Period 1 12.1 Gerunds and Infinitives DOPP B1/B1+

Gerunds and Infinitives in Business English

Understanding Gerunds and Infinitives

Gerunds:

• A gerund is the -ing form of a verb that functions as a noun.
• Gerunds can be used as the subject, object, or complement of a sentence.
• Example: “Managing a team requires patience.” Here, “managing” is the subject of the sentence.

Infinitives:

• An infinitive is the base form of a verb preceded by “to.”
• Infinitives can function as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs.
• Example: “We need to increase our sales.” Here, “to increase” is the object of the verb “need.”

When to Use Gerunds

1. As the Subject of a Sentence:

   • “Leading a project is challenging.”

2. As the Object of a Verb:

   • After certain verbs: enjoy, avoid, suggest, recommend, consider, etc.
   • Examples:
     • “I enjoy working with my team.”
     • “He avoids making unnecessary expenses.”

3. After Prepositions:

   • “She is interested in learning more about the new software.”

4. As the Complement of the Verb ‘To Be’:

   • “His job is managing the customer service team.”

When to Use Infinitives

1. As the Object of a Verb:

   • After certain verbs: need, want, plan, decide, hope, etc.
   • Examples:
     • “They decided to invest in new technology.”
     • “We hope to achieve our targets.”

2. To Show Purpose:

   • “We organized a workshop to improve our skills.”

3. After Certain Adjectives:

   • “She is eager to learn about the new project.”

4. As the Subject of a Sentence (It + Infinitive):

   • “It is important to meet the deadline.”

Verbs Followed by Gerunds:

• Enjoy: “I enjoy working on challenging projects.”
• Avoid: “He avoids speaking in public.”
• Suggest: “She suggested reviewing the contract.”
• Consider: “They are considering expanding their business.”
• Recommend: “We recommend sending the report early.”

Verbs Followed by Infinitives:

• Need: “We need to increase our sales.”
• Want: “They want to hire more staff.”
• Plan: “She plans to attend the conference.”
• Decide: “He decided to join the team.”
• Hope: “We hope to launch the product next month.”

Common Mistakes

1. Using a Gerund Instead of an Infinitive:

   • Incorrect: “We need hiring more employees.”
   • Correct: “We need to hire more employees.”

2. Using an Infinitive Instead of a Gerund:

   • Incorrect: “She enjoys to manage the team.”
   • Correct: “She enjoys managing the team.”

3. Confusion with Verbs That Can Take Both Forms with Different Meanings:

   • Example: “Stop” (to cease an activity) vs. “Stop to” (to pause to do something else)
   • “He stopped smoking.” (He quit smoking.)
   • “He stopped to smoke.” (He paused what he was doing to smoke.)