Questions tagged [gerund-vs-infinitive]
Questions about the differences between "gerunds", formed with *-ing*, and infinitives, formed with *to*.
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Helping others makes me happy or To help others makes me happy? [duplicate]
Helping others makes me happy
or
To help others makes me happy?
To help others makes me happy is taken from a middle school textbook in China. And local English teachers insisted that gerund as the ...
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Is "We are looking forward to hear from you." correct? [migrated]
"We are looking forward to hearing from you." treats "to" as a particle used with "are looking forward" (V) and "hearing from you" (NP) to form the verb phrase &...
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Difference between "like to go ..." and "like going..."
Is there any difference in meaning or implication between the following sentences?
I like to go to the beach when I'm on holiday.
I like going to the beach when I'm on holiday.
Some internet sites ...
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The difference in meaning between to infinitive and gerund in these sentences
I saw some examples in a paper on gerund and infinitive as follows.
... deciding whether to use a gerund or an infinitive
after a verb can be perplexing among students for whom English is a second ...
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Infinitive vs Gerund (?)
I was doing some English exercises when I came across the following sentence:
"I prefer _____ my own decisions to asking for advice. (make)"
I think that I should fill the blank with "...
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Classifying the uses of to-infinitive and the -ing form
I'm having some trouble to classify the use of the to-infinitive and the -ing form of the verb in the following sentences:
"This problem has the potential to be really serious."
I took a ...
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Gerund or Infinitive after an adjective
I came across the following test exercise on Gerunds and Infinitives.
The Oscar-winning actor avoids talking to his fans and refuses to give
his autograph. <more context>. Doesn't he seem way ...
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To help and gerund clauses
I've reached an impasse with my girlfriend (both non-native speakers) about this sentence she used:
Maybe we didn't have enough of it for it to become routine again and help measuring time
To me, ...
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Gerund and infinitive both possible after main verb “start” but not always? [duplicate]
What is going on here?
It started to rain.
It started raining.
Both are OK to my ear when start is in the simple past. But then…
It is starting to rain. (OK)
It is starting raining (obviously wrong!)
...
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not robust to control/controlling
I would like to say that a certain result is not robust after controlling for certain variables, like age or education.
That is, I obtained a certain result, but after I control for certain variables, ...
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Can "the idea" ever idiomatically take an infinitive?
I just ran across this sentence in an Ars Technica article:
The idea to use a marble came from a scene in the pilot, in which Holmes uses a marble to determine a building’s floor is slanted.
And it ...
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what comes after "The problem is ..."? [duplicate]
What comes after "the problem is...."? to infinitive or bare infinitive or gerund?
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"Begin" + infinitive: in the past (perhaps) there has been some activity [duplicate]
In the first meaning of begin, it is possible to use the -ing form
or the to + verb (infinitive) form after it:
She stood up and began playing or to play the trumpet.
With the -ing form we expect the ...
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impersonal pronoun "it"
To exercise regularly is important.
Exercising regularly is important.
It is important to exercise regularly.
It is important exercising regularly.
Is the fourth sentence grammatically correct? Can a ...
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Why's "subject to the vacant possession of the Premises be ready to be delivered to the Tenant" wrong?
The landlord's realtor keeps insisting that "be" is correct. She repeats she's been practicing real license for at least 20 years, and she's read thousands of these clauses. She asked if I ...
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Correct answer for the following question? What is the reason? [duplicate]
I have come accross a multiple choice question in which I mixed up for what the answer might be. I am aware that we could use a gerund after help but not sure so much.
Here I add the picture of the ...
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I plan to use this approach to do something or doing something
I know if we say "This is an approach to doing something" we should use "to doing" after approach.
In the case "I plan to use this approach ", should I say "to do&...
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My job is to do something or doing something? [duplicate]
My job is to teach English.
My job is teaching English.
Which one is correct and why?
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To + infinitive vs. To + gerund [duplicate]
In one of the grammar books I study I found a following example:
In my previous job I was confined to doing only one thing.
I'd say that confined to do is the correct way to say it. I always thought ...
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"this drug induces sleeping" or "this drug induces sleep"?
I seem to have heard both structures before, but I don’t understand which it would be.
In other languages the second verb would be in the infinitive, but I have heard things like "Josh hates ...
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Gerund after "to". Sentence: We use music to helping us relax
I found this question in a test:
"We use music to helping us relax." Where helping was the correct answer option.
I want to know why is this form of the verb correct and not the infinitive ...
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What is the right way to start a sentence: "To avoid wasting time trying to figure out" or "To avoid to waste time trying to figuring out"?
I have some problems when it comes to the usage of "to" vs "ing" to express the infinite form like in:
[1] To avoid wasting time trying to figure out ..."
[2] To avoid to ...
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What difference in meaning is imparted by changing the verb form?
These are both grammatically correct:
You’ll go back to reliving your college days.
You’ll go back to relive your college days.
The former is rather like "I look forward to seeing you...", ...
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"Not to watch" vs "Not to have watched" as subject of a sentence [duplicate]
E.g. 1 Not to watch Kobe Bryant's matches when he was alive is my biggest regret.
£.g. 2 Not to have watched Kobe Bryant's matches when he was alive is my biggest regret.
Am I right that e.g. 1 is not ...
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Why can't to-infinitive be used as subject in "Not to learn French is my biggest regret."?
E.g. 1 "Not learning French is my biggest regret."
E.g. 2 "Not to learn French is my biggest regret."
I know that e.g. 1 is correct and e.g. 2 is wrong, but what is the grammar ...
