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Infinitives and gerunds are commonly used versatile verb forms that function as other parts of speech.

• Infinitives (to + base verb) can act as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs in sentences.
• Gerunds (verb + -ing) typically function as nouns.

We use these verb forms for a wide variety of reasons: to express preferences, describe activities, state purposes, and much more.

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• Infinitives and Gerunds in Use

  • I forgot to set my alarm last night. [to set = noun]
  • I need to buy groceries before the shop closes. [to buy = noun]
  • We’ve got a lot of work to do. [to do = adjective]
  • He recently moved to Tokyo to teach English. [to teach = adverb]
  • He works two jobs to pay his way through university. [to pay = adverb]
    
    
  • I love cooking! [cooking = noun]
  • I can’t stand waiting around for appointments. [waiting = noun]
  • Working from home means every day is pyjama day. [working = noun]
  • Running five times a week is what keeps me in shape. [running = noun]

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  * Infinitives / Gerunds

Infinitives

An infinitive verb is formed by adding to before the base form of a verb (to + base verb):

Infinitive Verbs: Examples

to write	to understand
to help	to be
to learn	to go
to see	to improve
to read	to decide
to speak	to listen
to eat	to travel
to make	to study

To form negatives with infinitive verbs we place not before the infinitive (e.g., She decided not to attend).

Infinitive verbs appear:

• after verbs of intention and decision – want, plan, decide, hope, expect
• after verbs of agreement – agree, promise, refuse, offer
• as adjectives
• as adverbs

For example:

• She decided to quit her job and go travelling. (decided > to quit)
• We agreed to split the cost between us. (agreed > to split)
• I need something to eat before the meeting. (to eat = adjective)
• I exercise to stay healthy. (to stay = adverb)

Bare Infinitives (Base Form Verbs)

We also have what we call in grammatical terms bare infinitives, which are more commonly referred to as base form verbs. They tend to appear:

• after certain verbs such as make, let, see, hear, notice, watch, feel
• after modal verbs – can, could, should, must, would, might etc.
• after some fixed expressions – have to / would rather
• ‘Why’ in questions

For instance:

• They made us wait for an hour. (made > wait)
• I can meet you at 4 pm. (modal: can > meet)
• I would rather stay home and chill tonight. (would rather > stay)
• Why cook tonight when we can order pizza? (after why > cook)

Functions of Infinitive Verbs (As Nouns / Adjectives / & Adverbs)

Infinitive verbs have a plethora of functions and appear in various contexts as different parts of speech.

While they don’t act as main verbs, infinitives can function as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs depending on their role in the sentence.

– Infinitives as Nouns

When infinitives work as nouns, they can be subjects, objects, or complements.

Infinitives as subjects:

• To learn a new language takes time and consistent effort.

Here, the infinitive to learn serves as the subject of the sentence and functions as a noun naming the process of learning.

Infinitives as objects:

• She decided to quit her job last week.

Here, the infinitive to quit functions as the direct object of the verb decided. Since direct objects are nouns (or noun equivalents), to quit is acting as a noun in this sentence, even though it is formed from a verb.

Infinitives as subject complements:

• My goal this year is to learn Spanish fluently.

The infinitive here to learn explains what ‘my goal’ is. It works like a noun that comes after the linking verb is to complete the meaning of the subject (my goal = learn Spanish).

– Infinitives as Adjectives

Infinitives can modify nouns and pronouns to give us more information about them. When they do this, they’re working as adjectives. They often answer questions like ‘Which one?’ or ‘What kind?’ and typically come right after the noun they describe.

For example:

• Now is the perfect time to invest in the stock market.

Notice here how the infinitive to invest describes the noun time. It tells us what kind of time – The perfect time to invest in the stock market is now.

– Infinitives as Adverbs

Adverbial infinitives often show purpose or reason. They answer questions like ‘Why?’ or ‘To what degree?’

• She moved to Berlin to study architecture at university.

The infinitive to study modifies the verb moved and explains why she moved to Berlin, which makes it function as an adverb of purpose.

These purpose infinitives are common and can usually be replaced with in order to. For example:

• She moved to Berlin in order to study architecture at university.

Split Infinitives

A split infinitive happens when we place a word (usually an adverb) between to and the verb.

For instance:

• The company plans to gradually expand globally.

Some sentences require splitting the infinitive to make sense:

✅ – The budget is expected to more than double next year.
❌ – The budget is expected to double more than next year.

Here, we can’t move more than anywhere else without changing the meaning or creating confusion.

Sometimes, avoiding infinitive splits is preferable when they make the sentence feel awkward or interrupt the flow.

For example:

• Awkward split: She hopes to soon find a new job.
• Better: She hopes to find a new job soon.

* Infinitive Verbs / Adverbs

Gerunds

A gerund is a verb form that acts like a noun in a sentence. Even though they may look like verbs, gerunds can refer to people, places, things, or ideas – just like nouns.

