Questions tagged [infinitive-vs-gerund]
For questions about the difference in meaning or grammaticality between using a gerund or an infinitive in a particular context.
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"the problem is + v-ing" vs "the problem is + bare infinitives" vs "the problem is + to-infinitives"
A: What is the problem?
B: The problem is making sure that everything works fine.
B: The problem is to make sure that everything works fine.
B: The problem is make sure that everything works fine.
...
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"I'm committed to deliver results" vs. ". . . delivering results"
I'd like to describe myself in a cover letter as someone who's committed to deliver results, but:
Should I use "deliver" or "delivering"? How do I choose between the two?
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going through such an experience
a. Going through such a traumatic experience is difficult to describe.
b. To go through such a traumatic experience is difficult to describe.
I think (a) is grammaticak and natural and (b) is not.
...
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Is there a difference in a degree of effort between "try to" and "try ing"? [duplicate]
according to a grammar site
Try + -ing means that you are trying something as an experiment, especially as a possible solution to a problem, to see if it works or not.
And
Try + to + infinitive means ...
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It is to be selfish or pro-social
“We found that time pressure tends to magnify the predisposition that people already have, whether it is to be selfish or pro-social,” Krajbich said.
Source
What's the reason why "being" ...
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necessary or extremely useful to manage / for managing
Are the following both okay? Is there any difference?
A life skill is one that is necessary or extremely useful to manage well in daily life.
A life skill is one that is necessary or extremely ...
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try to make/making your meal plans exciting [duplicate]
I was told that "to try to V" means "to make an effort to V," while "to try Ving" means "to give the specified action a try." Suppose I am giving advice on ...
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Why in this example do we need to use "working" in the gerund form after the verb "love"?
In the example below I believe do we need to use "working" in the gerund form?
You will love working here
I thought that verbs following "love" can be either in the gerund form ...
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Gerund or infinitive?
The only way to find the Secret Room is solving x.
Is this sentence incorrect? Can we use the gerund here? I assume we can because if we reverse it, it'll be correct (Solving x is the only way to ...
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which of these phrases/sentences are valid English?
the context:
I want to write a sentence/phrase in which I convey the idea that when one make a choice in life one have give up on something else. So the options are:
1 - each choice means forgo.
2 - ...
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Swear followed by the infinitive and gerund
I swear to do it tomorrow! is standard.
What about the prefect infinitive and gerunds?
1 I swear to have done it yesterday! - CORRECT?
2 I swear doing it yesterday! - CORRECT?
3 I swear having done it ...
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Why is it 'doing something' rather than 'to do something' here?
In the page of 'memory lane' in theFreeDictionary, there's such a sentence as follows.
It was lovely finding our old photo albums and taking a trip down memory lane.
We should use 'to do', rather ...
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Get to followed by a gerund or an infinitive?
I got to poking around and I found this oyster.
He gets to feeling ashamed of the showing he is making.
The new neighbours got to know each other.
I'd really like to see you again and get to know you ...
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Grammar with gerund or Infinitive
He tried ________ (work) in a newspaper firm but he still wasn't satisfied.
These variants are wrong:
working / to work / work / having worked
What is the correct form of (work)?
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"to be invited" vs "being invited"
I try to say
It's a great honor to be invited/being invited by you.
Which one is correct? If both are correct, what is the difference between them?
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to meet or meeting: when talking about an activity
I enjoy to meet my friends and grab lunch together.
I know that the phrase above is incorrect, that it should be:
I enjoy meeting my friends and grab lunch together.
But I don't understand why we ...
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"look forward to keep working" or "keeping working"?
It seems to me that the construction "look forward to" requires the accompanying verb to be in the gerund. But what should one do if there is more than one accompanying verb?
Ludwig found ...
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What's the usual way <of/for> foreign travelers arriving at the airport <to visit/visiting> your hotel?
When inquiring about the transportation from the airport to a hotel, which is better?
a. What's the usual way for foreign travelers arriving at the airport to visit your hotel?
b. What's the usual ...
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2
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To learn / for learning
Are both versions correct? Do they convey the same meaning?
I think board games are the best games to learn / for learning different subjects such as history, literature and science.
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Writing or to write?
"Peter is very good at ( ) stories" .
I chose 'to write' to fill ()but correct answer was 'writing'.
Can anyone explain why 'to write' was wrong and 'writing' is correct?
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Verbs of perception + object + gerund (verb patterns)
According to my information verbs of perception follow this verb pattern:
Verb of perception + object + gerund
But in an English book, I've found this example which does not really follow this pattern....
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Expressions like "All I am doing lately is" should be fallowed by "listening to music" or "listen to music"?
I have read the following links and have a question similar to them:
All we seem to do is argue or is arguing
“All you have to do is read” vs. “All you have to do is to read”
"What I have to do ...
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"to resolve" or "to resolving"?
What is the difference between these two sentences:
I have a good reason to resolving my question.
I have a good reason to resolve my question.
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Working / To work at Google taught me how to work efficiently. - which one?
Scenerio:
I used to work at Google. When I was an employee at Google, I learned how to work efficiently. Now I am not a Google employee.
Example 1
Working at Google taught me how to work efficiently.
...
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The research he devoted himself to [blank] the farmers have a better harvest is very important
My question is which answer is correct to fill in the blank?
