THE ZERO INFINITIVE

The zero infinitive is used:

1. after most auxiliaries (e.g. must, can, should, may, might)
2. after verbs of perception, (e.g. see, hear, feel) with the pattern verb + object + zero infinitive
3. after the verbs 'make' and 'let', with the pattern make/let + object + zero infinitive
4. after the expression 'had better'
5. after the expression 'would rather' when referring to the speaker's own actions

Examples

After auxiliaries:

• She can't speak to you.
• He should give her some money.
• Shall I talk to him?
• Would you like a cup of coffee?
• I might stay another night in the hotel.
• They must leave before 10.00 a.m.

After verbs of perception:

• He saw her fall from the cliff.
• We heard them close the door.
• They saw us walk toward the lake.
• She felt the spider crawl up her leg.

After the verbs "make" and "let":

• Her parents let her stay out late.
• Let's go to the cinema tonight.
• You made me love you.
• Don't make me study that boring grammar book!

NOTICE that the to-infinitive is used when make is in the passive voice:

• I am made to sweep the floor every day.
• She was made to eat fish even though she hated it.

After "had better":

• We had better take some warm clothing.
• She had better ask him not to come.
• You'd better not smile at a crocodile!
• We had better reserve a room in the hotel.
• You'd better give me your address.
• They had better work harder on their grammar!

After 'would rather':

Note: this is ONLY when referring to the speaker's own actions - see 'would rather' in section on Unreal past.

THE INFINITIVE

1. Form

The infinitive is the base form of a verb. It may be preceded by 'to' (the to-infinitive) or stand alone (the base or zero infinitive).

2. Infinitive with or without 'to'

The to-infinitive is used:

• after certain verbs. e.g. want, wish, agree, fail, mean, decide, learn
• after the auxiliaries to be to, to have to, & ought to
• in the pattern 'it is + adjective + to-infinitive'

Examples

with 'to'

• The elephant decided to marry the mouse
• The mouse agreed to marry the elephant
• You will have to ask her
• You are to leave immediately
• He ought to relax
• She has to go to Berlin next week
• It's easy to speak English
• It is hard to change jobs after twenty years
• It's stupid to believe everything you hear

without 'to'

• I would rather visit Rome.
• She would rather live in Italy.
• Would you rather eat steak or fish?
• He would rather work in a bank.
• I'd rather be a forest than a tree.

GERUND OR INFINITIVE?

Part B: GERUND OR INFINITIVE?

B. Verbs where there is a clear difference in meaning:
Verbs marked with an asterisk* can also be followed by a that-clause.

come forget* go on

mean* regret* remember*

stop try

Come:

Come + gerund is like other verbs of movement followed by the gerund, and means that the subject is doing something as they move: She came running across the field. Come + to-infinitive means that something happens or develops, perhaps outside the subject's control: At first I thought he was crazy, but I've come to appreciate his sense of humour. How did you come to be outside the wrong house? This word has come to mean something quite different.

Forget, regret and remember:

When these verbs are followed by a gerund, the gerund refers to an action that happened earlier: I remember locking the door (= I remember now, I locked the door earlier) He regretted speaking so rudely. (= he regretted at some time in the past, he had spoken rudely at some earlier time in the past.) Forget is frequently used with 'never' in the simple future form: I'll never forget meeting my boss for the first time. When these verbs are followed by a to-infinitive, the infinitive refers to an action happening at the same time, or later: I remembered to lock the door (= I thought about it, then I did it.) Don't forget to buy some eggs! (= Please think about it and then do it.) We regret to announce the late arrival of the 12.45 from Paddington. (= We feel sorry before we tell you this bad news.)

Go on:

Go on + gerund means to continue with an action: He went on speaking for two hours. I can't go on working like this - I'm exhausted. Go on + to-infinitive means to do the next action, which is often the next stage in a process: After introducing her proposal, she went on to explain the benefits for the company. John Smith worked in local government for five years, then went on to become a Member of Parliament.

Mean:

Mean + gerund expresses what the result of an action will be, or what will be necessary: If you take that job in London it will mean travelling for two hours every day. We could take the ferry to France, but that will mean spending a night in a hotel. Mean + to-infinitive expresses an intention or a plan: Did you mean to dial this number? I mean to finish this job by the end of the week! Sorry - I didn't mean to hurt you.

Stop:

Stop + gerund means to finish an action in progress: I stopped working for them because the wages were so low. Stop tickling me! Stop + to-infinitive means to interrupt an activity in order to do something else, so the infinitive is used to express a purpose: I stopped to have lunch. (= I was working, or travelling, and I interrupted what I was doing in order to eat.) It's difficult to concentrate on what you are doing if you have to stop to answer the phone every five minutes.

