Gerund Rules

The object of a verb is usually a noun or pronoun.

• I finished something.
• I finished my homework.
• I finished dinner.

The object of the verb can be a gerund. A gerund is the -ing form of a verb. It looks like a verb but acts like a noun.

• I finished studying. (‘Studying‘ is the object of the verb ‘finish.’)
• I finished eating. (‘Eating‘ is the object of the verb ‘finish.)

Gerund Practice:

• Gerunds Exercise 1

Verbs followed by gerunds

• enjoy
  My mother enjoys working at a law firm.
• finish
  I finished eating a liter of ice cream.
• stop
  Steve stopped smoking.
• quit
  I quit watching TV last week.
• mind
  I mind studying ten hours a day seven days a week.
• postpone
  Keiko postponed taking the IELTS exam until next week.
• put off
  Marco put off getting married until next year.
• keep
  You should keep preparing for the exam.
• keep on
  I’ll keep on trying to lose weight.
• consider
  We considered taking the bus to the restaurant.
• think about
  You should think about learning how to cook.
• discuss
  My father discussed golfing with his friends.
• talk about
  I talked about moving out with my parents.

Infinitive Rules

The object of the verb can also be an infinitive. An infinitive is to + the simple form of a verb.

• I want dinner.
• I want to eat. or I want to eat dinner.

Infinitive Practice:

• Infinitives Exercise 1

Verbs followed by infinitives

• want
  We want to attend a lecture on Friday.
• need
  Angela needs to finish her essay.
• like
  Nico likes to watch horror movies.
• love
  Our class loves to speak English.
• hope
  We hope to win a gold medal.
• expect
  My father expects to get a promotion.
• plan
  Mi Kyung plans to study in Paris next year.
• intend
  Do you intend to go kayaking on the weekend.
• mean
  I didn’t mean to hurt you.
• decide
  I decided to join the swim team.
• promise
  Misha promised to meet me tomorrow.
• offer
  My mother offered to cook Christmas dinner.
• agree
  I agree to rent this apartment for one year.
• refuse
  I can’t refuse to marry you.
• appear
  My brother appeared to want a new car, but he didn’t buy one in the end.
• pretend
  On Halloween, I will pretend to be a ghost.
• forget
  Sun Young forgot to lock her car, and thieves stole her purse.
• learn
  Last year, I learned to change a flat tire on my car.
• try
  I will try to help you this weekend.

Some verbs are followed by gerunds or infinitives and the meaning is the same.

Gerunds or Infinitives Practice:

• Gerunds or Infinitives Choice Exercise

Verbs that can be followed by gerunds or infinitives.

• begin
  • It began snowing.
  • It began to snow.
• start
  • Tomorrow, we will start studying Unit 8.
  • Tomorrow, we will start to study Unit 8.
• continue
  • My sister will continue teaching.
  • My sister will continue to teach.
• like
  • We like cycling.
  • We like to cycle.
• love
  • Cindy loves playing baseball.
  • Cindy loves to play baseball.
• hate
  • I hate driving in the city.
  • I hate to drive in the city.
• can’t stand
  • The teacher can’t stand punishing students for texting.
  • The teacher can’t stand to punish students for texting.