Advanced Gerunds and Infinitives

Advanced Gerunds and Infinitives: A Comprehensive Guide

1. Understanding Gerunds and Infinitives in Different Contexts

• Gerunds are the -ing form of a verb and function like nouns.
• Infinitives are the base form of the verb, often preceded by ‘to’.

Examples:

• She hates being told that she should do more exercise.
• I'm tired of being lied to; I want the truth.
• It's not easy to be liked when you're the boss.
• These pills need to be taken after meals.

2. Perfect Gerunds and Infinitives

• Perfect Gerund (having done) and Perfect Infinitive (to have done) are used to emphasize that an action is completed or in the past.

Examples:

• He thanked them for having helped him.
• Having studied one language before makes it easier to learn another.
• How wonderful to have finished all our exams!
• By the time I'm 30, I hope to have started a family.

3. Expressing Preferences with Perfect Infinitives

We often use the perfect infinitive with expressions like would like, would love, would hate, would prefer, and would rather to indicate an earlier action.

Examples:

• I would like to see the Eiffel Tower when I go to Paris.
• I would like to have seen the Eiffel Tower while I was in Paris but didn't get the chance.
• We would rather have stayed in a more central hotel, but they were all full.

4. Continuous Infinitives

The continuous infinitive (to be + verb + -ing) indicates that an action is in progress around the time of speaking.

Examples:

• I'd like to be lying on the beach right now.
• She seems to be coughing a lot—do you think she's okay?

5. Other Uses of Gerunds and Infinitives

1. Use gerunds after expressions with it or there.
   Examples:
   • It's no use worrying; there's nothing you can do.
   • Is there any point in asking Mark? He never has anything useful to say.
   • It's no good talking to my sister because she doesn't listen.
2. Use infinitives after nouns formed from verbs (e.g., agree, plan, hope).
   Examples:
   • We had an agreement to share the costs.
   • Our plan is to leave on Saturday.
3. Use infinitives with quantifiers.
   Examples:
   • You can't visit the Louvre in a day—there's too much to see.
   • There wasn't enough snow for us to ski.
4. Use infinitives after indefinite pronouns.
   Examples:
   • Is there anything to eat?
   • There's nowhere to go at night.
5. Use infinitives with question words (except why).
   Examples:
   • I don't know where to go or what to do.
6. Use infinitives after superlatives and ordinal numbers.
   Examples:
   • He's the youngest player ever to play for England.
   • Who was the first person to walk on the moon?

And + Verb Construction

We often use and + verb instead of to + infinitive after certain verbs such as try, wait, come, and go.

Examples:

• Come and see me when you're next in New York.
• I'm not sure what's going to happen—we need to wait and see.

By mastering these structures, you can enhance your skills in using gerunds and infinitives effectively. Enjoy your learning journey with Englishwithisaac!