INFINITIVE, GERUND, PARTICIPLE

A word referring to ‘an action or a state of being’ can work as either a verb or noun or an adjective. If it works as a noun it is either the infinitive or gerund, and if it performs the action of an adjective it’s the participle.

To understand this read it carefully.
They try to beat me.
We see that there are two action words in the above sentence TRY and BEAT. One of them is verb and the other not. Now, let’s try to find out the verb out of them. Of course we put WHO or WHAT before an action word to find the subject; if an answer is there to the question, it’s a verb, otherwise not. So two questions now are ’WHO TRY?’ and ‘WHO BEAT?’. We see that the question WHO TRY is giving an answer i.e. THEY, but the question WHO BEAT isn’t giving us any answer. So, we can say they the word TRY is the verb in the sentence, but the word BEAT not.

Now we’ll see what function the action word BEAT is doing here. We know that if we put WHOM or WHAT after the verb we get the object of that verb as our answer. But BEAT is an action word, so the question will be ‘TRY TO DO WHAT’, not just ‘TRY WHAT’. The answer to the question ‘TRY TO DO WHAT?’ is BEAT of course. Therefore we can say that BEAT is the object of the verb TRY. Also we know that an object is always a noun or pronoun. BEAT is not a pronoun at all, so it’s now clear that the action word BEAT is a noun here.

1. INFINITIVE:-
‘An action word or a state of being’ doing work of a noun is called an infinitive if it’s in the first form of a verb. So, BEAT is an infinitive in the above sentence..

An infinitive can take the word TO before it or not. If the word TO is there before an infinitive, it is called full infinitive. And if an infinitive is without the word TO it’s called bare infinitive.

a) VERB+OBJECT+BARE INFINITIVE:-
Most of the verbs take full infinitive i.e. TO-INFINITIVE, but some verbs are such that do not take full infinitive, rather it’s a bare infinitive after them. They also take an object after them. Let’s see what they are:

VERBS THAT TAKE BARE INFINITIVE:-
BID, FEEL, HEAR, MAKE, SEE, SMELL, ENCOURAGE, NOTICE, OBSERVE, OVERHEAR, WATCH, LET; e.g.
1. I heard him sing a song.
[You can know from above that the verb here is HEARD, and SING an infinitive. Also SING is without TO; so it’s a bare infinitive; and HIM: object of the verb HEARD]

2. He made me move my car.
3. The hospital workers had to make them do with a 2% pay increase this year.
4. I saw him do his homework.
5. She noticed him run away from the house.
6. They let him see the case file.
7. My mother bade me go to the bazar.
8. I overheard him say that he was thinking of moving to Nagpur.
9. My parents always encouraged me work hard at school.
NOTES
1. All these verbs except LET take full infinitive in the passive voice. See the following sentences in both active and passive:
ACTIVE: He made me move my car. (MOVE: bare infinitive)
PASSIVE: I was made to move my car. (MOVE; to-infinitive)
ACTIVE: They let him see the case file. (SEE: bare infinitive)
PASSIVE: He was let see the case file. (SEE: bare infinitive)
2. The basic verbs of sensation SEE, HEAR, FEEL, SMELL, and LISTEN (TO), NOTICE, OVERHEAR, WATCH can also be followed by OBECT+PRESENT PARTICIPLE; e.g.

1. I see him crossing the road every day. (CROSSING: present participle)
= I see him cross the road every day. (CROSS: bare infinitive)
2. Didn’t you hear the clock striking?
= Didn’t you hear the clock strike?
3. I saw him changing the wheel.
=I saw him change the wheel.
4. She smelt something burning and saw smoke rising.
=She smelt something burn and saw smoke rise.
5. I watched them rehearsing the play.
=I watched them rehearse the play.
[The difference in use of the infinitive and the present participle is that the action in the present participle may be either complete or incomplete whereas the action in the infinitive is always complete. So participle is safer to use. To know what participle is, see the section on the PARTICIPLE, which is made understood here in this chapter later.]

