[0:02]ESL library.
[0:07]Gerunds and infinitives. What are gerunds and infinitives? Gerunds and infinitives are words with a verb meaning. They function as nouns in a sentence. Gerunds are formed by adding ing to the base form of the verb. For example, reading, singing, and walking are gerunds. Infinitive verbs are formed with the word to and the base form of the verb. For example, to eat, to sleep, and to study are infinitive verbs.
[0:51]Sentence patterns. The basic sentence pattern in English is subject, verb, object. Subjects and objects are usually nouns, but gerunds and infinitives can also function as the subject or object of a sentence. For example, in the sentence Snowboarding is her favorite sport, the gerund snowboarding is the subject of the sentence. In the sentence, he likes reading, the gerund reading is the object of the sentence.
[1:31]In the sentence, they need to study. The infinitive to study is the object of the sentence. Rules. How do we know when to use gerunds and infinitives in English? There are three basic rules for gerunds in English. There are also three basic rules for infinitives in English. Some verbs are always followed by a gerund. Common verbs followed by a gerund are consider, discuss, enjoy, finish, keep, practice, quit, recommend, and suggest. For example, they discussed having a party this weekend. He keeps forgetting to text me.
[2:29]Other verbs are always followed by an infinitive. Common verbs followed by an infinitive are agree, decide, hope, learn, need, offer, plan, promise, and want. For example, she decided to apply for a new job. They offered to help her move.
[3:05]There are a few verbs that can be followed by either a gerund or an infinitive with no difference in meaning. Common verbs followed by a gerund or infinitive are begin, continue, hate, like, love, prefer, and start. For example, I like listening to music, or I like to listen to music. Let's continue talking about this, or let's continue to talk about this.
[3:48]The subject of a sentence is usually a gerund. For example, gardening is my favorite hobby. Meeting new people isn't always easy. After an adjective, we usually use an infinitive verb. For example, I was sad to see my test score. Is it difficult to make a cake? After a preposition, we usually use a gerund. For example, I thought about taking piano lessons. Did you plan on calling me back? After a noun or pronoun, we almost always use an infinitive verb. For example, the librarian told the students to be quiet. We asked them to go to the beach with us.
[5:08]Practice. Look at the sentence and the verb provided. Say or write the sentence using a gerund or infinitive verb. For example:
[5:29]Call me when you finish cleaning. Now you try!
[5:47]The teacher told the students to study every night.
[6:05]He promised to take his sister to the beach.
[6:21]Singing always cheers me up.
[6:36]They considered moving to a new city.
[6:52]It is important to get enough sleep every night.
[7:08]We talked about starting our own business. Thanks for watching.