The research he devoted himself to [ ] the farmers have a better harvest is very important.
A.helping
B.to help
I think an easier way to ...
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Is 'What I prefer is to spending time with you' correct grammatically? [duplicate]
I have seen a promotional video for Beyond the Future in Mr Love: Queen's Choice, I copied its lines and want to rewrite them to practice my expression and grammar.
Here is the one confused me of the ...
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2
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I don't know the difference between to infinitive and gerund in terms of nuance
I like to sing.
I like singing.
I don't know the difference in meaning.
please tell me the difference. I am talking about nuance.
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Why is "becoming" a gerund and not a to-infinitive in "pertinent to becoming a polished engineer"?
I cannot figure out why "become" is used as a gerund and not as a to-infinitive in this sentence:
He wanted to bolster his problem-solving abilities, which, as he well knew, are pertinent ...
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Which one is better sentence? "...a class for becoming/to become a tour guide"
I took a class for becoming a tour guide.
I took a class to become a tour guide.
Which one is more natural of saying?
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"He called me to repair the computer" or "for repairing the computer" [duplicate]
Could you please tell me which are grammatically correct
Whether To+verb or for+ verb+ing?
He called me to repair the computer or ... for repairing the computer"
"I am here to repair the ...
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It was good meeting versus It was good to meet [duplicate]
If I have just met my friend's girlfriend, which of these would be more idiomatic?
It was good meeting your girlfriend.
It was good to meet your girlfriend. She seems nice.
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Is it possible to change gerund to infinitive in here?
Can I change the gerund in the following sentence: "Being an activist means using your voice" to the infinitive?
That is, the sentence would look like: "To be an activist means using ...
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6
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Why does this sentence use "to writing" instead of "to write"?
This is a quote by Hemingway.
Don't get discouraged because there’s a lot of mechanical work to writing.
Should not the sentence be the following one?
Don't get discouraged because there’s a lot of ...
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0
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Continue to provoke vs continue provoking [duplicate]
Do both forms of the verb "continue" have the same meaning in these sentences? Did I even use "to continue" correctly?
He taunts the player from the opposing team. Since he did ...
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took him two months building/to build a house
Are the following sentences both okay? If so, what's the difference?
It took him two months to build a house.
It took him two months building a house.
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Is (have + object) followed by 'infinitive', 'gerund' or 'past participle' in this context?
I want to know which is appropriate one to fill the gap in.
Leslie had a very strange thing __(happen) when she was in Romania.
happen
happening
happened
Oxfor Grammar explains that I can use ...
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We watched the workman
We watched the workman to repair the machine.
1.repairing
2.repair
3.no change
To me, 1st is correct. What's your opinion ?
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ease off followed by a gerund or an infinitive
I eased off studying English.
or
I eased off to study English.
I think 2 is wrong but 1 is possible.
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Undertake followed by a gerund or infinitive?
Do they mean the same or different?
**
1 We might undertake going forward. 2 We might undertake to go forward.
**
Additional info.
Dictionaries say that: 1 undertake + a noun means to do or begin to ...
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ASPIRED followed by the gerund or the infinitive? [closed]
What follows the verb ASPIRE?
1 BACK IN ENGLAND HE ASPIRED BECOMING AN ARTIST.
2 BACK IN ENGLAND HE ASPIRED TO BECOME AN ARTIST.
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'Forget + infinitive-to' or 'Forget + gerund'?
According to Cambridge dictionary, the word forget can be followed by either infinitive or gerund. These are the sentences I took from the dictionary:
She would never forget seeing the Himalayas for ...
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prefer to V rather than V/Ving
I'd like o know which form of verb should follow "rather than" in the following:
John prefers to watch TV rather than play/playing basketball.
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Why infinitive isn't used instead of "Contribute to + gerund"?
I can understand what does it mean but I don't know when to use gerund or infinitive. I have no problem about understanding. I just want to understand the sense. As far as I know some of these words ...
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Encourage followed be "possessive pronoun + gerund"
Are these grammatically acceptable?
1 He encouraged my working hard. (always)
2 He encouraged me to work hard. (always or one-off occurrence)
Is this wrong?
3 He encouraged my applying for the visa. (...
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Is it correct to say "She taught me drawing" and "She taught me to draw"?
When "teach" means to give lessons, we say "teach somebody something", for example, “He teaches them English”.
However, when “teach” means to show people how to do something, we ...
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Chicken out followed by an infinitive
Is it possible to use "infinitive" after chicken out?
She chickened out to go there by herself.
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Are "start/begin [infinitive]" and "start/begin [gerund] really interchangeable?
Many agree that there's no difference "between start/begin + infinitive" and "start/begin + gerund."
But in sentences like "When we first started to talk/started talking,"...
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The verb "arrange" followed by an infinitive or gerund
A lot of books say that "arrange" is followed by an infinitive. But can it be followed by a gerund?
Dolly arranges singing at church.
Molly arranged staying at her flat.
Molly arranged ...
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Difference between "to develop" vs "developing"
What is the difference between:
The objective of the project is to develop a framework
Versus:
The objective of the project is developing a framework
Is any of them incorrect?
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Being treated vs to be treated
An outpatient is a patient _____ at a hospital during the thay but not staying overnight
Which one is correct, being treated or to be treated?
I think it's being, though. But I don't know why.
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