A gerund is a noun created from a verb. To form a gerund, you add “-ing” to the base form of a verb. You’ll have to remember spelling rules as they apply.
Gerunds, like nouns, can act as subjects and objects.
Examples:
- Singing is something I do often, but probably not well. [Singing is the subject of the verb is]
- When I read, I enjoy being on my couch with my cats. [Being is the direct object of the verb enjoy]
Be careful not to confuse gerunds with the progressive form or the present participle. Gerunds act as nouns, not verbs or adjectives.
Examples:
- I am drinking coffee. [Drinking is a verb in the progressive form]
- The Handmaid's Tale is a fascinating book. [Fascinating is the present participle used as an adjective]
Infinitives
Infinitives often take the place of nouns. To form the infinitive, you add “to” before the base form of the verb.
Infinitives, like nouns, can act as subjects and objects.
Examples:
- To dine out with my husband is something I really enjoy. [The infinitive phrase (in bold) is the subject of the verb is]
- I like to sing. [To sing is the direct object of the verb like]
Important:
- Some verbs can only be followed by gerunds. Examples: enjoy, like, keep.
- Some verbs can only be followed by the infinitive. Examples: decide, learn, want.
- Some verbs can be followed by gerunds or infinitives with no major change in meaning. Examples: begin, hate, love, prefer.
- Some verbs are followed by gerunds or infinitives, but with a significant change in meaning. Examples: forget, stop, regret, try.
In my next blog post, I’ll focus on item #4, where there are differences in meaning depending on whether a gerund or infinitive is followed by a common verb, like try.