Basic
English Structure
Verb Forms ¤¤^ĒŠ
The
Infinitive
The infinitive is the form of the verb which begins with to
followed by the simple form of the verb. You cannot add -s, -es, -ed, or -ing
to the end. The infinitive can be used with or without to.
---For
example:
To-infinitive
|
Bare
infinitive (without to)
|
I
helped her to open the door.
|
I
helped her open the door.
|
1.
Verbs followed by the infinitive
--- afford, agree, appear, arrange, decide,
fail, happen, hope, manage, offer, promise, prove, refuse, seem
----have to, ought to, used to, would like to,
going to
---e.g. He decided
to go home by bus.
---------We hope
to pass the exam.
---------I refused to
pay the bill.
---------He used to live in Sha Tin.
---------You ought to be kind to
animals.
2.
Verbs followed by the object + infinitive construction
----believe, cause, encourage, force,
get, invite, know, order, request, teach, tell, warn
---e.g. I invited Betty
to my birthday party.
---------Miss Wong asked Tom to
clean the blackboard.
---------Our teachers encourage us to
work hard.
3.
The infinitive is used after some adjectives, too + adjective, adjective
+ enough, so + adjective + as, only + to -----------------------constructions.
---e.g. It is nice to
have a cup of coffee.
---------She is too frightened to say
anything.
---------Would you be kind enough to turn
on the fan?
-------- He was so foolish as to lend
her the money.
---------We hurried to the railway station only
to find that the train had left.
4.
The bare infinitive (without to) is used after shall, should, will, would,
must, can, may, do
---e.g. Students must
wear school uniforms.
---------She didn't
sleep well last night.
--------- I will
remember what you have said.
5.
The bare infinitive is used after verbs of perception: see, hear, smell,
feel, notice, watch, observe and after make, let
---e.g.She saw him
break the window.
-------- I heard her
play the piano.
-------- His words made
her cry.
-------- I will let
her use my car.
6.
The bare infinitive is used after had better, had/would rather, had/would
sooner, cannot but
---e.g.You had better
tell the truth.
-------- I would rather
have tea than coffee.
-------- I cannot but
agree to come.
Exercise
1
I. The infinitive or the bare infinitive
The
Gerund
The gerund is the verb form ending in -ing. It functions
as a noun.
---e.g. She enjoys listening
to music.
-------- He admitted
breaking the window.
-------- We suggested going
to Yuen Long.
1.
Gerunds are used after the following verbs and expressions:
----admit, avoid, cannot help, consider,
deny, dislike, enjoy, finish, forgive, imagine, keep, mind, practise, resist,
----suggest, is worth, feel like, look forward
to, it is no use
---e.g. She cannot
help crying.
--- -- ---He considered
changing my job.
--------- Would you mind
answering a few questions?
--------- The food is
not worth eating.
--------- It is no use
crying over spilt milk.
---------
2.
Use gerunds after prepositions:
---e.g. The doctor told
him to give up smoking.
--------- You need
good shoes for walking on the hills.
--------- After having
made a decision, she told her parents.
3. Some verbs are followed by either the infinitive or the gerund without
much difference in meaning: advise, attempt, begin,----
---------cease, continue, intend, plan, propose
---e.g. We are attempting
to climb the Lion Rock.
--------- I attempted
walking until I fell over.
4. There can be a difference in meaning when the infinitive or the gerund
is used after some verbs. In general, we use the gerund for ----habits
or past actions, the infinitive for present or future events. These verbs
are: dislike, forget, forget, hate, like, love, prefer, ----regret,
remember.
---e.g. Don't forget
to lock the door when you leave. (future action)
--------- I forgot
taking the pill yesterday. (past action)
--------- She likes
to live in England when she retires next year. (future action)
--------- I like
watching television. (habit)
--------- I regret
to tell you that you have not been selected. (present action)
--------- I regret
missing the great show. (past action)
5. After the verbs of perception, see, hear, smell, feel, notice, watch,
observe, either the infinitive or the gerund can be used. ---------When
using the infinitive, we are more interested in the completed action. When
using the gerund, we are more interested in the ------progress
of the action.
---e.g. I heard
him come in last night (so I know that he did come in).
---------I heard
him coming in last night (and he made a lot of noise).
---------I saw him
work in the garden yesterday (so I know he did work here yesterday).
---------I saw him
working in the garden yesterday (and noticed how interested
he was in it).
Exercise
2
I.Infinitive or Gerund 1
II.Infinitive
or Gerund 2