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Is this slogan grammatically correct in its double use of the to-infinitive?
The motto of the institution where I work is:
To explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life
Is this (double use of the to-infinitive) grammatically correct? And if so, is it ...
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Time to infinitive or time for gerund
Please consider the following constructions:
1. It's time to launch it
2. It's time for launching it
3. It's time for being taught this lesson
4. It's time to be taught this lesson
Which one(s) is/are ...
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Word form after MEAN
Help me with this question, please.
I know that if we use mean+gerund it means having a result (can be replaced with 'involve') as in Working from home means being able to keep work-life balance.
If ...
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What is the difference between using gerunds vs. infinitives as the subject of a sentence?
For example: What is the difference in saying "To err is human" vs. "Making mistakes is an intergal part of the human condition?"
In our textbook "Speak Out C1" the author explains that it is more ...
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‘Drive somebody to’: Why with infinitive?
We use ‘look forward to + gerund’. According to Cambridge the use of gerund is due to the fact that ‘to’ is a preposition when following ‘look forward’ (as opposed to an infinitive marker).
At the ...
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health experts foresee/predict the novel coronavirus spreading in the U.S
One of the top officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Americans on Tuesday that health experts foresee the novel coronavirus that has killed thousands spreading in the ...
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Difference in meaning between gerund and infinitive [duplicate]
The whole class was working hard preparing for the exam.
The whole class was working hard to prepare for the exam.
What are the differences between these two sentences?
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Gerund versus infinitive [duplicate]
I wonder if someone could offer feedback about the use and meaning difference between the use of infinitive and gerund
Being an artist is admitting you are lost and not wanting to be found.
Being an ...
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When to use verb, base verb or gerund [closed]
Hello i have question help me please
The children were so frightened they dared not [?].
=> Moving / to move / move ?
Why is the answer "Move" without "to" ?
I have searched and found a site which ...
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Is there a difference between "started to go" and "started going"? [duplicate]
Is there a meaning difference between started to go and started going in this example sentence?
"...", he said and started to go/going away.
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Go shopping vs for shopping [closed]
Yesterday I was teaching my student about the verb shop. I told him that we use "go" with "shop" to mean to go and buy things.
e. g.
1) You are going shopping.
2) You were going shopping.
...
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See somebody do/doing something [duplicate]
Consider these two variations:
Every morning, tourists can see soldiers raise the national flag in the square.
Every morning, tourists can see soldiers raising the national flag in the square.
What ...
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When the adjective 'suited' is followed by a verb, should this verb be in the infinitive or in the -ing form?
Here are some example sentences from different dictionaries.
With her qualifications and experience, she would seem to be ideally suited to/for the job. (Cambridge online dictionary)
This was a job ...
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Being sensitive vs To be sensitive
Being sensitive to others when taking part in a general discussion is a useful quality to have.
vs
To be sensitive to others when taking part in a general discussion is a useful quality to have.
I ...
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'To solve' versus 'To solving'
Trying to understand what seems to be a very subtle difference in written and spoken English. Recently, I've seen articles that use 'to + gerund' and 'to + infinitive' in the exact same situations, ...
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Is this tutorial using "to [verb]-ing" the right way? When should I just use "to [verb]"? [duplicate]
That tutorial says
Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA) is an approach to analyzing datasets to summarize their main characteristics. It is used to understand data, get some context regarding it, ...
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What are the correct words I have to insert here? (Verb patterns) [closed]
I have to complete this sentence with verb patterns.
I think that my answer is correct but the checker does not think the same.
Your hair needs -------------- . It looks a right mess! (CUT)
I ...
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Allow X: What’s the difference between "for the sharing of X" and "to share X"? Do they mean the same thing?
What is the difference between these two:
Presentation events allow for the sharing of knowledge.
Presentation events allow to share knowledge.
Do they share the exact same meaning?
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"I like watching" vs "I like to watch" What's the difference?
Which of the two possibilities would native speakers more likely say when they watch a football (soccer or American) match from the comfort of their home?
What sport do you watch most on television?...
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"... assisting emerging countries meet their development goals..." vs "... assisting emerging countries in meeting their development goals..."
Her role included assisting emerging countries meet their development goals through active engagement with senior level representation from both the public and private sectors.
Her role included ...
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being usages dilemma
I've read in BBC that we use use "being" as a verb-ing. BBC has listed two kinds of usage; what I want to learn about here is the "preposition + verb-ing" usage. It has been said that "being + past ...
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Which of the following sentences is correct ; basically I don't understand where to use gerund and where infinitive, and why
It is snowing; will you like to go skiing on Saturday or Sunday?
It is snowing ; will you like to go skii on Saturday or Sunday?
(plz reason the answer in simple and discernible way)
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To smoke vs Smoking at the beginning of the sentence [duplicate]
I have been taught that we can use either of "to INF" or "Verb-ing" at the beginning of the sentence as a subject, which leads me to a point of confusion.
Here is my confusion:
A: To smoke is ...
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Even though she is angry, you should try _______ (talk) to her [closed]
Even though she is angry, you should try _______ (talk) to her
In the question above I need to decide whether I should use talking, the gerund-participle, or to talk, a to-infinitive.
I’m confused ...
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“Instead of ʏᴏᴜʀ calling” vs “Instead of ʏᴏᴜ calling” [duplicate]
Which is better:
Instead of your calling, maybe I should do it.
Instead of you calling, maybe I should do it.
I feel like the first one is the better choice here because instead of needs a gerund, ...
