Gerund and infinitive with to – no difference in meaning
Gerund and the Infinitive after the verb – no difference in meaning
These verbs can be followed by a Gerund and an Infinitive without changing their meaning:
Verb | Examples |
---|---|
begin | He began talking. |
He began to talk. | |
continue | They continue smoking. |
They continue to smoke. | |
hate | Do you hate working on Saturdays? |
Do you hate to work on Saturdays? | |
like | I like swimming. |
I like to swim. | |
love | She loves painting. |
She loves to paint. | |
prefer | Pat prefers walking home. |
Pat prefers to walk home. | |
start | They start singing. |
They start to sing. |
These verbs can also be followed by a Gerund or an Infinitive without changing their meaning. Mind the structure with the infinitive:
- Gerund: Verb + -ing
- Infinitive: Verb + Person (as object) + infinitive with to
Verb | Examples |
---|---|
advise | They advise walking to town. |
They advise us to walk to town. | |
allow | They do not allow smoking here. |
They do not allow us to smoke here. | |
encourage | They encourage doing the test. |
They encourage us to do the test. | |
permit | They do not permit smoking here. |
They do not permit us to smoke here. |
When recommend is not followed by a Gerund, put that after recommend. The form walk is a subjunctive.
Verb | Examples |
---|---|
recommend | They recommend walking. |
They recommend that we walk. |
There is sometimes a little change in the meaning of the sentences depending on the use of the Gerund or the Infinitive. Here is an example with like.
Thanks to Bryan.