfinite verb? What is a Split Infinitive? What’s the difference between infinitives and gerunds? Are verb forms in the infinitive the same in meaning and form as base verbs? An infinitive is to + the verb. English speakers form many verb tenses by combining one of principal parts of the verb with one or more auxiliary verbs. In order to form verb tenses you need a good grasp of the auxiliaries and the principal parts of the verb. There are four principal parts: the basic form, the present participle, the past form, and the past participle. The basic form (or root of the verb is the form listed in the dictionary and is usually identical to the first person singular form of the simple present tense (except in the case of the verb "to be"): walk paint think grow sing The infinitive form of the verb is a compound verb made up of the the preposition "to" and the basic form of the verb: to walk to paint to think to grow to sing To form the present participle, add "-ing" to the basic form of the verb: walking painting thinking growing singing Note that you cannot use the present participle as a predicate unless you use an auxiliary verb with it -- the word group "I walking to the store" is an incomplete and ungrammatical sentence, while word group "I am walking to the store" is a complete sentence. You will often use the present participle as a modifier. The past form of verbs is a little trickier. If the verb is regular (or weak, you can create the past form by adding "-ed", "-d", or "-t" to the present form. When a basic form ends in "-y", you changed the "-y" to "-i-"; in many cases you should also double terminal consonants before adding "-ed" (see the section on Spelling words with Double Consonants). walked painted thought grew sang The past participle of regular verbs is usually identical to the past form, while the past participle of irregular verbs is often different: walked painted thought grown sung |
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Irregular Verbs Irregular verbs form the past participle and the past form without "-(e)d" or "-t", and frequently their past form and past participle are different. For example, the past form of the verb "break" is "broke" and the past participle is "broken." Gerunds (-ing) Gerunds are sometimes called "verbal nouns". When a verb ends in -ing, it may be a gerund or a present participle. It is important to understand that they are not the same. When we use a verb in -ing form more like a noun, it is usually a gerund: * Fishing is fun. When we use a verb in -ing form more like a verb or an adjective, it is usually a present participle: * Anthony is fishing. * I have a boring teacher. Infinitive or -ing Infinitive or -ing Quiz Infinitive or -ing? Sometimes we need to decide whether to use a verb in its: * -ing form (doing, singing) or * infinitive form (to do, to sing). For example, only one of the following sentences is correct. Which one? * I dislike working late. (???) * I dislike to work late. (???) When to use the infinitive The infinitive form is used after certain verbs: - forget, help, learn, teach, train - choose, expect, hope, need, offer, want, would like - agree, encourage, pretend, promise, recommend - allow, can/can't afford, decide, manage, mean, refuse * I forgot to close the window. * Mary needs to leave early. * Why are they encouraged to learn English? * We can't afford to take a long holiday. The infinitive form is always used after adjectives, for example: - disappointed, glad, happy, pleased, relieved, sad, surprised * I was happy to help them. * She will be delighted to see you. This includes too + adjective: * The water was too cold to swim in. * Is your coffee too hot to drink? The infinitive form is used after adjective + enough: * He was strong enough to lift it. * She is rich enough to buy two. When to use -ing The -ing form is used when the word is the subject of a sentence or clause: * Swimming is good exercise. * Doctors say that smoking is bad for you. The -ing form is used after a preposition: * I look forward to meeting you. * They left without saying "Goodbye." The -ing form is used after certain verbs: - avoid, dislike, enjoy, finish, give up, mind/not mind, practise * I dislike getting up early. * Would you mind opening the window? Some verbs can be followed by the -ing form or the infinitive without a big change in meaning: begin, continue, hate, intend, like, love, prefer, propose, start. * It started to rain. * It started raining. * I like to play tennis. * I like playing tennis. |
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