Unit 11.2
Gerunds and Infinitives with Verbs with difference in meaning
Verb Phrase
Sometimes, after certain verbs, we find the gerund (when acting as a noun) or the infinitive. {see Verbs + Gerund / Infinitive, A2 level}
In some cases the meaning of those verbs change.
These formations have the same structures:
Subject + verb + gerund + object…
Subject + verb + to + verb + object…
The most commonly used verbs are: forget, remember, stop...
| 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.) |
She remembers living in a dictator regime back in 1983. (A memory in the past)I remembered to give testimony against the armed gang. (Did not forget to give)Policemen stopped searching for evidence because they couldn’t find any. (Policemen tried but failed)They stopped to talk about religion as Mary came. (They were doing one activity but they stopped because another one has started)
We use the gerund or the infinitive after certain verbs, as the meaning of the sentence changes.