- •Ответственный редактор
- •Рецензенты
- •General notion
- •Double nature of the gerund
- •Tense distinctions of the gerund
- •Voice disтinctions of тhe gerund
- •I like coming to their place at weekends.
- •Predicative constructions (complexes) with the gerund
- •I’m grateful for my friend’s (my friend) helping me out.
- •I can’t remember his having even one close friend.
- •I don’t remember anybody (anybody’s) saying it.
- •I really love spring and always look forward to its coming.
- •I object to this being published at all.
- •Syntactic functions of the gerund
- •1. Subject
- •It’s no use trying to persuade him.
- •2. Predicative
- •3. A part of а compound verbal predicate
- •4. Object
- •I couldn’t avoid speaking to him.
- •Imagine standing there, mouth open.
- •I thanked him again for lending me а car.
- •5. Attribute
- •I didn’t have а good excuse for being late.
- •6. Adverbial modifier
- •I can’t defend this case without telling the truth.
- •In case of changing your plans, please, inform us immediately.
- •In spite of being exhausted and hungry she went on walking along the crowded street.
- •7. Parentheses
- •The ways of translating gerunds into russian
- •Тне gerund & тне infinitive
- •Тне gerund and тне verbal noun
- •Exercises forms of the gerund
- •Syntactic functions of the gerund subject
- •It won’t be much use taking this medicine.
- •Predicative
- •Prepositional object
- •I look forward to meeting Mrs. Smith because...
- •Attribute
- •Adverbial modifier of time (after, before, on / upon, at, in)
- •Adverbial modifier of manner and attendant circumstances (by, in, without, besides, instead of)
- •Adverbial modifier of purpose
- •Adverbial modifier of condition (without, in case of)
- •Adverbial modifier of cause (because of, for, for fear of, thanks to, owing to)
- •Adverbial modifier of concession (in spite of, despite)
- •Compound verbal predicate
- •Тне gerund & тне infinitive
- •Тне gerund & тне verbal noun
- •Glossary
- •Selected bibliography
- •Books used for examples
- •344082, Г. Ростов-на-Дону, ул. Большая Садовая, 33.
Тне gerund & тне infinitive
1. In most cases when gerunds and infinitives are used as subject, predicative, attribute, adverbial modifier of purpose, or direct object the Gerund has general meaning while the Infinitive denotes а particular case.
GERUNDS |
INFINITIVES |
SUBJECT |
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Reading your letters is always а pleasure. |
It took only а second to read the letter. |
PREDICATIVE |
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А lawyer’s task is proving his clients’ innocence. |
My task will be to prove there was an affair. |
ATTRIBUTE |
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This is а nice place for camping. |
At last we found а place to camp. |
ADVERBIAL MODIFIER |
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Wе use kitchens for cooking meals. |
I went to the kitchen to cook something. |
DIRECT OBJECT |
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I plan winning the competition. (how to do it) |
I plan to win the competition. (it is my intention) |
II. There is no important difference between a gerund and an infinitive after the aspect verbs. As а part of а compound verbal aspect predicate the gerund denotes а process or multiple actions; the infinitive denotes а singular action or а repeated one. Besides the gerund implies fulfillment while the infinitive implies potentiality.
GERUNDS |
INFINITIVES |
Не decided to search the room and began opening the cupboards one after another. |
He began to make coffee the same way he did it every morning. |
Не continued reading unconscious of what was going around. |
Не continued to read but soon was interrupted again. |
Infinitives are preferred after progressive forms and with stative verbs like understand, realise, know.
GERUNDS |
INFINITIVES |
He started telling his story. |
He started to realise the truth. I’m beginning to learn. |
With the verbs go on, keep on, finish, stop only the gerund is used as a part of a compound verbal aspect predicate; the infinitive after go on is an object and the phrase denotes a change of activity. After the verbs finish and stop the infinitive denotes the purpose of finishing or stopping the previous action.
GERUNDS |
INFINITIVES |
He went on working. |
He stopped writing, looked at me and went on to check what he had written. |
He stopped talking and looked at us. |
He saw us and stopped to talk. |
III. Object
а) After the verbs remember, forget, regret and the phrase be sorry there is temporal difference – the non-perfect gerund denotes а prior action, while the infinitive denotes an action that follows.