HELP
HELP is the only verb that may be followed by either the full infinitive or the bare infinitive; e.g.
He helped us to push it. (PUSH: to-infinitive)
= He helped us push it. (PUSH: bare infinitive)
b) VERB+TO-INFINITIVE
After some verbs, we can’t put an object if it’s a to-infinitive there. Some of them are
AGREE, APPEAR, CONSENT, DECIDE, FAIL, FORGET, GUARANTEE, HOPE, HAPPEN, LEARN, PRETEND, PROMISE, PROVE, REFUSE, REMEMBER, SEEM, SWEAR, START, THREATEN, VOLUNTEER; e.g.

1. She promised to visit the exhibition before it ended. (VISIT: to-infinitive; no object after the verb PROMISE)
2. She pretended to be angry.
3. I learnt to look after myself.
4. The shop refused to accept a cheque.
5. He threatened to report their behavior to the principal. (not ‘He threatened them…….)
c) VERB+OBJECT+TO-INFINITIVE
After some verbs, we need to include an object before a to-infinitive. Some of them are
ALLOW, ADVISE, BELIEVE, CURSE, COMMAND, COMPEL, CONSIDER, ENABLE, ENCOURAGE, ENTITLE, EXPECT, FORBID, FORCE, INSTRUCT, INVITE, OBLIGE, ORDER, PERMIT, PERSUADE, REQUEST, SHOW, STAY, TEACH, TELL, WANT, WARN; e.g.

1. I consider her to be the best person for the job. (BE: to-infinitive; HER: object of the CONSIDER)
2. The police warned everyone to stay inside with their windows closed.
3. The police forced him to give himself up.
4. She told him to visit the exhibition before it ended.
d) VERBS WITH OR WITHOUT OBJECT + TO-INFINITIVE
After some verbs, an object might or might not be included before a to-infinitive. Some of them are
CAN BEAR, HATE, HELP, LIKE, LOVE, NEED, PREFER, WANT, WISH; e.g.
1. I prefer to drive.
I prefer you to drive.
2. We need to complete this report by Monday.
We need them to complete this report by Monday.
e) VERB+FOR+OBJECT+TO-INFINITIVE
After some verbs we have to put FOR before object+to-infinitive. Some of them are
APPEAL, APPLY, ARRANGE, CAMPAIGN, LONG (= want), PLAN, WAIT; e.g.
1. We arranged for Hema to stay in Mumbai. (not ‘arranged Hema to stay.
2. We waited for the taxi to come before saying goodbye.
3. The police appealed for his protectors to give him up.
4. She longed for the holidays to come so that she could be with her family again.
f) DARE
In the affirmative DARE is a main verb, and takes full infinitive. But in the negative and interrogative it is a main verb only when any of the helping verb is there with it, otherwise it itself is the helping verb. As main verb it takes full infinitive, and as helping verb it takes bare infinitive; e.g.

1. He doesn’t dare to say anything. (Here DO is the helping verb, therefore DARE is the main verb; so SAY is to-infinitive)
2. Did he dare to criticize my arrangements? (explanation as above)
3. They dared not move. (You see DARE is the helping verb here, so MOVE is bare infinitive)
4. Dare she tell him the truth? (explanation as above)
NOTE: When DARE is preceded by NOBODY, ANYBODY, etc. we can use any infinitive, means either full infinitive or bare infinitive; e.g.
Nobody dared to speak in the meeting.
= Nobody dared speak in the meeting
.
g) NEED
In the affirmative NEED is a main verb, and takes full infinitive. But in the negative and interrogative it is a main verb only when any of the helping verb is there with it, otherwise it itself is the helping verb. As main verb it takes full infinitive, and as helping verb it takes bare infinitive; e.g.

