OMTEX CLASSES: Gerund and infinitive

Hello, young grammarians! Today, we're going to explore two cool ways verbs (our action words!) can be used in sentences: as Infinitives and Gerunds.

Infinitives are easy to spot! They usually look like 'to + verb', for example, 'to read', 'to play', or 'to sing'. They tell us about an action in a general way.

Gerunds are action words that end with '-ing' (like 'reading', 'playing', 'singing') but here's the magic trick: they act like nouns! That means they can be the name of an activity, like in the sentence 'Reading is my favorite hobby.'

Understanding Infinitives and Gerunds will help you build stronger and more interesting sentences. Let's dive in and see how they work with some examples!

Infinitive: A verb denoting possession, existence or action preceded by the preposition 'to' and not limited to number and persons.

Gerund: A verb (ending in 'ing') denoting action but functioning as a noun (subject or object of a verb or object of a preposition).

Examples of Infinitives.

1. He went to the supermarket to buy some groceries.

Here the underlined word is an infinitive because, though it is a verb, it is not limited to number and person of the subject.
2. To err is human, but to forgive is divine.

Here the underlined words are infinitives because, though they are verbs, they are not limited to number and person of the subject.

Examples of Gerunds.

1. Ajith and Vijay are fond of cycling.

In this sentence, the underlined word is a gerund as it is in the form of a verb, but it functions as a noun.
2. Swimming is a great hobby.

In this sentence, the underlined word is a gerund as it is in the form of a verb, but it functions as a noun.

More examples to understand.

1. The sky poured turbulent waters on Mumbai to transform lanes and streets into rivers.

(Rewrite using gerund form of the underlined word)

Ans. The sky poured turbulent waters on Mumbai, transforming lanes and streets into rivers.
2. Making omelettes and rolling out chappatis became my special duties.

(Rewrite using infinitive form of the underlined words)

Ans. To make omelettes and to roll out chappatis became my special duties.
3. I got caught each time I tried arguing.

(Rewrite using infinitive form of the underlined word)

Ans. I got caught each time I tried to argue.
4. Besides, in India there are always other people to do all that for you.

(Rewrite using gerund form of the underlined word)

Ans. Besides, in India there are always other people doing all that for you.
5. Finally, we tried to combine forces.

(Rewrite using gerund form of the underlined word)

Ans. Finally, we tried combining forces.
6. Looking for groceries was another matter.

(Rewrite using infinitive form of the underlined word)

Ans. To look for groceries was another matter.
7. My parents preferred to patronize just one store.

(Rewrite using gerund form of the underlined word)

Ans. My parents preferred patronizing just one store.
8. Public may take some time to apprehend that it is being cheated.

(Rewrite using gerund form of the underlined word)

Ans. Public may take some time apprehending that it is being cheated.

Identify the Infinitives, Participles or Gerunds.

The driver refused to wait.

to wait - Infinitive
Panting, I boarded the plane under the reproachful gaze of the other passengers.

Panting – Participle
We saw an army of ants lugging a fly which was at least ten times the ant’s size.

Lugging – Participle
On enquiring, the priest said that the temple found it difficult to get the bilva leaf.

enquiring - Gerund
It was not commercially economical to grow it.

to grow - Infinitive
Very few flower sellers were willing to provide bilva leaves.

to provide – Infinitive
The greatest difficulty was in identifying the plants.

Identifying - Gerund
He had to consult many scholars.

to consult – Infinitive
The book succeeds in providing good leisure reading.

Providing – Gerund
It is one of the best occasions in recent times to raise a toast.

to raise – Infinitive
This strategy looks easy but is difficult to implement.

to implement – Infinitive
Indians are always comfortable playing against the wind as it is easy to control your shots.

Playing - Participle
It is equally important to realize that she has a long career ahead of her.

to realize – Infinitive
India is faced with the challenge of sustaining its rapid economic growth.

sustaining - Gerund
India has committed itself to reducing its carbon emissions by 20-25 per cent by 2020.

reducing - Gerund

To understand more

The subject of a sentence is usually a noun or a pronoun. But sometimes, to-infinitives and –ing forms are also used as subjects.

Study the examples given below.

Swimming is a good exercise.

Here the –ing form ‘swimming’ acts as the subject of the verb ‘is’.

More examples are given below.

Smoking is injurious to health.
Singing gives me great pleasure.
Telling lies can get you into deep trouble.
Collecting stamps is his hobby.
Driving very fast on a busy road may lead to an accident.

In each of the following sentences, the subject is an –ing form.

A to-infinitive can also act as the subject of a verb.

Study the example sentences given below.

To err is human.
To give advice is easy.
To follow this advice may be difficult.
To swim in that sea may be dangerous.
To drive very fast here is not advisable.

Now study the examples given below. They show another kind of subject a sentence can have.

What you say is not true.
Where the police have taken him is not known.
Why even good people suffer in this world is a great mystery.

As you can see, the subject in each of these sentences is not a word or a phrase, but a group of words which itself looks like a sentence. A group of words of this kind is called a clause. Here the clause functions as a noun and therefore it is called a noun clause.

Difficult Words & Their Meanings

Infinitive: The basic 'to + verb' form (like 'to jump', 'to sing'). It names an action without saying who does it or when.
Gerund: An action word ending in '-ing' (like 'running', 'eating') that is used as a noun (a naming word).
Preposition: A small word (like 'to', 'in', 'on', 'with') that shows how a noun or pronoun is related to other words in a sentence.
Participle: A verb form used as an adjective (describing word) or to make verb tenses. Example: 'running water' (running describes water).
Noun: A word that names a person, place, thing, or idea (e.g., 'teacher', 'park', 'book', 'happiness').
Verb: An action word or a word that shows a state of being (e.g., 'run', 'is', 'think').
Subject (of a sentence): The person, place, thing, or idea that is doing or being something in a sentence (e.g., in 'The cat sleeps,' 'The cat' is the subject).
Denoting: Meaning or standing for something.
Possession: Owning or having something.
Existence: The state of being real or alive.
Functioning: Working or doing its job.
Divine: Like a god, or extremely good and wonderful.
Turbulent: Wild, stormy, or full of disorder (like rough water).
Groceries: Food and other items you buy at a food store or supermarket.
Patronize: To be a regular customer of a store or business.
Apprehend: To understand or realize something.
Reproachful: Showing that you are disappointed or unhappy with someone.
Lugging: Carrying or pulling something heavy with a lot of effort.
Enquiring (or Inquiring): Asking for information.
Commercially: Related to business or making money.
Economical: Saving money; not wasteful.
Identifying: Recognizing or finding out what something is.
Scholars: People who study a lot and know a great deal about a subject.
Strategy: A careful plan to achieve a goal.
Implement: To start using a plan or system.
Sustaining: Keeping something going or making it last.
Emissions: Gases or particles released into the air (like from cars or factories).
Clause: A part of a sentence that has its own subject and verb.
Injurious: Harmful or causing damage.
Advisable: Good to do; recommended.
Mystery: Something that is hard to understand or explain.