Important Test Concept

Gerunds and Infinitives

May 01 2023

Language and Grammar

This is one of the most overlooked concept in English. Understanding this will instantly improve your understanding of complex sentences. This concept confuses most learners of English and mastering this concept will make sure you will never make this mistake again!

Differences Between Gerunds and Infinitives

A gerund is a verb that ends in -ing and is used like a noun in a sentence.

For example, "Swimming is my favourite activity." In this sentence, "swimming" is the subject of the sentence, and it is a gerund because it ends in -ing and is used like a noun.

An infinitive, on the other hand, is a verb that starts with "to" and is also used like a noun in a sentence.

For example, "To swim is my favorite activity." In this sentence, "to swim" is the subject of the sentence, and it is an infinitive because it starts with "to" and is used like a noun.

The main difference between gerunds and infinitives is that gerunds end in -ing and infinitives start with "to."

Another difference is that we use gerunds when we want to talk about an activity or action, while we use infinitives when we want to talk about a purpose or intention.