1. I need to go to my doctor today in the evening. (The sentence is affirmative, so NEED is the main verb here.)
2. I do not need to go to my doctor today in the evening.
3. Do I need to go to my doctor today in the evening?
4. I need’nt go to my doctor today in the evening. (DO is not here, so NEED itself is the helping verb here.)
5. Need I go to my doctor today in the evening? (explanation as above)
But when a negative or interrogative clause is in the beginning, the affirmative NEED takes bare infinitive, e.g.
1. I needn’t wear a coat.
= I don’t suppose I need wear a coat. (‘I don’t suppose’ is a negative clause.)
2. Need I tell Rajat?
= Do you think I need tell Rajat. (‘Do you know’ is an interrogative clause.)
When words HARDLY, SCARCELY, ONLY are used with the verb NEED, it takes bare infinitive; e.g.
1. I need hardly say how pleased we are to welcome Mr Bhatia. (SAY: bare infinitive)
2. You need only touch one of the pictures for all the alarm bells to start ringing. (TOUCH: bare infinitive)
h) Verb combinations that take bare infinitive
HAD BETTER, WOULD RATHER, WOULD SOONER
1. You had better not miss the last bus. (MISS: bare infinitive)
2. You’d better start at once. (START: bare infinitive)
3. I’d better ring him at once.
4. I’d rather wait till tomorrow.
5. Ram would rather read than talk.
[WOULD RATHER = prefer something]
NOTE-I: If the word THAN is there after these expressions, we use bare infinitive after THAN also; e.g.
You had better go than stay.
NOTE-II: If two infinitives are joined by AND, OR, EXCEPT, BUT, THAN, AS, LIKE, we use the second infinitive without TO; e.g.
1. I intend to sit in the garden and write letters.
2. I want you to stand beside me and hold the torch.
3. She wants to come and talk.
NOTE-III: BUT and EXCEPT take bare infinitive when they precede DO+ANYTHING/NOTHING/EVERYTHING; e.g.
1. He does nothing but complain.
2. My dog does everything but speak.
3. Can’t you do anything but ask silly questions?
4. There is nothing to do but wait.
[But, when DO is not there before BUT and EXCEPT, we use TO-INFINITIVE; e.g.
She wants nothing but to buy a car.
i) ‘WHY’ AND ‘WHY NOT’
Bare infinitive is used after ‘WHY’ and ‘WHY NOT’; e.g.
1. Why pay more at other shops? (not ‘Why to pay’)
2. Why not go to a good teacher? (not ‘Why not to go’)
j) SPLIT INFINITIVE
To split the infinitive, though fine in informal English, is incorrect in the formal use.
WRONG: It would take ages to really master this subject.
RIGHT: It would take ages really to master this subject.
.
2. GERUND
Study these sentences
1. Ram is swimming in the river at the moment.
2. Swimming is a good exercise.
Of course SWIMMING in the first sentence is a verb. But if you see, SWIMMING in the second sentence is the subject, hence a noun. Now again we see that an action word is a noun, but unlike the infinitive its form is different. Such an action word is called GERUND; means an action word with ING is a gerund if it’s doing the work of a noun.

a) Action words placed immediately after prepositions must be in the gerund (‘ING’ form of a verb) form:
EXAMPLES
1. He left without paying the bill. (WITHOUT: preposition; PAYING: gerund)
2. I apologize for not writing before. (FOR: preposition; WRITING: gerund)
3. She insisted on paying for herself. (ON: preposition; PAYING: gerund)
4. Before signing the contract, read the small print. (BEFORE: preposition; SIGNING: gerund)
5. Have you any objection to changing your working hours? (TO: preposition; CHANGING: gerund)
EXCEPTIONS TO ABOVE
The only exceptions to the above rule are EXCEPT and BUT (preposition), which take the bare infinitive i.e. first form of a verb without the word TO preceding.

