Milovan Todorovic The gerund and the infinitive

THE GERUND
In English the gerund is identical in form to the present participle
(ending in -ing) and can behave as a verb within a clause (so that it may be
modified by an adverb or have an object), but the clause as a whole
(sometimes consisting only of one word, the gerund) acts as a noun within
the larger sentence.
The gerund has both noun and verb properties.
!" #$!#E$TIE% !& ' (E$")
' gerund may function as*
subject of a sentence
E+amples *
$eading is always very useful.
,earning rules without e+amples is useless.
%un-bathing can be sometimes dangerous.
.is coming here gave us great pleasure.
' good beginning ma/es for a good ending.
predicative
E+amples *
My hobby is collecting stamps.
%eeing is believing.
I am sure it was his doing.
object *
E+amples *
I do not li/e getting up early.
.ave you finished your reading0
It bagan raining while I was on my way home.
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Milovan Todorovic The gerund and the infinitive
2ohn preffered s/ating to s/iing.
3our hair needs cutting.
.e gave up playing football.
object of a preposition *
E+amples *
.e left without saying anything.
E+cuse me for being late.
$obinson was afraid of losing his goat.
%he succeeded in passing all her e+ams.
%he thought of going shopping.
' gerund may be preceded by deteminatives 4 the, a, this, my, etc.
E+amples *
.is coming was une+pected.
.e was wo/en by a tapping on the door.
This shouting gives me a headache.
5hose tal/ing interrupted you0
5ould you mind my opening the window0
The gerund may be preceded by s form or followed by the
construction of + noun.
E+amples *
My sister6s playing was beautiful.
Tom6s s/ating was perfect.
The singing of the birds was sweet.
The howling of the wind.
' gerund may be 7ualified by an adjective.
E+amples*
5e listened to her beautiful singing.
5hose loud crying did she hear0
)ry cleaning.
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Milovan Todorovic The gerund and the infinitive
9E$:', #$!#E$TIE% !& T.E (E$")
"sed as a verb, the gerund has tenses and active and passive forms.
forms of the gerund
active passive
#resent
#erfect
as/ing
having as/ed
being as/ed
having been as/ed
' perfect gerund e+presses an activity preceding the activity of the
finite verb of the sentence.
E+amples *
I bitterly regret having told him that.
%he left the room without having answered his 7uestion.
The only verb form which can follow the verbs avoid, enjoy and
keep/keep on is gerund.
E+amples *
.e /ept on repeating the same 7uestion.
The children enjoyed playing in the garden.
)o you enjoy going for long wal/s0
.e avoided wor/ing late at night.
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Milovan Todorovic The gerund and the infinitive
T.E (E$") 9E$%"% T.E I&IITI9E
The gerund is used for general statements, while the activity
e+pressed by an infinitive usually refers to a particular situation, especially
with verbs like, dislike, hate, prefer and other verbs of similar meaning.
E+amples *
I li/e swimming.
%top the car< I 5ould li/e to swim just there.
I hate disappointing people.
I hate to disappoint you in this metter.
'fter a certain number of verbs the gerund denotes the past
activity, but the infinitive is used for a future activity. %uch verbs are * to
remember, to regret, to forget.
E+amples *
$emember to post the letter<
%he remembered posting the letter.
I regret to say that he is ill.
I regret saying it.
'fter the verbs to begin, to start, to cease, to continue, the gerund
e+presses a progressive activity, but the infinitive a momentary action or
the beginning of an activity.
E+amples*
It began to rain when we went out.
It began raining.
.e continued to tal/ when she entered the room.
.e continued tal/ing without any pause.
The gerund and the infinitive e+press completely different
meanings after the verb to stop.
E+amples *
.e stopped to tal/.
.e stopped tal/ing.
.e stopped to read the notice.
.e stopped reading the notice.
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Milovan Todorovic The gerund and the infinitive
THE INFINITIVE
In grammar, infinitive is the name for certain verb forms that e+ist
in many languages. In the usual (traditional) description of English, the
infinitive of a verb is its basic form with or without the particle to*
therefore, do and to do, be and to be, and so on are infinitives.The base
form of a verb ( go ) often functions as an infinitive. It is called the bare
infinitive because it is use without to. 5e must distinguished it from the
to-infinitive, where to is always used in front of the base form of the verb (
to go). The 4ing form of a verb ( going ) sometimes functions as a gerund
and sometimes as a present participle. Many verbs and adjectives and
some nouns can be followed by one or other of these forms and in some
cases by more than one form. &rom the students6 point of view the
problem is /nowing which form is appropriate. This may be because only
one form is grammatically correct or it may be because only one form
suits what we want to say.
In English there are si+ infinitives with transitive verbs and four
with intransitive *
infinitive forms of a transitive verb
'ctive #assive
#resent simple To form To be formed
#resent progressive To be forming >
#erfect simple To have formed To have been formed
#erfect progressive To have been forming >
infinitive forms of an intransitive verb
'ctive #assive
#resent simple To sit >
#resent progressive To be sitting >
#erfect simple To have sit >
#erfect progressive To have been sitting >
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Milovan Todorovic The gerund and the infinitive
T.E "%E !& T.E I&IITI9E '% !E !& T.E
E,EMET% !& T.E %ETE@E
In a sentence the infinitive is used in the following functions *
as the subject or a part of the subject of the sentence.
