6th semester activities

Dear students


As I told you before there are two way of using the verbs followed by gerunds or infinitives. Remember In some cases both gerunds and infinitives can be used with the same verbs but they change the meaning and in some situations they don't change the meaning.


Here you are some examples of both uses:

Verbs Followed by Gerunds OR Infinitives (Similar Meaning)

can't bear	He can't bear being alone.	He can't bear to be alone.
can't stand	Nancy can't stand working the late shift.	Nancy can't stand to work the late shift.
cease	The government ceased providing free health care.	The government ceased to provide free health care.
continue	She continued talking.	She continued to talk.
hate	He hates cleaning dishes.	He hates to clean dishes.
like	Samantha likes reading.	Samantha likes to read.
love	We love scuba diving.	We love to scuba dive.
neglect	He neglected doing his daily chores.	He neglected to do his daily chores.
prefer	He prefers eating at 7 PM.	He prefers to eat at 7 PM.
propose	Drew proposed paying for the trip.	Drew proposed to pay for the trip.

REMEMBER

Although the difference in meaning is small with these particular verbs, and gerunds and infinitives can often be used interchangeably, there is still a meaning difference. Using a gerund suggests that you are referring to real activities or experiences. Using an infinitive suggests that you are talking about potential or possible activities or experiences. Because of this small difference in meaning, gerunds and infinitives cannot always be used interchangeably, such as in the examples below.
Examples:

·       The British reporter likes living in New York. He lives in New York and he likes what he experiences there.

·       The British reporter likes to live in New York whenever he works in the United States. He likes the option or possibility of living in New York when he works in the United States.

·       I like speaking French because it's such a beautiful language. I like the experience of speaking French, and the way it makes me feel when I speak the language.

·       I like to speak French when I'm in France. I prefer the option of speaking French when I am in France.

Verbs Followed by Gerunds OR Infinitives (Different Meaning)

begin	She began singing. She began to sing. When "begin" is used in non-continuous tenses, you can either use a gerund or an infinitive.	She is beginning to sing. When "begin" is used in continuous tenses, an infinitive is used.
dread	She dreaded taking the test. Usually "dread" is followed by a gerund.	He dreaded to think of the consequences of his actions. "Dread" is sometimes used with infinitives such as "think" or "consider." In the sentence above, "dreaded to think" means "did not want to think."
forget	She forgot reading the book when she was a kid. When "forget" is used with a gerund, it means "to forget that you have done something." The sentence above means that she read the book when she was a kid, and that she has forgotten that fact.	She forgot to pay the rent this month. When forget is used with an infinitive, it means "to forget that you need to do something." The sentence above means that she forgot that she needed to pay the rent.
keep	She kept talking. "Keep" is normally used with a gerund to mean that you continue doing an action.	The attackers kept hostages to prevent the police from entering. "Keep" can also be used with an object followed by an infinitive, but then the infinitive takes on the meaning of "in order to... ." In the sentence above, the attackers kept hostages in order to prevent the police from entering.
need	The house needs cleaning. When "need" is used with a gerund, it takes on a passive meaning. The sentence above means "the house needs to be cleaned."	He needs to call his boss. He needs him to call his boss. "Need" is usually used with an infinitive or an object + an infinitive.
regret	I regretted being late to the interview. "Regret" is normally used with a gerund.	We regret to inform you that your position at the company is being eliminated. "Regret" is sometimes used with infinitives such as "to inform." In the sentence above, "We regret to inform you" means "We wish we did not have to tell you (bad news)."
remember	I remember mentioning the meeting yesterday. When "remember" is used with a gerund, it means "to remember that you have done something." The sentence above means that I mentioned the meeting, and that I remember the fact that I did that.	He remembered to turn off the lights before he left. When "remember" is used with an infinitive, it means "to remember that you need to do something." The sentence above means that he remembered that he needed to turn the lights off.
start	Marge started talking really fast. Marge started to talk really fast. When "start" is used in non-continuous tenses, you can either use a gerund or an infinitive.	Marge is starting to talk really fast. When "start" is used in continuous tenses, an infinitive is used. I started to learn Russian, but it was so much work that I finally quit the class. In other situations, an infinitive means that you did not complete or continue an action.
stop	He stopped smoking for health reasons. "Stop" is normally used with a gerund.	He stopped to rest for a few minutes. When "stop" is used with an infinitive, the infinitive takes on the meaning of "in order to." In the sentence above, he stopped in order to rest for a few minutes.
try	She can't find a job. She tried looking in the paper, but there was nothing. She tried asking friends and family, but nobody knew of anything. She also tried going shop to shop, but nobody was hiring. "Try + gerund" means to try or to experiment with different methods to see if something works. She tried eating the snake soup, but she didn't like it. "Try + gerund" is often used when you experiment with something, but you do not really like it or want to do it again.	She tried to climb the tree, but she couldn't even get off the ground. When you "try to do" something, you want to do it, but you do not succeed in actually doing it. In the sentence above, an infinitive is used because she cannot successfully climb the tree. Try not to wake the baby when you get up tomorrow at 5 AM. An infinitive is also used if you are asking someone to try something they may or may not be able to accomplish.

Verbs Followed by Either Gerunds OR Nouns + Infinitives

advise	I advised seeing a doctor.	I advised them to see a doctor.
allow	Ireland doesn't allow smoking in bars.	Ireland doesn't allow people to smoke in bars.
encourage	He encourages eating healthy foods.	He encourages his patients to eat healthy foods.
permit	California doesn't permit fishing without a fishing license.	California doesn't permit people to fish without a fishing license.
require	The certificate requires completing two courses.	The certificate requires students to complete two courses.
urge	They urge recycling bottles and paper.	They urge citizens to recycle bottles and paper.