EXAMPLES
1. What could I do but accept his condition? (BUT here is a preposition; and is following the bare infinitive ACCEPT)
2. He did nothing but complain. (BUT here is a preposition, and is following the bare infinitive COMPLAIN)
However, if BUT is used as a CONJUNCTION, it should be followed directly by either full infinitive or gerund:
EXAMPLE
Being idle sometimes is agreeable, but being idle all the time might become monotonous.
= To be idle sometimes is agreeable, but to be idle all the time might become monotonous.
b) After ‘ANY USE’, ‘SOME USE’, ‘MUCH USE’, ‘NO USE’, ‘NO GOOD’, ‘ANY GOOD’, ‘WORTH’ we use the gerund; e.g.

1. It is no use crying over spilt milk.
2. Is it any use supporting a corrupt politician?
3. It is no good helping the terrorists.
4. This book is worth reading.
c) After ‘CAN’T BEAR’, ‘CAN’T HELP’, ‘CAN’T STAND’ we use the gerund if an action word is needed.; e.g.

1. A child can’t bear living away from its parents.
2. She can’t help laughing at your madness.
d) If it’s a sport activity, free time activity, or a physical activity after the verb GO, we use the gerund; e.g.
go climbing, go dancing, go fishing, go hunting, go riding, go sailing, go shooting, go shopping, go swimming, etc.
e) HOW TO DECIDE IF WE NEED INFINITIVE OR GERUND
The word TO is the main cause for this confusion. It can be a preposition or part of an infinitive. So, to decide if the gerund is needed or the infinitive, it’s Important to determine whether TO is a preposition or part of an infinitive. A good way of finding this out is to see if it’s possible to put a noun or pronoun after it. You already know a preposition always takes a noun or pronoun after it, and also a gerund is a noun. So if TO is a preposition, it’ll take the gerund; otherwise TO will be part of the infinitive. Let’s try to understand this by the following example.

I’m accustomed to————
ACCUSTOMED = familiar with something or used to
Meaning of ACCUSTOMED suggests that it must be a noun after TO. For example ‘I am accustomed to the dark’. We see that the word DARK is a noun. So it’s clear now that TO is a preposition here; hence if an action word is to be used here it will be the GERUND; e.g. I am now accustomed to working in the dark.

f) Some of the other such expressions are ‘LOOK FORWARD TO’, ‘TAKE TO’, ‘BE/BECOME/GET USED TO’. Let’s study these examples.

1. I am looking forward to my holidays. (TO is a preposition here as HOLIDAYS is a noun after it.)
2. I am looking forward to seeing you. (Construction with a gerund)
3. I am used to noise. (TO is a preposition here as NOISE is a noun after it.)
4. I am used to standing in queues. (Construction with a gerund)
NOTE: USED TO without BE/BECOME/GET takes infinitive, not gerund; e.g. ‘I used to smoke earlier.’
g) ‘POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVE’ OR OBJECTIVE PRONOUN’ BEFORE THE GERUND
If it is necessary, in formal English the possessive adjective is used before the gerund, not the objective pronoun; e.g.
1. We enjoyed their singing. (not ‘them singing’)
2. Mohan insisted on my reading it. (not ‘me reading’)
3. Forgive my ringing you up so early. (not ‘me ringing’)
[If you want an objective pronoun here the sentence must be then ‘Forgive me for ringing you up so early.]
4. You can’t prevent his spending his own money. (not ‘him spending’)
[If you want an objective pronoun here the sentence must be then ‘You can’t prevent him from spending his own money.]
NOTES-I: But if it’s a participle instead of a gerund we put the objective pronoun or simple noun; not the possessive adjective.
NOTE-II: If the thing is lifeless we do not use possessive case of it; e.g.
There is no danger of it crashing. (not ‘its’)
NOTE-III: When the gerund is in the passive form, we do not use possessive case before it; e.g.
We were shocked at Mahatma Gandhi being assassinated. (not ‘Gandhi’s)
NOUN FORMS WITH GERUNDS
In formal English we use the possessive nouns for persons/living things, and simple nouns for non-living things. When the gerund is in the passive form, we do not use possessive case before it even of persons/living things; e.g.