E+amples *
To err is human.
To be invited there is a great honour.
To have succeeded gave her great satisfaction.
as object
E+amples *
Tom li/es to sit up late.
5ould 2ohn prefer to play tennis or football0
I must be going now.
.e wanted to be informed in time.
as a predicative
E+amples *
.er wish was to spea/ English fluently.
This is no to be repeated.
It is to be done as soon as possible.
Mary was to have met me.
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Milovan Todorovic The gerund and the infinitive
T.E "%E !& T.E I&IITI9E 5IT. TO
To e+press a purpose.
E+amples *
I came here to wor/, not to play.
3ou6d better repeat them every day, in order not to forget them.
Miss. :rown went to the supermar/et to buy some food.
They saved some money to buy a car.
.e too/ the boo/ to read it.
'fter the verbs denoting physical perception and after the verbs to
make and to kno in passive constructions.
E+amples *
5as 2ohn seen to leave the room0
It was felt to be unnecessary.
.e is /nown to be a lover of boo/s.
'fter the verbs to be, to have, ought, used.
E+amples *
I am to leave tomorrow.
3ou will have to start at once.
3ou ought to have done it better.
It used to be of great importance for me.
'fter the verbs to need and to dare.
E+amples *
It needs to be done carefully.
)oes he need to /now0
.e dare me jump over the stream.
I dare you to say that again.
'fter the words hat, hom, hose, hich, ho, hen, here,
hether.
E+amples *
B
Milovan Todorovic The gerund and the infinitive
I did not /now what to tell him.
%he can not decide whom to invite.
)on6t you remember how to do it0
3ou will be told when to begin.
5e all wondered whether to accept the offer.
'fter a noun or an adjective.
E+amples *
.e has large family to /eep.
There is no need to worry.
It is hard to believe.
'fter ordinal numbers, the superlative and the only one.
E+amples *
%he was the first to help them.
Is it the best thing to do0
.e was the only one to protest.
In e+clamatory sentences.
E+amples *
To as/ such a 7uestion<
To do such thing<
To be so afraid<
C
Milovan Todorovic The gerund and the infinitive
T.E "%E !& T.E :'$E I&IITI9E
'fter these verbs * can / could, may / might, must, shall / should,
ill / ould, need and dare.
E+amples *
These students can spea/ English fluently.
5hy could not you do it alone0
May I sit here0
)o you thin/ she might be ill0
%hall I bring you your coat0
3ou should drive more carefully<
5on6t he sign the letter0
.e need not go to the chemist6s now0
.ow dare he come here again0
'fter the verb to do used for emphasis.
E+amples *
I do want to help you.5hy don6t you trust me0
%he did believe me.
Mary does /now what to do.
In elliptical sentences beginning with hy and hy not.
E+amples *
5hy hurry0
5hy not begin it tomorrow0
5hy ma/e such a fuss about it0
If two or more infinitives are joined by conjuctions, to need not be
repeated.
E+amples *
To spea/ and write English well was his greatest ambition.
Tom wished to come and help us.
.elen was the first to come and greet us.
%he decided to wash the dishes, clean the house and coo/ lunch.
D
Milovan Todorovic The gerund and the infinitive
T.E #E$&E@T I&IITI9E
The perfect infinitive indicates that the activity it denoted preceded
the action e+pressed by the finite verb of the sentence.
E+amples *
I am very pleased to have met you.
I am sorry not to have been at your party.
I believe it to have been a mista/e.
.e seemed to have understood the problem and difficulties.
.e was said to have been rewarded for his discoveries.
The construction defective verb + infinitive perfect e+presses
unrealised past activity or indicates a supposition referring to the past.
E+amples *
:e careful, you could have hurt yourself<
%he could have as/ed me.
3ou ought to have written this essay last wee/.
The grass is very wetE it must have been raining last night.
%he might have needed help there.
1F
Milovan Todorovic The gerund and the infinitive
:I:,I!($'#.3
1.(ramati/a engles/og jeGi/a sa veHbanjima, ,jubica #opoviI, 9era
MiriI, Javet, :eograd, 8FF8.
8. ,ongman English (rammar #ractice, ,. (. 'le+ander, ,ongman 1DDC.
;. English (rammar, ,. (. 'le+ander, ,ongman, 1DDD.
=. 'nalyGing English (rammar, Muriel %chulG, #earson #roffesional
Education, 1DDD.
?. www.wi/ipedia.org
A. (rammar (uide, @harles )arling, @apital @ommunity, 8FFA.
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Milovan Todorovic The gerund and the infinitive
@!TET
1. The (erund 1
8. oun properties of a gerund 1
;. 9erbal properties of a gerund ;
=. The gerund versus the infinitive =
?. The Infinitive ?
A. The infinitive as one of the elements of sentence A
B. The use of the infinitive with TO B
C. The use of the bare infinitive D
D. The perfect infinitive 1F
1F. :ibliography 11

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