1. Where to use gerunds
and infinitives
By Taha Pourmands

2. Basic Concepts
Preposition: A preposition links nouns, pronouns
and phrases to the other words of the sentence.
e.g: after, before, on, and …
Gerund: A verb followed by “ing”
e.g: going, running, visiting
Infinitive: A verb in simple tense

3. As it happens usually :
We aren’t FREE •
to use gerunds
and infinitives
wherever we
want .

4. Use of gerunds in the sentence
A gerund can be used in several positions in a
sentence.Some examples are:
A.as the subject: •
Watching TV makes me feel bad.. •
B.as the object: •
I like swimming. •
C.after prepositions: •
He is afraid of taliking to ghosts. •
D.In noun compounds: •
Diving board •
•

5. Verbs + Gerunds
They are verbs after which we need a gerund.
Some of these verbs are:
admit
appreciate
insist on
imagine
avoid
be interested in
be used to
(can’t)stand
consider
deny
depend on
enjoy
escape
feel like
finish
suggest
keep on
look forward to
mind
miss
practice
put off
quit
risk

6. Preposition + Gerund
When we put a verb after a preposition,we •
normally use a gerund,not an infinitive.Some
prepositions are:
of,with,about,on,for,in,at,from,after,etc. •
He insisted on becoming a surgeon. •
The company is interested in selling its product. •

7. About Infinitives
Some verbs are followed by infinitives with to.
Like:
afford
agree
arrange
care
choose
decide
expect
fail
hope
learn
mean

8. Verbs Followed by Infinitives
Some verbs are followed by bare infinitives.Three
common verbs are : help , make , let
But the negative form of help is followed by an
infinitive with to.
He helped Jeffery not to fall.

9. Verbs + Infinitives/Gerunds
The following verbs can be either followed by a
gerund and an infinitive with to.
attempt
begin
continue
dislike
dread
forget
hate
intend
like
love
advise
allow
plan

10. Continue of the Last Slide
prefer
propose
regret
remember
stand
start
stop
try