TO-INFINITVE OR GERUND?

To-infinitive or gerund (verb+ing)?

It is important to know how to choose between the to-infinitive and the gerund of the verb.
Change the verbs below to the appropriate form.

1. I enjoy go 2. I plan go around the

to strange places. world .

Im worried about 3. Its important go

4. lose my money. with someone.

5. Stay in hotels is exciting. I like visit

6. museums.

Use gerund Use the to-infinitive

1. 1.

2. 2.

3.

Use the gerund or the to infinitive___________________

1.
PRACTICE
Read the letter and underline the correct verb form.
VERB PATTERNS
PRACTICE
Complete the following text with the gerund or to-infinitive form of the verbs in
parentheses.

Ill have a Big Mac, a large fries and a medium soda. The language may change, but you can
expect ____________ (hear) this order in more than 100 countries all over the world. Fast food
has become almost synonymous with McDonalds, the best known of all multinational fast-food
restaurant chains. At the moment, Antarctica is the only continent that doesnt (yet!) have a
McDonalds. And the numbers keep ____________________ (grow). In
the United States alone, most McDonalds customers need ___________
(travel) less than four minutes to arrive at the next golden arch.

___________ (dine) on fast food has become a way of life for millions and
millions of people, from Illinois, U.S.A. (the first McDonalds location) to
Colombo, Sri Lanka (a more recent opening). What is it about
___________ (eat) on the run that so many people find appealing? Of
course, the most obvious answer is that, true to its name, fast food is fast.
In todays hectic society, people dont want ____________ (waste) time.
But apart from the speed of ____________ (order) and ______________
(get) served, satisfied customers talk about convenience, price, and, yes,
even good taste.

Many people also like the familiarity and reliability that fast-food chains provide. You can be
sure of __________ (get) the same thing every time, every place.

To-infinitive or gerund?
Underline the verb form which you need to use..

1. when the verb is the subject gerund / to-infinitive

2. after prepositions gerund / to-infinitive
3. after certain adjectives
(such as easy and important) gerund / to-infinitive
4. after phrasal verbs gerund / to-infinitive

After the verbs

5. Recommend gerund / to-infinitive
6. Warn gerund / to-infinitive
7. Would like gerund / to-infinitive
8. Enjoy gerund / to-infinitive
9. Love gerund / to-infinitive
10. Plan gerund / to-infinitive
11. Advise gerund / to-infinitive
12. Start gerund / to-infinitive
13. Finish gerund / to-infinitive
14. Cant stand gerund / to-infinitive
15. Stop gerund / to-infinitive
16. Keep gerund / to-infinitive
17. Hope gerund / to-infinitive
18. Need gerund / to-infinitive
19. Ask gerund / to-infinitive
20. Require gerund / to-infinitive
Food for thought
Complete the statements with the correct form of the verbs in parentheses.
Use the bar graph to find the number of calories.

1. ____Ordering_____ (order) a Big Mac will cost you about ___560___ calories.
2. ____________ (have) a Taco Bell is much less fattening. It has only about
_____calories.
3. If you want _____________ (lose) weight, you should probably avoid ___________
(eat) an Arnys giant roast beef sandwich. It contains around_____ calories.
4. Youre likely ______________ (gain) weight if you eat half of a medium pepperoni
pizza. A single slice at Pizza Hut has about _____ calories.
5. Stop _________________ (consume) so many french fries! An order at Wendys
contains about _____ calories.
6. Think about _______________ (choose) an eggroll instead of fries. Leeann Chins has
just a little over _______ calories.
7. Nutritionists advise people ______________ (stay away) from fried chicken. A two-
piece order at KFCs contains about ________ calories.

MATCHING

1. Its dangerous.. a. ..to interrupt when someone is talking.

2. Its easy.. b. ..to finish doing the grammar exercises.
3. Its impolite.. c. ..to encourage students to use a dictionary.
4. Its wrong.. d. ..to put off doing things all the time.
5. Its a good idea.. e. ..to give up smoking.
6. Its very difficult.. f. ..to walk alone late at night.
7. Its a bad idea.. g. ..to visit new places.
8. It takes a lot of time.. h. ..to ask someone to lie for you.
9. Its fun.. i. ..to forget new words.
PRACTICE
Complete the sentences with to-infinitive forms of appropriate verbs.

1. I was glad to get a letter from you.

2. I was relieved to find out that I had passed the exam.
3. Sue is lucky _________ alive after the accident.
4. The soldiers were prepared ______________ .
5. The children are anxious _____________ to the circus.
6. Dick didnt feel like going anywhere. He was content ___________ home and
_____________ a book.
7. The teacher is always willing _____________ us.
8. The students are motivated ______________ English.
9. Be careful not _________________ on the icy sidewalks!
10. Tom was hesitant _____________ home alone on the dark street.
11. Sall is afraid _____________ home alone.
12. Ann is proud _________________ the top student in her class.
13. I was surprised ______________ Mr. Yamamoto at the meeting.
14. We were sorry _____________ the bad news.

Verbs that can be followed by either to-infinitive or gerund,

with a change of meaning.
Some verbs can be followed by to-infinitive or gerund, but there is a change in meaning.
Complete the rules by circling the correct word in bold font italics.

We use remember or forget + gerund We use remember or forget + to-infinitive

when we remember or forget something
before/after we do it.
(its a memory)
Example: I remember ______ (go) to Lima and
Ill never forget ______ (see) it.
When we remember or forget something
before/after we have to do it.
(its a duty/something you have to do)
Example: I remembered _____ (go) to Lima to
get my visa done - I didnt forget ____ (do) it!

We use regret + gerund We use regret + to-infinitive

to say we regret something we have already To say we regret something we have already
done/we have to do now. done/we have to do now.
Example: I regret ________ (spend) all my Example: I regret _____ (tell) you that I cant
money. come.

We use try + gerund/to-infinitive We use try + gerund/to-infinitive

to mean make an experiment do something To mean make an effort see if you can do
and try different methods to see what happens. something.
Example: I couldnt sleep so I tried ______ Example: I tried ______ (sleep) but it was too
(read) noisy.

We use stop + gerund We use stop + to-infinitive

to talk about something we do before we stop/ to talk about something we do before we stop/
why we stop. why we stop.
Example: Im a vegetarian. I stopped ______ Example: After working for 2 hours, I stopped
(eat) meat 2 years ago. _________ (have) lunch.
PRACTICE
Complete the sentences with the correct form(s) of the verbs in parentheses.

1. I always remember (turn) _______________ off all the lights before I leave my house.
2. I can remember (be) ___________________ very proud and happy when I graduated.
3. Did you remember (give) _______________ Jake my message?
4. I remember (play) _____________________ with dolls when I was a child.
5. What do you remember (do) _____________ before you leave for class every day?
6. What did you forget (do) ________________ before you left for class this morning?
7. Ill never forget (carry) _________________ my wife over the threshold.
8. I cant ever forget (watch) _______________ our team score the winning goal in the last
seconds of the game to capture the national championship.
9. Dont forget (do) ______________________ your homework tonight!
10. I regret (inform) _______________________ you that your loan application wasnt
approved.
11. I regret (listen, not) ____________________ to my fathers advice. He was right.
12. When a student asks a question, the teacher always tries (explain) _____________ clearly.