1. I do not remember my mother’s complaining about it. (not ‘my mother complaining’)
2. We were delighted at Renu being awarded the prize. (not Renu’s being as the gerund (BEING AWARDED) here is in the possessive case. )
3. The cat’s licking the cream was not generally appreciated. (not ‘cat licking’)
4. I remembered the horse’s winning the race. (not ‘horse winning’)
5. There is no chance of the snow falling. (not ‘snow’s falling’ as SNOW is a non-living noun.)
h) We use the gerund after ‘WITH A VIEW TO’, ‘LOOK FORWARD TO’, ‘ACCUSTOMED TO’, ‘ADDICTED TO’, ‘HABITUATED TO’, ‘BE/BECOME/GET+USED TO’; e.g.

1. He comes to me with a view to getting some help.
2. Renu is used to working at night.
3. He looks forward to meeting his friends.
i) MIND
The verb MIND can never be followed by an infinitive; rather it takes GERUND, NOUN/PRONOUN, or POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVE+GERUND
1. I don’t mind living here. (= I live here and don’t object to it.)
2. I don’t mind his living here. (= He lives here and I don’t object to it.)
3. He didn’t mind leaving home. (= He left home quite happily.)
4. He didn’t mind Renu’s leaving home. (= Renu left home and he was quite happy about it.)
j) INTEND
After the verb INTEND we can only use an infinitive; e.g.
1. I intend to sell my car.
2. I intend him to take over the department.
k) MEAN
The verb MEAN can have two meanings. If it is meaning ‘INTEND’, it takes an infinitive; but if it is meaning ‘INVOLVE’, it takes a gerund; e.g.

1. I mean to get to the top by sunrise. (here MEAN = intend)
2. He is determined to get a seat even if it means standing in a queue all night. (here MEAN = involve)
l) PROPOSE
PROPOSE meaning ‘INTEND’ takes an infinitive, but PROPOSE meaning ‘SUGGEST’ takes a gerund; e.g.
I propose to start tomorrow. (here PROPOSE = intend)
m) MORE RULES ON INFINITIVE AND GERUND
With ADVISE, ALLOW, FORBID, PERMIT, RECOMMEND, if the person concerned is mentioned we use the infinitive, e.g.
1. He advised me to apply at once. (The person concerned here is ME)
2. She recommends housewives to buy the big tins. (The person concerned here is HOUSEWIVES)
3. They don’t allow us to park here. (The person concerned here is US)
But if this person is not mentioned, the gerund is used; e.g.
1. He advised applying at once.
2. She recommends buying the big tins.
3. They don’t allow parking.
After REGRET, REMEMBER, FORGET we use a gerund when the action expressed by the gerund is the first action; e.g.
1. I regret spending so much money. (SPENDING is the first action, REGRET is the second.)
2. I remember reading about the earthquake in the papers. (READING is the first action, REMEMBER is the second.)
But After REGRET, REMEMBER, FORGET themselves express the first action they are followed by an infinitive; e.g.
1. I regret to say that you have failed your exam. (REGRET is the first action, SAY is the second.)
2. I’ll remember to ring Raman. (REMEMBER is the first action, RING is the second.)
3. I often forget to sign my cheques. (FORGET is the first action, SIGN is the second)
4. I propose waiting till the police get here. (here PROPOSE = suggest)
3. PARTICIPLE
Read the following sentence
Yesterday Raman met a girl carrying a basket of flowers.
Now see what function the word CARRYING is doing here. Of course it’s describing the GIRL, which is a noun. We know a girl describing a noun or pronoun is an adjective. So, the word CARRYING is an adjective here. Also CARRYING is an action word. An action word doing the work of an adjective is called PARTICIPLE.

