Unit 11.2
Gerunds and Infinitives with Verbs with difference in meaning
Introduction
Form
Certain verbs can have the gerund (when acting as a noun) or the infinitive with somechange in meaning.
However, these formations have the same structures:
Subject + verb + gerund + object…
Subject + verb + to + verb + object…
The most commonly used verbs are: forget, remember, stop...
Example
| GERUND | INFINITIVE | |
|---|---|---|
| Forget | It seems she will never forget loving her first boyfriend.
(*She has memories about loving in the past.) |
She forgot to meet with her uncle.
(*She needed to meet with her uncle but she forgot to do that.) |
| Remember | He still remembers listening to his favorite band.
(*He has memories in the past.) |
We were sitting at the table and he remembered to listen to his favorite band.
(*He didn’t forget to listen to his favorite band.) |
| Stop | I stopped searching for my book.
(*Means that I tried a lot but I didn’t succeed so I gave up.) |
He was walking and suddenly he stopped to look around.
(*He was doing another activity but in order to look around he stopped.) |
Use
We use the gerund or the infinitive after certain verbs, as the meaning of the sentence changes.
Summary
After certain verbs, we find the gerund (when acting as a noun) or the infinitive, but the meaning of those verbs change.
The most commonly used verbs are: forget, remember, stop…
These formations have the same structures:
- we start with the subject of the sentence followed by the verb, a gerund and the object of the sentence;
- we start with the subject of the sentence followed by the verb, the preposition to, another verb, and the object of the sentence.
For example:
— “I stopped working out a month ago.” = I stopped performing the activity of working out a month ago.
— “I was studying for an hour but then I stopped to work out.” = I stopped doing the activity of studying in order to start another activity, that of working out.
Let’s revise this content within the {Form} section. Take a look at the {Example} section that shows its use within a context.