Speak English Fluently: 5 Simple Rules To Use Gerunds And Infinitives Correctly

If you have ever asked yourself, “I want to learn to speak English fluently. What can I do?” The one piece of advice I would recommend is to master verbs and tenses. There’s no doubt that learning and speaking English fluently is a huge challenge for most English as a second language learners. And, the one area, that most beginners trip is in – figuring out tenses.

Tenses are the most important part of the English language, sadly it can be difficult to master. In this post, we tackle a specific sub-topic of verbs and tenses, the notorious gerunds and infinitives. Even the most advanced English speakers are often confused between these two common verb forms. Worry not! We’ve compiled 5 simple rules that help you get a clear picture of gerunds and infinitives. Before we look at the rules, here’s a quick overview of the definitions.

What Is An Infinitive?

Here’s an easy way to identify infinitives: a verb that has “to” in the beginning is an infinitive. For example, I love to bike. Here, the verb phrase, “to bike” is an infinitive.

What Is A Gerund?

When you add “ing”  to a verb, it forms a gerund. Examples include, eating, swimming and sleeping. However, a gerund is different from the verb forms in present and past continuous that end with –ing. Let’s explain this with an example.

She was swimming (this is an example of past continuous)

I don’t like swimming (this is an example of a gerund)

Now, that you know the definitions, let’s look at the rules that help you use both correctly.

5 Easy Rules To Help You Master Gerunds & Infinitives

Rule 1: Gerunds are more commonly used as the subject of a sentence

• Walking for 150 minutes per week is good for your cardiovascular health.
• Becoming a viral sensation is the dream of many young people.
• Making friends gets difficult as you age.

Here, the words, walking, becoming, and making are gerunds and not the continuous verb forms. Now, consider the following quote,

“To be or not to be – that is the question. ”

In this sentence, the verb to be is an infinitive and acts as the subject. However, the sentence is more formal and is a familiar quote from Shakespeare’s play Hamlet.

While both gerunds and infinitives can be used as the subject, it’s more common to use gerunds as the subject in regular everyday speech.

Rule 2: Both Gerunds and Infinitives are used as objects in a sentence

Here are a few examples,

• I love swimming.
• Yesterday, I decided to go to the local pool to swim.

Here, swimming is a gerund, and to swim is an infinitive. Both these sentences are correct, and one has an infinitive as the object, while the other has a gerund. So, when to use a gerund and when to use an infinitive? That depends on the verb. Some verbs take a gerund, and some take an infinitive.

You can enrol in English speaking lessons with a native speaker to improve your fluency and understand whether to use a gerund or infinitive with specific verbs. With practice, you’ll be able to remember which verb takes which.

Rule 3: Infinitives are commonly used after several adjectives

Here are a few examples to illustrate this rule:

• It’s not easy to graduate from an Ivy-league university.
• It’s wonderful to have friends who stand with you through thick and thin.

Here, the words, easy and wonderful are adjectives, and the words, “to graduate” and  “to have” are infinitives. Using a gerund here is incorrect. One exception to this rule is if the sentence has the phrase,  “too + [adjective]” , you need to use an infinitive.

Here are a few examples to illustrate this rule:

• This car is too big to park
• This dress is too costly to buy.

This rule also applies when an adjective is followed by enough.

• I am not tall enough to ride the rollercoaster.
• The chapter was detailed enough to help me understand the subject.

Rule 4: When certain verbs are followed by nouns or pronouns that refer to a person, you use infinitives and not gerunds

The teacher asked her not to go.

Here,  “teacher” is the noun, “asked” is the verb and  “her” is the objective form of the pronoun “she. ” In such sentences, we always use an infinitive (to go) and not a gerund. Refer to the following examples, to help you better understand this rule.

• I never expected that her to become the class-topper.
• Can I request you to stay back after school?
• I invited my partner to attend the ceremony with me.
• She told her child to stay at home.
• Can you remind me to complete my homework?

Rule 5: Use gerunds and not infinitives after a preposition (with one exception)

Consider this example:

I forgive you for not telling the truth.

Here, “for” is a preposition, and “telling” is the gerund that comes after it. Here are a few other examples to illustrate this rule. In all these examples, the prepositions are in italics and the gerunds are underlined.

• I am interested in becoming an artist.
• Books about coming of age are popular among teens.
• He looks forward to meeting his family after five years.
• She is thinking about taking up a new hobby.
• I am wary of travelling
• My sister is scared of flying.

The one exception to this rule is: but.

While but is mostly used as a conjunction, it can also be used as a preposition. When but takes on the role of a preposition, it gives the same meaning as the word, “except. ”

When you use but as a preposition, you must follow it with an infinitive and not a gerund. Here are a few examples to illustrate this exception:

• Mary had no choice but to follow the lamb.
• I made no stops on the way except to refill the tank.
• The lender had no other choice but to leave the place without collecting the money.

Before you go,

Gerunds and infinitives might be confusing, but they certainly add variety to your language. While you might find it difficult to differentiate between gerunds and infinitives initially, you can master them with practice. The more you practise, the easier it will get, and more confident you get. The best way to speak English is to enrol in an online class and overcome your fear of speaking in English.

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