Gerunds and Infinitives | Definition, Examples, and Usage

Among the types of Verbs, the last one we are going to discuss today is “Gerunds and Infinitives.” Today, we will learn what are gerunds and infinitives; and their usage.

Gerunds and infinitives replace the noun in a sentence.

Gerund	-ing form of verb (present participle)	Reading, Writing
Infinitive	To + base form of verb	To Read, To write

But the question arises here is, whether to use a gerund or an infinitive. This depends on the main verb.

I hope to have you here by tomorrow. (Infinitive)
I predict having the task completed by tomorrow. (Gerund)

Table of Contents

What is a gerund?

A gerund is formed by adding “ing” to a noun. Here are the examples.

Noun	Gerund
Read	Reading
Learn	Learning
Write	Writing

They can be used as:

Subject in a sentence
Object in a sentence
As the complement

Example Sentences:

Subject of a sentence	Researching helps get a command of the topic.
As the complement of a sentence	Her favorite activity is reading.
Object of a sentence	They like playing.

Using Gerunds in Negative Sentences:

This is done by adding “not” to the sentence.

For Example,

The best specialty is not avoiding co-curricular activities.

What is an infinitive?

An infinitive is the base form of the verb. The infinitive form of “learn” is “to learn.” You can also use an infinitive as the subject, the complement, or the object of a sentence.

Examples:

Subject of the sentence	To forgive is important.
As the complement of a sentence	The most beneficial thing is to research.
Object of a Sentence	He wants to rest

Using Infinitives in Negative Sentences:

This is done by adding “not” to the sentence.

For Example,