Gerunds are formed by adding -ing to the base form of a verb (verb + -ing):

Gerunds: Examples

Base Verb Forms		Gerunds (Verb + -ing)
write	→	writing
read	→	reading
swim	→	swimming
run	→	running
eat	→	eating
study	→	studying
go	→	going
make	→	making
talk	→	talking
listen	→	listening

To form negatives with gerunds, we place not before the gerund (e.g., Not smoking improved his health no end).

Gerunds typically appear:

• after verbs such as enjoy, finish, quit, avoid, keep, suggest, consider, recommend, practise, deny, admit
• after prepositions – in, on, at, after, before, with, without, after, over, under
• after phrasal expressions ending in prepositions – look forward to, be good at, be interested in

For example:

• I enjoy cooking. (enjoy > cooking)
• He finished writing his dissertation last week. (finished > writing)
• She suggested doing yoga to destress. (suggested > doing)
• After graduating, I want to work abroad. (preposition: after > graduating)
• I look forward to hearing from you soon. (phrasal expression > hearing)

Functions of Gerunds (As Nouns)

Gerunds function exclusively as nouns in sentences and in doing so they take on all the main grammatical functions of nouns.

Gerunds as subjects:

• Boxing is great cardio.

Here, the gerund boxing serves as the subject of the sentence and functions as a noun naming the activity.

Gerunds as objects:

• We are considering moving abroad.

Here, moving is a gerund functioning as a noun. Specifically, it is the direct object of the verb considering.

Gerunds as subject complements:

• His greatest passion is travelling to remote destinations.

The gerund travelling explains what ‘his greatest passion’ is. It works like a noun that comes after the linking verb is to complete the meaning of the subject.

Gerunds as objects of prepositions:

• He is good at playing chess.

Here, playing is a gerund following the preposition at and acts as the object of that preposition. The phrase at playing chess describes what he is good at.

The Gerund Preposition Rule

Gerunds should always be used after prepositions – never infinitives.

For example:

✅ – She’s excited about starting her new job.
❌ – She’s excited about to start her new job.

✅ – He apologised for being late.
❌ – He apologised for to be late.

This rule applies to single prepositions and phrasal expressions that end with prepositions:

✅ – I’m used to working late nights.
❌ – I’m used to work late nights.

✅ – We look forward to meeting you.
❌ – We look forward to meet you.

Gerunds vs. Present Participles

Both gerunds and present participles end in -ing, but they serve different grammatical functions in sentences.

Gerunds function as nouns:

• Swimming is my favourite form of exercise.
  > Swimming is the subject – a gerund functioning as a noun.
  
  
• I enjoy watching sci-fi films.
  > watching is the direct object of enjoy – a gerund functioning as a noun.

Present participles function as adjectives or parts of verb phrases:

• The neighbour’s barking dog kept me awake all night.
  > Here, barking is a present participle functioning as an adjective – it describes the dog and doesn’t function as a noun.
  
  
• I am still trying to find my keys.
  > trying is a present participle in a verb phrase (present continuous) and isn’t functioning as a noun.

How to tell the difference:

If we can replace the -ing word with it, then we are likely dealing with a noun that is a gerund.

• Reading improves your vocabulary. → It improves your vocabulary. ✅
  = Noun – Gerund
  
  
• She found a sleeping bear on her porch. → She found a it bear on her porch. ❌
  = Adjective
  
  
• We are planning a surprise party. → We are it a surprise party. ❌
  = Verb

Verbs That Take Infinitives and Gerunds

Some verbs are only followed by infinitives, and others are only followed by gerunds.

Verbs Always Followed by Infinitives	Verbs Always Followed by Gerunds
want	enjoy
plan	finish
decide	quit
hope	avoid
expect	keep
agree	suggest
promise	consider
refuse	recommend
offer	admit

Here’s how these patterns work in practice:

✅ – They decided to move to the countryside.
❌ – They decided moving to the countryside.

✅ – She quit smoking last year.
❌ – She quit to smoke last year.

However, other verbs can be followed by both forms. Common examples include like, remember, stop, and try:

Verbs	With Infinitive	With Gerund
like	– I like to read before sleeping. > preference	– I like reading before sleeping. > enjoyment
remember	– Remember to lock the door tonight. > don’t forget to do something	– I remember locking the door. > recall having done something
stop	– She stopped to buy coffee. > stopped in order to buy	– She stopped buying coffee. > refrain from doing something
try	– Try to be on time today. > make an effort to do something	– Try calling him again later. > attempt something

Notice how the same verb can take on a different meaning depending on whether it is followed by an infinitive or gerund. For example, take remember: ‘remember to lock’ means don’t forget to do it, while ‘remember locking’ means recalling an action that has already been completed.

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