What is a Gerund?

A gerund is a noun made from a verb. To make a gerund, you add "-ing" to the verb. Using a gerund suggests that you are referring to real activities or experiences. For example: In the sentence "I swim every day", the word "swim" is a verb. In the sentence "I like swimming", the word "swimming" is a noun. Therefore, "swimming" is a gerund. Second example: In the sentence "She reads several books a week", the word "read" is a verb. In the sentence "Reading is important", the word "reading" is a noun. Therefore, "reading" is a gerund. Gerunds are often used when actions are real or completed. Examples: (Note how the main underlined verb relates to real or completed actions.)

She stopped smoking.

I finished doing my homework.

They keep on fighting.

We discussed moving to Florida.

You recommended waiting until tomorrow.

He recalled falling asleep on the couch.

She practices playing those drums all the time.

John completed fixing the car.

The job involves dealing with animals.

Brian mentioned staying up late.

What is an Infinitive? Using an infinitive suggests that you are

talking about potential or possible activities or experiences.

So let's say you eat ice cream every day. This is an actual action you are doing. Then you could say: "I like eating ice cream". On the other hand, if you are on a diet, and you don't usually eat ice cream, then you are talking about a potential action. You could say: "I like to eat ice cream." An infinitive is the basic form of the verb + "to". Examples: to buy, to fish, to run, to watch, to tell, and so forth. Example Sentences: "I want to swim." "They asked us to leave." "To be, or not to be – that is the question." "The goal is to win." Infinitives are often used when actions are unreal, general, or future. Examples: (Note how the main underlined verb relates to unreal, general, or future actions.)

Kate agreed to come.

I hope to see you soon.

We plan to finish this shortly.

They decided to return home.

She promised to stop smoking.

We agreed never to talk about it again.

He offered to sell the house.

I refuse to pay!

You seem to be disappointed.

She asked him not to leave.

I want to drink.

They need to get up early

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Few verbs take both gerunds and infinitives, but with a significant difference in the meaning:

forget: He forgot opening the window. (Meaning: He opened the window, but he forgot doing so.)

He forgot to open the window (Meaning: he was supposed to open the window, but he forgot.)

regret She regrets quitting her job. (She quited her job, and now she regrets it.)

She regrets to quit her job. (She is sorry to quit her job.)

stop He stopped chatting. (He was chatting, and then he stopped.)

He stopped to chat. (He was doing something else, and then he stop in order to chat.)

remember I remembered locking the storage (I had a memory in my mind of locking the storage.)

I remembered to lock the storage. (I locked the storage as I should have.)

try They tried moving to Australia. (They moved to Australia for some time to see if it works out for them.)

They tried to move to Australia.

(They made an attempt to move to Australia, but it wasn't successful. They didn't move to Australia after all.)