All Questions
Tagged with infinitive-vs-gerund or gerund-vs-infinitive
212 questions
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How do "for+ gerund" and "to+ base verb" differ in their usage? [duplicate]
I am very confused in the usage of "for+gerund" and "to infinitive" to show the purpose of something. I have read some books on this but they don't seem to clear up the confusion. ...
5
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1
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239
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What determines whether “to” before a verb functions as a preposition or as an infinitive marker?
In English, some constructions require “to + gerund” (e.g., look forward to meeting), while others use “to + infinitive” (e.g., want to meet). The usual explanation is that in the first case, “to” is ...
- 203
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39
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chose to do this instead of "doing that", or instead of "to do that" [duplicate]
I just found myself writing "We chose to do this instead of doing that", and realised that I don't understand the grammar behind that sentence.
I feel that in "A instead of B", ...
- 11
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1
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111
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'Certain/sure' with first-person pronouns: are we sure/certain of VERBing vs are we sure/certain to VERB?
According to Swan's Practical (BrE),
Certain/sure of + -ing refer to the feelings of those one is talking about:
José seems sure of passing the exam.
Certain/sure + to-infinitive refer to the ...
- 4,151
0
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1
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153
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'Like:' enjoy something on one particular occasion
A) For choices and habits, like is followed by to-infinitive.
I like the children to go to bed early during the week.
Not like to can mean ‘think it better not to’:
Why didn't you tell me before? ~...
- 4,151
4
votes
2
answers
515
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Passive voice construction with verbs of perception
I wasn't able to find a clear consensus or authoritative answer on this topic online, so I wanted to post this question here.
When converting an active voice sentence with a verb of perception into ...
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1
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170
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Why can't the verb 'Need" accept passive Gerunds [duplicate]
Why can't the verb 'need" accept passive Gerunds?
My car needs washing - correct
My car needs to be washed - correct
My car needs being washed - incorrect
Why can't a passive Gerund fit in ...
- 145
6
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1
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Should infinitive or ing-form be used after "help"?
I was proofreading a user guide for a website and found this sentence:
If you see that they are missing, you can help adding them.
It didn't sound wrong to me, but grammar checking tools suggested ...
- 291
0
votes
1
answer
97
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Confused about the rules for verb + infinitive
I'm doing a worksheet in which rules for verbs + infinitive or gerund have to be completed. And there is one rule I'm really not clear about. It says:
"An infinitive is often used to answer the ...
- 89
5
votes
1
answer
226
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was/were + Past Participle and a verb in the -ing form
I am having trouble understanding the grammar structure of the following sentence:
He was done eating.
My problem is trying to explain why the passive form is followed by an ing form.
I do not know ...
- 51
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1
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68
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Is the sentence "What I need to do is sweeping them off" grammatically correct?
I think "What I need to do is sweeping them off" should be What I need to do is (to) sweep them off"
Can "sweeping" be allowed to be used? or grammatically wrong and never be ...
- 49
0
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2
answers
596
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Should you find + verb with -ing or present?
I have been thinking about how to phrase this and it is getting me confused. I am trying to suggest that an item can be a great tool for a project. I'm using the idiom "Should you find" but ...
- 133
0
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1
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97
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jam or jamming, gerund or infinitive in this particular case?
Sean wasn't as keen about maintaining his gun as a proper soldier should be, and that led to his rifle jam/jamming during the battle.
Is there only one right option here, or are both variants valid ...
- 1
13
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3
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1k
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Preposition ‘to’ followed by gerund in Steinbeck: “started the little wind to moving among the leaves”
Q.1. This is a sentence by John Steinbeck. I don’t understand the verb construction of the preposition ‘to’ followed by a gerund instead of by an infinitive. What’s the explanation?
Evening of a hot ...
- 173
1
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2
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313
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you could do worse than + -ing
Merriam-Webster defines "could do worse" as an idiom:
used to say that a particular choice, action, etc., is not a bad one
You could do worse than to vote for her.
Although I would have ...
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