Gerunds

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A gerund is a form of a verb that is used as a noun. All gerunds end in -ing. Since gerunds function as nouns, they occupy places in a sentence that a noun would, such as the subject, direct object, and object of a preposition.

You can use a gerund in the following ways:

As a subject

Traveling is Cynthia’s favorite pastime.

As a direct object

I enjoy jogging.

As an object of a proposition

The librarian scolded me for laughing.

Often verbs are followed by gerunds. Study Table 5.13 for examples.

Table 5.13 Gerunds and Verbs
Gerund	Verb Followed by a Gerund
moving	Denise considered moving to Paris.
cleaning	I hate cleaning the bathroom.
winning	Nate imagines winning an Oscar one day.
worrying	Mom says she has stopped worrying.
taking	She admitted taking the pumpkin.

Infinitives

An infinitive is a form of a verb that comes after the word to and acts as a noun, adjective, or adverb.

to + verb = infinitive

Examples of infinitives include to move, to sleep, to look, to throw, to read, and to sneeze.

Often verbs are followed by infinitives. Study "Table 5.14" for examples.

Table 5.14 Infinitives and Verbs
Infinitive	Verb Followed by Infinitive
to help	Jessica offered to help her move.
to arrive	Mick expects to arrive early.
to win	Sunita wants to win the writing contest.
to close	He forgot to close the curtains.
to eat	She likes to eat late.

You may wonder which verbs can be followed by gerunds and which verbs can be followed by infinitives. With the following verbs, you can use either a gerund or an infinitive.

Table 5.15 Infinitives and Gerunds Verbs
Base Form of Verb	Sentences with Verbs Followed by Gerunds and Infinitives
begin	1. John began crying.
	2. John began to cry.
hate	1. Marie hated talking on the phone.
	2. Marie hated to talk on the phone.
forget	1. Wendell forgot paying the bills.
	2. Wendell forgot to pay the bills.
like	1. I liked leaving messages.
	2. I liked to leave messages.
continue	1. He continued listening to the news.
	2. He continued to listen to the news.
start	1. I will start recycling immediately.
	2. I will start to recycle immediately.
try	1. Mikhail will try climbing the tree.
	2. Mikhail will try to climb the tree.
prefer	1. I prefer baking.
	2. I prefer to bake.
love	1. Josh loves diving.
	2. Josh loves to dive.

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Gerunds