GERUNDS AND INFINITIVES

Here is a brief review of the differences between gerunds and infinitives.

Gerunds are formed with ING:

walking, talking, thinking, listening

Infinitives are formed with TO:

to walk, to talk, to think, to listen

Gerunds and infinitives can do several jobs:

Both gerunds and infinitives can be the subject of a sentence:

Writing in English is difficult.To write in English is difficult.

Both gerunds and infinitives can be the object of a verb:

I like writing in English.I like to write in English.

But...
Only gerunds can be the object of a preposition:

We are talking about writing in English.

It is often difficult to know when to use a gerund and when to use an infinitive. These guidelines may help you:

Gerunds are often used when actions are real, concrete or completed:

I stopped smoking.(The smoking was real and happened until I stopped.)

Infinitives are often used when actions are unreal, abstract, or future:

I stopped to smoke.(I was doing something else, and I stopped; the smoking had not happened yet.)

When you are ready, you can go on to the exercises


Cloze Exercise: Gerunds and Infinitives

Yuri was in his first year at university, studying History. He was rather a lazy student, and he tended to avoid (work)_____ whenever he could. In the middle of the semester, his history professor gave out an assignment, due in two weeks. Yuri intended (do)_____ the assignment, but he postponed (write)_____ it for a week. The following week, he forgot (do)_____ it. The night before the assignment was due, he suddenly remembered it, and rushed to the library. He tried (read)______ as much as possible on the topic, but there wasn't enough time. Yuri considered (ask)_____ for more time to do his paper, but the History professor was known to be very tough on students, so finally he decided (cheat)_____ and copy his paper from somewhere else. He found an old article on the same topic, and quickly typed it out. The next day, he submitted the paper. The following week, he was alarmed (see)_____ the professor approaching him, looking angry. "Is this your own work, or did you copy it?" asked the professor. Yuri denied (copy)_____ the paper. "If you expect me (believe)____ that, you must be very stupid," said the professor. "Every word is taken from an article I wrote myself five years ago. Did you really think I would forget (write)______ it?"

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