GERUNDS |
INFINITIVES |
remember doing – have а picture in one’s mind |
remember to do – remember that one must do sth |
I’ll always remember going to school for the first time. |
She never remembers to lock the door. (She doesn’t lock the door.) |
forget doing – not remember doing sth (whether one did it or not) |
forget to do – not remember to do sth (to not do sth) |
She forgot seeing me and greeted me again. |
She’d forgotten to revise the material and now she was at а loss. |
regret doing – fееl sorry about sth you have done |
regret to do – fееl sorry about sth you are going to do (announce bad news) |
She deeply regretted losing her temper. |
I regret to inform you that your contract will not be renewed. |
sorry for/about doing – is used to refer to past things Sorry for interrupting you. |
sorry + perfect infinitive has the same meaning Sorry to have interrupted you. |
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sorry + indefinite infinitive is used to apologise for current situations – things that one is doing, going to do or has just done Sorry to interrupt you, but I really must make a remark. |
b) After the verbs need, require, want, deserve there is voice difference – the gerund has passive meaning (though it is active in form) while the infinitive has active meaning; to express passive meaning the passive form of the infinitive is used.
GERUNDS |
INFINITIVES |
After all he did he deserved punishing. |
He deserves to be punished. The team deserves to win. |
The fence needs fixing. |
The fence needs to be fixed. I need to think about it before I make a decision. |
The carpet really wants cleaning. |
I want to be told the truth. You only want to use а little glue. |
The matter requires considering again. |
You are required to wear seat belts. |
IV. In some cases there is difference in meaning between the gerund and the infinitive.
After the verbs like, love, hate, prefer, dread, dislike the infinitive denotes the idea of doing sth and the gerund denotes the fact.
GERUNDS |
INFINITIVES |
He likes me working late. (I do it) |
He likes me to work late. (that’s why I do it; or: but I never do it) |
I hate being rude but I must tell you what I think about it. |
I hate to be rude, the very idea upsets me. |
As a rule we use ‘like + gerund’ when we talk about enjoyment, hobbies and interests; we use ‘like + infinitive’ to talk about choices and habits; the infinitive shows that we prefer to do something even though we may not enjoy it:
GERUNDS |
INFINITIVES |
I like climbing mountains. I like cleaning my room much more than washing the dishes. |
I like to put milk in my tea. I like to clean the room before I go away on holiday. |
In Am. E. the infinitive is common in both cases.
If the finite verb has hypothetical meaning usually only the infinitive is used:
Would you like to have dinner now? - No, I’d prefer to eat later.
Other cases:
GERUNDS |
INFINITIVES |
neglect doing - pay little attention to sth |
neglect to do - not to do |
He neglected gardening for some time. |
The agent had neglected to warn us about delay. |
try doing - do smth by way of experiment |
try to do - make an effort |
I’m going to try cooking it in a different way today. |
Don’t shout at him; he’s trying to help. |
mean doing – involve and have a result |
mean to do – to intend to do sth |
If you want to pass the exam it will mean studying hard. |
I don’t think she means to get married. |
learn, teach doing – gerund denotes lessons or subjects of study |
learn, teach to do - infinitive denotes results of the study |
She learns typing. |
She learnt to read German at school. |
consider doing – to think about something carefully |
consider sb/sth to do – to think of sb / sth in a particular way |
We are considering buying a new house. |
We consider him to have the skills necessary for this job. |
Rely on / upon – 1. to need |
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We rely on your analyzing the data. |
We rely on you to analyze the data. |
2. to trust or have faith |
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Rely on sb to do: I rely on you to keep your promise. |
Depend on / upon - 1. to rely on sb/sth |
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Depend on sb to do – to rely on sb to do sth: You can depend on her to settle the matter. |
2. to be sure or expect that sth will happen |
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Depend on sb doing |
Depend on sb to do (ironic) |
You can depend on his arriving next week. |
You can depend on her to forget your request. |
After some verbs both the gerund and the infinitive can be used without much difference in meaning.
The verbs advise, allow, cause, command, compel, encourage, forbid, permit, recommend, request, teach, urge, are followed by a gerund when they have no other object, but by an infinitive when they have an indirect object.
GERUNDS |
INFINITIVES |
They don’t allow smoking here.
The doctor advised taking this medicine. |
They don’t allow people to smoke here. The doctor advised me to take this medicine. |
Both the gerund and the infinitive can be used after the verbs attempt, intend, (can’t) bear without much difference in meaning.
