Топик: Грамматика

This report must be finished tonight.

The gerund or the infinitive after verbs?

1 Continue, start, begin

Either the gerund or the infinitive can be used.

It started to snow

snowing.

The infinitive is more common.

2 Love, like, prefer, hate

The meaning changes slightly, depending on whether the gerund or the infinitive is used.

Followed by the gerund, the statement is general.

I like swimming.

I love going to parties.

I hate driving in the dark.

Followed by the infinitive, the statement is more specific.

I like to read a book before going to sleep at night.

I hate to tell you, but I've lost your coat.

3 Remember, forget, stop, try

The meaning changes greatly depending on whether the gerund or the infinitive is used.

I remember being very unhappy as a teenager. (I know that I was very unhappy as a teenager.)

I'll never forget meeting you. (The day I met you is

very clear in my memory.)

The gerund refers to actions and states in the past, i.e. before the remembering, forgetting, etc. take place.

Remember to put some petrol in the car! (There isn’t much petrol in the car and it is important that you buy some.)

Don't forget to post the letter! (The letter is important, so you must remind yourself to post it.)

The infinitive refers to actions that must still be done, i.e. that happen after the remembering, forgetting, etc.

I stopped smoking years ago. (previous activity)

I stopped to pick up a hitchhiker. (This tells us why I stopped.)

We tried to put out the fire, but it was impossible.

I tried pouring on water, my husband tried covering it with a blanket and my son tried using the fire extinguisher, but in the end we had to call the fire brigade.

Try + infinitive is your goal; it is what you want to do.