Transcript theinfinitiveandtheingform-100217133002-phpapp02

THE INFINITIVE AND THE –ING
FORM: USES
Introduction

The infinitive
“To be or not to be…”
“To sleep, perchance to dream…”
 The –ing form
Verb, adjective or noun.
“The baby is sleeping”
“Sleeping beauty”
“The building of the bridge
was slow work”
THE INFINITIVE: USE
1.
The bare infinitive
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She should study harder.
They need not come early.
I heard him knock the door.
You had better say nothing.
He made me move my car.
Live and let live.
He helped us (to) push it.
She does nothing but complain.
He made believe that he had caught the huge fish
himself (=pretended)
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2. The full infinitive
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Subject
To save money now seems impossible.
It is dangerous to lean out of the window.
 Object or complement of the verb.
They are preparing to evacuate the area.
He is just about to leave.
I promise to wait.
 After verb or verb + object.
He likes to eat well. He likes his staff to eat well.
 Be
+ infinitive
No one is to leave this building without the
permission of the police.
She is to be married next month.
They said goodbye, little knowing that they
were never to meet again.
They are about to start.
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Verb + wh- questions + infinitive
I didn’t know when to switch the machine off.
I wondered whether to write or phone.
He couldn’t remember whether to turn left or right.
 The infinitive after certain nouns.
She made an attempt / effort to stand up.
Failure to obey the regulations may result in
disqualification.
Their offer / plan / promise to rebuild the town was
not taken seriously.
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Adjectives + infinitives
It was kind of you to help him.
I was stupid to leave their bicycles outside.
It was dangerous to go out alone after dark.
The cake is easy to make.
It’s boring to do the same thing everyday.
He was glad to leave school.
I am inclined to believe him.
The accident was due to carelessness.
Tom is certain / sure / bound to win.
The infinitive after too, enough and so…as
It is too soon to say whether the scheme will
succeed or not.
You are too young to understand.
The plate was too hot to touch.
She is old enough to travel by herself.
The case is light enough for me to carry.
He was so foolish as to leave his car unlocked.
Would you be so good as to forward my letters?
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The infinitive of purpose.
He went to France to learn French.
He left his gun outside in order / so as not to frighten us.
 The infinitive after verbs of knowledge.
I consider him to be the best candidate.
He is known to be honest.
You are supposed to know the laws of your own country.
 The infinitive as a connective link.
She hurried to the house only to find that it was empty.
He returned home to learn that his daughter had just
become engaged.
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Infinitive replacing relative clauses.
He loves parties; he is always the first to come and the last
to leave.
I have letters to write ( =that I must write)
Someone to talk to
Cushions to sit on.
 Split infinitives
It would take ages to really master this subject.
I was obliged to entirely agree.
 The infinitive represented by its to
Would you like to come with me? –Yes, I’d love to.
Did you get a ticket? –No, though I tried to.
3. The –ing form: use
Subject of a sentence.
Reading French is easier than speaking it.
He found that parking was difficult.
 Object or complement of a sentence.
The police found the man climbing the wall.
They can’t stand (him) driving his old car.
Despite his injury he continued playing
 Verbs followed by the gerund.
He admitted taking the money.
They kept complaining.
 The –ing form as an adjective
The play was boring.
The work was tiring.
Running water.
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The –ing form to make continuous tenses.
She is bathing the baby.
I was studying at ten o’clock this morning.
We’ve been watching films all the weekend.
He had been training at the gym before coming
home.
 Preposition + -ing form
Touch your toes without bending your knees.
She is fond of climbing.
I am looking forward to meeting her.
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4. Verbs + -ing or infinitive with different
meanings.
 Without
change of meaning.
He continued living / to live above the shop.
I can’t bear waiting / to wait.
They don’t allow parking / They don’t allow
us to park.
I love eating out / I love to eat out.
They like reading / They like to read.
+ infinitive or –ing with some change
in meaning.
 Verb
An –ing form
A bare infinitive
Suggests that the action is repeated
or happens over a period of time
Did you hear those dogs barking
most of the night?
Suggests that the action happens only once.
I noticed him throw a sweet wrapper on the floor, so I
asked him to pick it up.
Suggests that we watch, etc. some
of the action, but not from start to
finish.
I was able to watch them building
the new car park from my office
window.
Suggests that we watch, hear, etc. the whole action
from its start to its finish.
I watched him climb through the window, and then I
called the police.
 Verb + infinitive or –ing changing their meaning.
to + infinitive
+ -ing
Come
After some years, they He came hurrying up
came to accept her as the path.
an equal.
Go on
After the interval,
Pavarotti went on to
sing an aria from
Tosca.
Although she asked
him to stop, he went
on tapping his pen on
the table.
Mean
I meant to phone you
last week.
If we want to get there
by 7.00, that means
getting up before 5.00
Regret
I regret to inform you
that your application
has been
unsuccessful.
It’s too late now, but I’ll
always regret asking
John to do the work.
Remember
Remember to take
your hat when you go
out.
I remember going to
the bank, but nothing
after that.
Stop
She stopped to make
a cup of tea.
They stopped
laughing when
Malcolm walked into
the room.
Try
I tried to get the table I tried taking some
through the door, but it aspirin, but the pain
was too big.
didn’t go away.