Infinitive and Gerunds

CHAPTER - 12

INFINITIVE & GERUNDS

Gerunds are verb-nouns. ‘ing' forms used as a subject of a sentence is a gerund. It can also be used as an object of a sentence.

Swimming is a good exercise - 'swimming' is a gerund not a verb.

Filling her mind with positive thoughts about others is her hobby. (Filling' is the subject)

Her favourite pastime is meditating - 'meditating' object of a verb.

The girl is swimming - 'swimming' is a main verb.

Gerund can be governed by a preposition:

Eg. He has penchant for learning music.

There are also compound gerunds:

Eg. Having learnt for six hours continuously, he feels satisfied.

Compound nouns have gerunds:

Eg. Frying-pan, walking-stick, writing-desk, parting-gift, helping-hand, looking-glass, dancing-shoes

'ing' forms when acting as a main verb, it becomes participle.

Eg. Suraj is listening these days.

The form 'to+verb' is an infinitive.

Eg. To see the positive qualities only is her positive quality.

(To see' becomes the subject of the verb 'is')

She never tries to find fault in anyone. (object of the verb 'tries')

Infinitive used as subject: Eg. To see is to believe.

Infinitive used as object: Eg. It is beginning to rain.

Infinitive used as complement: Eg. Her habit is to wake up early and sleep early.

There are also bare infinitives. They are infinitives without 'to':

Eg. Bid farewell, go home, let them come, make her complete, need not copy,

dare not see, see him doing, hearing him shouting....

I can help him to do the homework. - incorrect

I can help him do the homework. - correct

I will go to home in the evening. - incorrect

I will go home in the evening. - correct

Let them to come. - incorrect

Let them come as and when she feels. - correct

Make her to complete the task. - incorrect

Make her complete the task - correct.