Gerunds and InfinitivesJess Cronin: Level 4+

We MUST use gerunds after these verbs:Avoid

Appreciate

Deny

Detest

Discuss

Dislike

Don’t mind

End up

Enjoy

Feel like

Finish

Have Trouble

Keep

Miss

Postpone

Practice

Quit

Recommend

Risk

Spend time

Suggest

Be used to

Get used to

Waste time

We CANNOT use gerunds after some verbs. With these verbs, we

MUST use infinitives.

We will practice this on Thursday.

AvoidI avoid staying up late during the week.

It is important to avoid going to crowded places.

What do you avoid doing on the weekends?

AppreciateI appreciate sleeping in on Sunday mornings.

We all appreciate being able to come to English class.

What do you appreciate doing?

DenyI deny being late for work.

My son always denies riding his bike without a helmet.

What did you deny doing when you were a child?

DetestI detest taking out the trash.

Everyone detests wasting money.

What do you detest doing?

DiscussWe need to discuss going shopping tomorrow.

It is very important to discuss saving the environment.

What do you need to discuss with your family?

DislikeI dislike flying.

My dogs dislike waiting at home for me all day.

What do you dislike doing?

Don’t mindI don’t mind cleaning my kitchen.

Do you mind working on Saturdays?

What don’t you mind doing?

End upI ended up going home after the party.

We might end up getting Coronavirus if we aren’t careful.

Do you think you will end up repeating level 4+ next semester?

EnjoyI enjoy cooking and eating Italian food.

My dogs enjoy playing fetch in my backyard.

What do you enjoy doing at home?

Feel likeI feel like watching a scary movie tonight.

I don’t feel like going out, because I’m tired.

What do you feel like doing after class tonight?

FinishI need to finish doing my homework.

I will never finish doing the laundry!

What do you need to finish doing?

Have troubleI have trouble waking up early.

Do you have trouble understanding me?

What do you have trouble doing?

KeepIt is important to keep exercising even though gyms are closed.

We need to keep practicing English everyday.

What do you need to keep doing?

MissI miss going to English class at Fuller.

We have missed seeing each other.

What do you miss doing?

PostponeI have postponed visiting my friends until it is safe.

Our ESL program has not postponed learning English!

What have you postponed because of Coronavirus?

PracticeI need to practice speaking Spanish before my trip to the DR.

Children should practice being quiet during class.

What do you need to practice doing?

QuitIt is important to quit smoking, because it is unhealthy.

Never quit practicing English!

What should you quit doing?

RecommendI recommend watching movies in English for practice.

I don’t recommend sunbathing in the winter.

What do you recommend doing this summer?

RiskI don’t want to risk offending you.

We risk getting Coronavirus when we hang out in large groups.

What do you risk doing when you spend too much time working?

Spend timeI spent a lot of time making this lesson.

It is important to spend time doing things that make us happy.

What do you spend time doing that makes you happy?

What do you want to spend more time doing?

SuggestI suggest buying fruit and vegetables at a farmer’s market.

I don’t suggest going hiking when it’s raining.

What do you suggest doing this weekend?Be used to

I am used to cooking dinner every night.

I am not used to waking up early anymore.

What are you used to doing on Friday nights?

Get used toI will need to get used to going to work everyday.

We have gotten used to learning English online.

What have you gotten used to doing recently?Waste time

I waste a lot of time playing on my phone.

Nate and I always waste time looking for a movie to watch.

What do you often waste time doing?

It is COMMON to use gerunds after these verbs:Begin

Can’t stand

Continue

Hate

Like

Love

Prefer

Start

Stop

BeginMany people have begun talking to a therapist recently.

I began teaching English five years ago.

What have you begun doing recently?Can’t stand

I can’t stand listening to the president’s speeches.

I can’t stand not being able to go to my office.

What can’t you stand doing?

ContinueWe have continued learning English online.

We will continue practicing English for many years.

What do you want to continue doing for the rest of your life?Hate

I hate calling people on the phone.

Everyone hates being exhausted.

What do you hate doing all the time?

LikeI like watching movies after work.

I really like cooking when I’m not tired and hungry.

What do you like doing after English class?Love

I love eating Italian, Mexican, and Asian food.

Nate loves hiking and camping more than anything else.

What do you love doing more than anything?

PreferI prefer cooking more than baking.

My dogs prefer playing more than sleeping.

What do you prefer doing on Saturday mornings?Start/Stop

I started teaching English five years ago.

I should stop eating when I’m bored.

What do you need to start doing more often?

What do you need to stop doing?

We MUST use gerunds after prepositions Approve of

Accused of

Care about

Dream about

Forgive (someone) for

Insist on

Look forward to

Think about

Approve ofI approve of drinking after Zoom classes.

