The gerund and the infinitive compared

FOR IN

capacity for difficulty in

excuse for harm in

gift for hesitation in

reason for sense in

talent for skill in

AT TO

pleasure at objection to

amazement at preparation to

surprise at

He had difficulty in speaking.

Imagine his surprise at seeing me..

7. an adverbial modifier

a) of time (after, before, on, upon, since, at, in)

She hesitated before entering the room.

On returning home he found a note in his room.

b) of manner (by, without)

I did it without thinking.

You'll achieve a lot by telling the truth.

c) of attending circumstances

They danced without speaking.

I never see asters without remembering her.

d) of cause (because of, for, from, owing to, for fear of)

I couldn't speak for laughing.

He said it for fear of losing her again.

e) of concession (in spite of)

In spite of being disturbed late at night, he fell asleep again.

f) of condition (but for, in case of, without)

But for meeting her, I shouldn't have become an English teacher.

In case of being questioned he should tell the truth.

g) of purpose (for)

One side of the gallery was used for dancing.

THE GERUND AND THE INFINITIVE COMPARED

I. Only the gerund is used (in different functions) after the following verbs:

to avoid to fancy practise

to appreciate to forgive to put off

to admit to imagine to recall

to celebrate to mention to recollect

to consider to mind to resent

to deny to miss to resist

to enjoy to postpone to risk

to excuse to feel like to suggest

to burst out to fall to to finish

to quit to give up

to keep on can’t help (stand, face)

II. Only the infinitive is used after the following verbs:

to advise

to forbid

to permit

to help

can’t afford

III. The gerund and the infinitive are interchangeable (express the same):

1. as part of a compound aspective predicate after aspective verbs (except the verb to stop). After to stop the gerund is used when it suggests the end of the action
denoted by the gerund; the infinitive is used as an adverbial modifier
of purpose.

Stop smoking!

He stopped to talk to his friend.

2. after the verbs to fear, to intend, to neglect, to propose, to attempt,

III. The gerund and the infinitive express different meanings used

GERUND	INFINITIVE
after the verbs to like, to love, to prefer, to hate, to dread, can’t bear
the gerund expresses a more general or habitual action: I hate interrupting people.	the infinitive is used mostly with reference to a special concrete occasion: I hate to interrupt you, but I have to.
after to be afraid
When followed by a gerund (to be afraid of doing smth) this expression shows that there is a possibility of some bad results. We walked very carefully along the icy path. We were afraid of falling.	When followed by an infinitive (to be afraid to so smth) it denotes an intentional action: I’m afraid to do something = I don’t want to carry out an action because I’m afraid He was afraid to tell his parents about the broken window. (he didn’t want to do it because he knew they would be angry)
Compare: I was afraid to go near the dog because I was afraid of being bitten.
after the verb to remember
the gerund expresses a prior action: I remember calling on him that day.	the infinitive expresses a future action: Remember to call on him after dinner.
after the verb to forget
the gerund shows that a person accomplished an action but forgot about the fact: I forgot shutting the window. (Я забыл, что закрыл окно).	The infinitive shows that the action didn’t take place: I forgot to shut the window. (Я забыл закрыть окно).
after the verb to regret
the gerund expresses a prior action: I regret saying it to him.	the infinitive expresses a simultaneous action: I regret to say but you are not among the invited.
after the verb to try
When to try is followed by a gerund it expresses the idea of experiment (попробовать, испытать): He hurt his right hand so he tried writing with his left.	When followed by an infinitive (to try to so smth) it means to make an attempt (стараться): Try to write more carefully.
after the verb to mean
Means doing expresses the idea of some result: I have to start work earlier this week. This will mean getting up earlier.	To mean to do smth= to intend to do smth I meant to ring you up yesterday.
after the verb to go on
to go on + gerund suggests the continuation of the action denoted by the gerund and forms part of compound verbal predicate: I wouldn't go on thinking about it.	the infinitive points out a new stage in the sequence of actions: He welcomed the new pupils and went on to explain the school regulations.

When you go on a foreign holiday, the first thing you must remember to pack/ packing is your dictionary.

You could of course stop to buy / buying one at the airport before you get on the plane. But what happens? The assistant says, 'Sorry, we've stopped to sell / selling those now.' No, buy one before you go. It may mean to run / running round town to find just what you want, but it'll be worth it. From the moment you book your holiday, you spend days trying to learn / learning all those little phrases that will make life easy while you're abroad.

And you have such good intentions! You mean to learn / learning at least five new phrases every day. And that means to set / setting aside time. So you take the book to work to study in your lunch hour and then forget to bring / bringing it home!

I've just come back from a holiday in Malawi. One day I went to a market and, without a dictionary, I started to talk to a young man selling fish. Unfortunately, although I didn't mean to be / being offensive, I must have said something that annoyed him. I remember to wake / waking up lying on the ground with a bleeding nose.

If only I had remembered to take /taking my dictionary with me!

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