Try:

Try + gerund means to experiment with an action that might be a solution to your problem. If you have problems sleeping, you could try doing some yoga before you go to bed, or you could try drinking some warm milk. 'I can't get in touch with Carl.' 'Have you tried e-mailing him?' Try + to-infinitive means to make an effort to do something. It may be something very difficult or even impossible: The surgeons tried to save his life but he died on the operating table. We'll try to phone at 6 o'clock, but it might be hard to find a public telephone. People have to try to live together in harmony.

VERBS FOLLOWED BY THE GERUND

VERBS FOLLOWED BY THE GERUND

The gerund is used after certain verbs.

Examples

miss: I miss living in England.

The most important of these verbs are shown below.
Those marked * can also be followed by a that-clause

Example:

VERB	GERUND
She admitted...	breaking the window
	THAT-CLAUSE
She admitted...	that she had broken the window.

acknowledge,* admit,* anticipate,* appreciate,* avoid, celebrate, consider, contemplate, defer, delay, deny,* detest,  dislike, dread, enjoy, entail, escape, excuse, fancy (=imagine)*, finish, forgive, imagine,* involve,

keep, loathe, mean,(=have as result)* mention,* mind, miss, pardon, postpone, prevent, propose,* recall,* recollect,* remember, report,* resent, resist, risk, save (=prevent the wasted effort)stop, suggest,* understand,*

Notes:

Appreciate is followed by a possessive adjective and the gerund when the gerund does not refer to the subject.

Compare :

• I appreciate having some time off work. (I'm having the time...)
• I appreciate your giving me some time off work. (You're giving me the time...)

Excuse, forgive, pardon can be followed by an object and the gerund or for + object and the gerund (both common in spoken English), or a possessive adjective + gerund (more formal and less likely to be said):

• Excuse me interrupting.
• Excuse me for interrupting.
• Excuse my interrupting.

Suggest can be used in a number of ways, but BE CAREFUL.

It is important not to confuse these patterns:

suggest/suggested (+ possessive adjective) + gerund:

• He suggests going to Glastonbury
• He suggested going to Glastonbury
• He suggested/suggests my going to Glastonbury

suggest/suggested + that-clause (where both that and should may be omitted):

• He suggests that I should go to New York
• He suggested that I should go to New York
• He suggested/suggests I should go to New York
• He suggested/suggests I go to New York
• He suggested I went to New York. 

suggest/suggested + question word + infinitive:

• He suggested where to go.

Propose is followed by the gerund when it means 'suggest':

• John proposed going to the debate
• but by the infinitive when it means 'intend':
  The Government proposes bringing in new laws..

Stop can be followed by a gerund or infinitive, but there is a change of meaning - see GERUND / INFINITIVE? section. 

Dread is followed by the infinitive when used with 'think', in the expression 'I dread to think':

• I dread to think what she'll do next. 

Prevent is followed 

EITHER by a possessive adjective + gerund:

• You can't prevent my leaving.

OR by an object + from + gerund:

• You can't prevent me from leaving.

Examples

• Normally, a girl wouldn't think of marrying a man she did not love.
• Most people don't like receiving bad news.
• We can't risk getting wet - we haven't got any dry clothes.
• If you take that job it will mean getting home late every night.
• I can't imagine living in that big house.
• If you buy some petrol now, it will save you stopping on the way to London.
• She couldn't resist eating the plum she found in the fridge.
• They decided to postpone painting the house until the weather improved.

 GERUND OR INFINITIVE?

GERUND OR INFINITIVE?

The two groups of verbs below can be followed either by the gerund or by the infinitive. Usually this has no effect on the meaning, but with some verbs there is a clear difference in meaning. Verbs marked * can also be followed by a that-clause.

Example: to prefer

I prefer to live in an apartment.
I prefer living in an apartment.

A. Verbs where there is little or no difference in meaning:

allow attempt begin bother cease continue

deserve fear* hate* intend*  like  love

neglect omit permit prefer* recommend* start

Notes:

1. Allow is used in these two patterns:

a. Allow + object + to-infinitive:

• Her parents allowed her to go to the party.

b. Allow + gerund:

• Her parents don't allow smoking in the house.

2. Deserve + gerund is not very common, but is mainly used with passive constructions or where there is a passive meaning:

• Your proposals deserve being considered in detail.
• These ideas deserve discussing. (= to be discussed).

3. The verbs hate, love, like, prefer are usually followed by a gerund when the meaning isgeneral, and by a to-infinitive when they refer to a particular time or situation. You must always use the to-infinitive with the expressions 'would love to', 'would hate to', etc.

Compare:

• I hate to tell you, but Uncle Jim is coming this weekend.
• I hate looking after elderly relatives!
• I love dancing.
• I would love to dance with you.