Gerunds and Infinitives

Not an easy choice!

Before we start on this subject

n What are the six forms of the English

verb?n Base

n Past

n Infinitive

n ‘s’ form

n Present Perfect (or ‘ing’ form)

n Past Perfect

Gerunds and Infinitives are

Verbals

n Verbals have some

of the characteristics

of verbs.

n Participle phrases,

Gerunds and

Infinitives are all

verbals.

n Verbs vary as to

person and number.

n Verbals do not vary

as to person and

number.

What is a participle phrase?

n Participle phrases are verbal adjectives.

n They are (Surprise!) made from the

Present and Past Participle forms of the

verb.

n Present Particple Verbs always end in

‘ing’.

Examples of Present

Participle Phrases

n Active voice

n Knowing him well,

we asked for a ride.

n Having elected him

mayor, his friends

felt they should be

rewarded.

n Passive voice

n Mr. Portly, being

known as a wealthy

man, can easily borrow

money.

n Which is a present

perfect participle?

Examples of Past

Participle Phrases

n There is only a

passive form.

n Somewhat

embarrassed by

this remark, Norris

smiled and made an

awkward bow.

Gerunds

n The Gerund is a

verbal noun.

n It is made from the

‘ing’ form of the

verb.

n The perfect forms

use havING plus the

past participle.

n Active Examples:

n Seeing is believing.

n Having read the

book is enough; I

don’t need to see

the movie.

Gerunds can be in

the Passive voice also.

n Examples:

n Doctors often have

the experience of

being called in the

middle of the night.

n His having been

fined twice, has

caused him to drive

more slowly.

Verbs that are always followed

by a gerund

n Admit, anticipate,

appreciate, avoid,

consider

n Delay, deny, detest,

dislike, dread

n Enjoy, finish, involve

n This information

is from Page 180 of ‘Technically

Speaking’

n Mind, miss, postpone,

regret, resent, resist,

risk

n Fancy (imagine)

n Keep (continue)

n Remember (recall)

n Stop (cease)

Expressions that are always followed

by a gerund

n Look forward to

n Can’t help

n Can’t stand

n It’s no use

n It’s worth

n To be used to

Spelling rules for gerunds and

participles

n Rule 1: If a verb ends with a consonant

+ single vowel + consonant

combination, double the final consonant

before adding ‘ing’.

n Example: stopping

Spelling rules for gerunds and

participles

n Rule 2: If a verb ends with a consonant

+ double vowel + consonant

combination, do NOT double the final

consonant before adding ‘ing’.

n Example: lean > leaning

Spelling rules for gerunds and

participles

n Rule 3: If a one-syllable verb ends with

double consonants, do NOT double the

final consonant before adding ‘ing’.

n Example: risk > risking

Spelling rules for gerunds and

participles

n Rule 4: If a verb ends with the letter ‘e’,

drop it before adding ‘ing’.

n Example: write > writing

Spelling rules for gerunds and

participles

n Rule 5: If a two-syllable verb ends with

a stressed syllable, double the final

consonant before adding ‘ing’.

n Example: begin > beginning

Spelling rules for gerunds and

participles

n Rule 6: If a two-syllable verb begins with

a stressed syllable, do not double the

final consonant before adding ‘ing’.

n Example: gather > gathering

Spelling rules for gerunds and

participles

n Rule 7: If a verb ends with ‘y’, simply

add ‘ing’ to the verb.

n Example: fly > flying

Infinitives are verbals too!

n The infinitive is a verbal which can

function as a noun, an adjective or an

adverb.

n The infinitive starts with the word ‘to’.

n Usage frequently defines whether to

use a gerund or an infinitive.

Examples of infinitives

n Active forms

n To err is human.

n He is thought to

have left the

country.

n What are the

functions of each of

these infinitives?

n Passive forms

n To be forgiven may

be divine.

n Her voice is said to

have been praised

in all the capitals of

Europe.

A short word on count and

non-count nouns

n There are a number of nouns in English

that do not take an ‘s’ because they are

considered non-countable.

n Some of these words can take an ‘s’ in

French.

Common non-count nouns

n Furniture

n Research

n Information

n Work

n Homework

n Advice

n Rice

n Can you name any

others?

Modifying count and

non-count nouns

n Count nouns

n Many + plural

n More + plural

n Few + plural

n Some, a lot of

– The noun is plural

n Note: count nouns are

never modified by ‘less’

n Non-count nouns

n More + singular

n Less + singular

n Some, a lot of

– The noun stays

singular

n Note: non-count nouns

are never modified by

‘many’ or ‘few’