Page 12 - Grasp English C1+ (Student Book)

1 Communication

Grammar Gerunds vs. infinitives

In English, we sometimes use more than one verb in a sentence. The main verb can be followed by the
gerund (verb+ing) or the infinitive (with or without to). Unfortunately, there aren’t always clear rules for
when to use the gerund or the infinitive.
Verbs which are followed by the gerund include:
avoid, be worth, can’t help, consider, keep, risk, suggest
Verbs which are followed by the infinitive include:
agree, can’t afford, deserve, expect, learn, manage, struggle

Some verbs can be followed by either the gerund or infinitive, and the sentence has a similar meaning.
These include: can’t stand, love, prefer, start.

However, with other verbs, the meaning of the sentence changes.
I’ll always remember travelling up the Nile by boat. It was incredible. – a memory
I must remember to send Auntie June some photos of my trip. – an obligation
I’ll never forget seeing the Great Pyramid for the first time. – a memory
Don’t forget to send Auntie June some photos. – an obligation
I regret missing your party. – feeling unhappy about something in the past
I regret to say your application was unsuccessful. – feeling unhappy about a situation in the present or
future (often used in formal letters)
She stopped watching her favourite series to study for her English test.

the action she stopped doing the reason she stopped her previous action

I tried going to Zumba classes because I wanted to get fit. – an experiment, hoping to achieve
a positive result

I tried to fix my computer, but it didn’t work. – an attempt to do something difficult or impossible

A. Choose the correct option.

1. You should avoid to use / using emojis with ambiguous meanings.
2. I’ve stopped putting / to put so many emojis in my messages.
3. Although some people think the elderly can’t use tech, my granny learnt sending / to send messages
really quickly.

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