My dogs approve of playing outside all year long.

Do you approve of moving abroad? Why or why not?Accused of

The president has been accused of being a liar many times.

Last week, I accused Nate of spending too much money.

Have you ever been accused of doing something you didn’t do?

Care aboutI care about taking care of my family.

I don’t care about owning a large house.

What do you care about doing?Dream of/about

I dream about moving to Chile or Argentina to teach English.

My dogs often dream about running and swimming.

What have you always dreamed of doing?

Forgive (someone) forI forgive myself for being lazy sometimes.

It’s hard to forgive someone for hurting you.

What do you need to forgive someone for?Insist on

I always insist on sitting in a booth when I go to a restaurant.

Nate insists on staying up late to watch sports.

What do you always insist on doing?

Look forward toI look forward to teaching in-person in the fall.

We all look forward to visiting our friends and family soon.

What do you look forward to doing this summer?Think about

I often think about traveling the world.

I have thought a lot about growing vegetables in my garden.

What have you thought about doing recently?

What is an infinitive?

•“to” + the base form of a verb •to dance •to eat •to study

•the complete verb before it changes for the subject or verb tense •Spanish example: bailar = to dance, comer = to eat, estudiar = to study •English doesn’t have -ar, -er, or -ir endings, instead we have “to” + base

verb

We MUST use infinitives after these verbsAfford

Appear

Ask

Decide

Demand

Deserve

Expect

Fail

Hesitate

Hope

Know how

Learn (how)

Need

Offer

Plan

Prepare

Pretend

Refuse

Seem

Volunteer

Wait

Want

Wish

Would like

AffordI can’t afford to eat out a lot.

Someday, I will be able to afford to buy a house.

What do you wish you could afford to buy?Appear

My dogs appear to be happy all the time.

The world appears to be going crazy lately.

How do your friends appear to be doing right now?

AskChildren in school need to ask to go to the bathroom.

My dogs always ask to get more treats.

What does your family always ask you to do?Decide

I have decided to do yoga three times a week.

I decided not to cook tonight.

What have you decided to do this weekend?

DemandI demand to speak with your manager!

My brother demands to see the doctor right away!

What do you demand to do when you go on vacation?Deserve

We deserve to have a relaxing summer.

Everyone deserves to eat three meals a day.

What do you think you deserve to do this weekend?

ExpectI expected to spend more time relaxing last week.

My dogs always expect to eat their dinner at 8.

What do you expect to do when classes are done in June?Fail

She failed to understand the purpose of the lesson.

My dog Remy often fails to eat all of his dinner.

What have you failed to do recently?

HesitateI hesitate to assign more homework.

He hesitated to accept the invitation to the party.

What have you hesitated to do recently?Hope

I was hoping to be in the Dominican Republic right now.

My dogs always hope to get extra treats.

What were you hoping to do right now?

Know howI didn’t know how to speak Spanish when I moved to the DR.

I know how to cook well, because I have practiced a lot.

What do you know how to do very well?Learn (how)

I haven’t learned to bake well.

I learned how to swim when I was a child.

What did you learn how to do when you were a child?

NeedI really need to go on a vacation.

Everyone needs to practice English everyday.

What do you need to do after class tonight?Offer

My neighbor offered to water my plants when I’m gone.

I offered to give you homework over the summer.

What have you offered to do for someone recently?

PlanI am planning to workout tomorrow morning.

I hope everyone plans to come to class on Thursday.

What are you planning to do tomorrow?Prepare (Get ready)

I was prepared to teach this class tonight.

Everyone should get ready to study English over the summer.

What do you need to prepare to do?

PretendSometimes I pretend to be busy so I don’t have to clean.

Sometimes my dogs pretend not to hear me.

What have you pretended to do?Refuse

I refuse to work on Sundays.

I refuse to go to crowded places until it is safe.

What do you refuse to do?

SeemThe rain seems to be slowing down.

She always seems to know the answer.

Does this year seem to be going crazy? Volunteer

My friend volunteered to grill this weekend.

I used to volunteer to teach English classes in the DR.

What have you volunteered to do?

WaitWe need to wait to go to crowded places until it is safe.

I can’t wait to meet my baby niece Lillian.

What have you waited a long time to do?Want

I want to relax this weekend.

Everyone wants to visit people and eat at restaurants.

What do you really want to do this summer?

WishI wish for everyone to be happy and healthy.

My dogs wish to eat everything.

What do you wish to happen to you in 2020?Would like

I would like to go to Margaritas with our class this summer.

We would like to have English class in-person in the fall.

What would you like to do this weekend?