The Gerund

The Gerund

Gerund is a noun formed from a verb. Gerund is formed from the verb infinitive by adding -ing:

read + -ing = reading

When the verb infinitive ends with -e, you leave the -e off when you add -ing:

ride + -ing = riding

When the verb infinitive has only one syllable and ends with a vowel followed by a single consonant, the consonant is doubled before -ing:

swim + -ing = swimming

Longer verbs also double the final consonant when the vowel before it is short and stressed:

regret + -ing = regretting

but (the last vowel not stressed):

fathom + -ing = fathoming

The final -y is never doubled:

repay + -ing = repaying

When the verb infinitive ends with -ie, the -ie is changed into -y before adding -ing:

lie + -ing = lying

 

• The Gerund can be used as the subject of a sentence:
  Studying English is fascinating!

• The Gerund can also be used as the object:
  Do you like dancing?

• The Gerund (and not an infinitive) is always used after several verbs, such as avoid, imagine, or suggest:
  You can’t avoid making mistakes.

• The Gerund is also used after several phrases, such as:
  it’s no good: It’s no good counting on you.
  it’s no use: It’s no use going to school on Sunday.
  it’s (not) worth: It’s always worth trying.

• The Gerund can be used after prepositions or adverbs:
  I’m tired of working hard.

 

GLOSSARY:

infinitive = bezokolicznik,
subject = podmiot,
object = dopełnienie

 

Gerund or to + Infinitive?

Some verbs have to be followed by a Gerund (the -ing form of a verb), some others by an Infinitive. Some can take both and retain the same meaning, some others can take both but gain a different meaning. Which are which?

Here is a list of more often used verbs which take the Gerund and/or the Infinitive.

Gerund only can be used after the following verbs:

avoid – I try to avoid being a nuisance.
consider – Why don’t you consider leaving for the country?
deny – He denied being the culprit.
dislike – She dislikes going to the theatre.
enjoy – I enjoy cycling a lot.
excuse – We excused her being late.
fancy – Do you fancy drinking beer?
feel like – Do you feel like dancing?
finish – We finished arguing at once.
give up – I have been trying to give up smoking.
can’t help – I couldn’t help laughing.
imagine – Can you imagine him wearing a dress?
keep – Keep trying and you will be successful.
keep on – They kept on talking until midnight.
mind – Do you mind buying me some wine?
miss – We missed partying when we were at work.
practise – How often do you practise skiing?
put off – Don’t put off paying the bills!
risk – I can’t risk losing any money.
can’t stand – My former girlfriend couldn’t stand my playing hockey.
suggest – She suggested going to Paul’s.
understand – She can’t understand tipping taxi drivers.
it’s no good – It’s no good trying to convince her.
it’s no use – It’s no use shopping at this time.
it’s (not) worth – It’s always worth trying.

Infinitive only can be used after the following verbs:

advise – I advised him to go to the dentist.
agree – She agreed to help me.
allow – My parents never allow me to go out.
appear – This appears to be the right place.
arrange – Can you arrange to meet her tomorrow?
attempt – We attempted to reach you several times.
decide – They decided to fly to Paris.
expect – Don’t expect me to solve all your problems.
help – Can you help me to dial this number?
hope – I hope to go on holiday soon.
invite – They invited me to have dinner with them.
learn – We learnt to drive a car in France.
need – You don’t need to wash the dishes.
offer – They offered to give me a lift.
promise – She promised to visit us next week.
refuse – He refused to have anything to do with it.
seem – He seems to be right.
tell – They told me to shut the door.
teach – He taught me to swim.
want – Where do you want to go?
wish – I wish to marry you.

Unfortunately, these two lists are not exhaustive. There are many more verbs which take either the Gerund or the Infinitive and which you will have to memorise one day!

 

Gerund or Infinitive – Same Meaning

begin – She began to cry. = She began crying.
can’t bear – I can’t bear to listen to you any more = I can’t bear listening to you any more.
cease – She ceased to work at all. = She ceased working at all.
continue – He continued to speak. = He continued speaking.
hate – I hate to say that. = I hate saying that.
intend – We intended to go to the Bahamas. = We intended going to the Bahamas.
like – I like to dive. = I like diving.
love – I love to party. = I love partying.
prefer – I prefer to stay here. = I prefer staying here.
propose – I propose to start now. = I propose starting now.
start – Let’s start to dance. = Let’s start dancing.

 

Gerund or Infinitive – Different Meaning

go on:
He went on shouting at us. = He continued to shout at us.
He went on to shout at us. = At first he just spoke and then he started to shout.

remember:
I remembered visiting her. = I remembered that I had visited her.
I remembered to visit her. = I remembered that I had to visit her.

forget:
Did you forget seeing him? = Did you forget that you had seen him?
Did you forget to see him? = Did you forget that you had to see him?

stop:
She stopped talking to us. = She didn’t talk to us any more.
She stopped to talk to us. = She stopped in order to talk to us.

regret:
I regretted telling them about it. = I regretted that I had told them about it.
I regretted to tell them about it. = I was sorry to tell them about it.

try:
Try going to bed early. = Make an experiment and go to bed early.
Try to go to bed early. = Make an effort to go to bed early.

 

verbs of perception:

hear, smell, watch, see, etc., can be used with a Gerund or a bare Infinitive (without to) with a different meaning:

I heard him laughing. = I heard only some of his laughter.
I heard him laugh. = I heard his laughter from start to finish.
I watched her talking to the neighbours. = I arrived when she was already talking.
I watched her talk to the neighbours. = I watched her all the time she was talking.