GERUNDS |
INFINITIVES |
I intend telling the news to him. He can’t bear being laughed at. |
I intend to tell the news to him. He can’t bear to be laughed at. |
Note: Don’t confuse the preposition ‘to’ with the particle ‘to’. |
The preposition is followed by a gerund. – look forward to doing, object to doing, be used to doing, prefer sth to doing sth, get round to doing.
Some verbs have a preposition ‘to’ before a noun or a gerund, but can be followed by the infinitives too:
GERUNDS |
INFINITIVES |
be used to doing sth |
used to do sth He used to solve all our problems. |
He is used to solving such problems. |
Remember:
GERUND ONLY |
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After the verbs enjoy, suggest only the gerund is used. He suggests leaving at once. We enjoyed talking to him – he is so well-educated |
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INFINITIVE ONLY |
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The infinitive, not the gerund, is used after the verbs manage, refuse, wait for, arrange for: They managed to get to the airport in time. They refused to admit the facts. They waited for the train to arrive. The guide arranged for the tourists to go shopping. |
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The verbs afford and agree are followed by the infinitive; the gerund can be used only in а gerundial construction.
GERUNDS |
INFINITIVES |
afford sb’s doing |
afford to do sth |
They couldn’t afford their daughter’s going on а holiday to Europe. |
We cannot afford to waste so much time. |
agree to sb’s doing sth |
agree to do sth |
He agreed to his daughter’s coming with us |
He agrees to come with us. |
Note: We usually avoid putting two infinitives together or a gerund after a progressive verb form. When are you going to start working? She is beginning to realize her mistake. |
V. There is some difference in meaning when gerunds and infinitives are used after adjectives:
GERUNDS |
INFINITIVES |
certain, sure of |
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certain, sure of + gerund is used to refer to the feelings of the person one is talking about |
certain, sure + infinitive is used to refer to the speaker’s or writer’s own feelings. |
You seem very sure of passing the exam. |
The repairs are certain to cost more than you think. |
interested |
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interested + gerund is used to talk about a wish to do sth |
interested + infinitive – reactions to things one learns |
He is interested in meeting this person. |
I was interested to read about it. |
Both are used to talk about a wish to find out sth. |
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He is interested in discovering the truth. |
He is interested to discover the truth. |
anxious |
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anxious about + gerund is used to show that a person is worried |
anxious + infinitive shows that a person wants to do something |
He was anxious about presenting the facts. |
He is anxious to start the new job. |
ashamed |
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Ashamed of + gerund is used to say that a person is ashamed of something |
Ashamed + infinitive is used to say that a person doesn’t want to do it because he or she is ashamed |
I’m ashamed of failing the exam. |
I’m ashamed to tell you about my result. |
Afraid of + gerund is used to talk about fear of things that happen accidentally, in other cases there is no difference in meaning.
GERUNDS |
INFINITIVES |
Не is afraid of going to bed in the dark. She is afraid of walking outside when it is dark. |
Will you see her home? She is afraid to go alone. |
After some verbs and adjectives the infinitive is used as a direct object while the gerund is used as a prepositional object: force (into), instruct (about), persuade (into), prepare (for), remind (about), tell (about), tempt (into), warn (against) and others:
GERUNDS |
INFINITIVES |
Prepare for doing They prepared for leaving the house in the morning. |
Prepare to do Right now I’m preparing to leave. |
Persuade sb into doing sth You’ll never persuade me into climbing this mountain. |
Persuade sb to do sth You’ll never persuade me to climb this mountain. |
Proud of doing He was proud of being a top student. |
Proud to do He was proud to be a top student. |
Surprised at (sb’s) doing He was really surprised at seeing you there. I’m surprised at your failing to answer my question. |
Surprised to do He was surprised to meet his friends in that far-away country. |
Excited about (sb’s) doing The children were excited about going to the circus. (Children are excited at the prospect of going to the theatre.) |
Excited to do We are excited to see you again. (We see you and we are excited by it.) |
VI. Adverbial modifier of purpose.
The gerund is used to talk in general about types of objects and materials. When we talk about an individual’s purpose in using a particular object, we are more likely to use an infinitive after the noun or pronoun.
GERUNDS |
INFINITIVES |
I’ve brought you some stuff for cleaning the stove. |
I must find something better to clean this stove. |