PARTICIPLES are of three types:
Present Participle
Past Participle
Perfect Participle.
I. PRESENT PARTICIPLE
Now see the example given once again ‘Yesterday Raman met a girl carrying a basket of flowers’. This sentence though is in the past, the participle CARRYING is in the present in fact. The action denoted by CARRYING was in the present when Raman met the girl, means she was carrying the basket at the time he met her. Such a participle is called present participle. This has the same form that the gerund has i.e. ING form.

Now the question is how to know whether an action word with ING is a gerund or participle. We have now known that the gerund works as a noun and the participle as an adjective. So, if an ING form of an action word is a noun in the sentence it’s a gerund, and if it’s an adjective it’s a participle. See how:

1. The old man is tired of WALKING.
2. WALKING along the road, Rohit noticed a dead cobra.
In the first sentence the word WALKING is used after a preposition, i.e. OF. We know that a preposition must follow a noun/pronoun. Hence, WALKING is a noun here; means a GERUND.

We can re-write the second sentence as: Rohit noticed a dead cobra when he was walking along the road. Obviously the phrase ‘WHEN HE WAS WALKING ALONG THE ROAD’ is describing the noun ROHIT; hence it’s an adjectival phrase, the main word of which is WALKING. As WALKING is the main word of an adjectival phrase, it’s an adjective. Therefore it’s a participle here.

a) SPEND/WASTE
If any of these verbs follow an expression of time or money, we use the present participle; e.g.
1. He spends daily two hours reading English.
2. I spent the whole night looking after him.
3. He wasted two weeks looking for my house.
4. She spent a lot of money moderrnizing her house.
b) BE+BUSY
BE+BUSY takes a present participle; e.g.
1. I was busy preparing for the examination.
2. They are busy managing everything.
c) WHILE/WHEN
WHILE and WHEN take present participle if an action word is used; e.g.
1. I saw a cobra while walking in the park.
2. Be careful when walking to a travel agent.
II. PAST PARTICIPLE
A burnt child dreads the fire. (एक जला हुआ बच्चा आग से डरता है.)

The word BURNT is describing the noun CHILD, hence it’s a participle here. As it’s in the third form of a verb, it represents a completed action/state of being (The child who was burnt already). So it’s called PAST PARTICIPLE..

.
III. PERFECT PARTICIPLE
Besides the present and past participle, we have one more what is called a PERFECT PARTICIPLE. It represents an action as completed at some past time; in other words you can say when there is a time difference between the two activities. Its form is ‘HAVING+V3’ in the active voice and ‘HAVING BEEN+V3’ in the passive; e.g.

1. Having rested, we continued our journey. (आराम कर लेने के उपरांत हमने अपनी यात्रा जरी की.)

2. The sun having risen, the fog disappeared.
3. Having been read, the book must be returned to the library.
IV. COMMON ERROR MADE IN USAGE OF PARTICIPLES
As a participle does work of an adjective it must have a noun/pronoun to describe. Sometimes that noun/pronoun is missing or it’s missing from the sentence. See these sentences to understand it well.

1. WRONG: Walking in the garden, a tree fell down.
WALKING in this sentence is a present participle, so it must have a noun/pronoun to describe. But you’ll see it’s missing that. Of course the TREE is not that noun as a tree cannot walk. Therefore the correct sentence will be:

RIGHT: While I was walking in the garden, a tree fell down.
Some more such examples
2. WRONG: Being a rainy day, I did not go out.
RIGHT: It being a rainy day, I did not go out.
3. WRONG: Being too costly for him, he could not buy the car.
RIGHT: The car being too costly for him, he could not buy it.
NOTE: Some participles are also there which do not need a noun/pronoun to be associated with, they are:
ALLOWING, CONCERNING, CONSIDERING, GRANTING, JUDGING, OWING TO, REFERRING, REGARDING, SPEAKING, SUPPOSING, TOUCHING, etc; e.g.
1. He performed well, considering his age.
2. Owing to his carelessness, the accident took place.
V. EXERCISE FOR PRACTICE
Pick out the infinitives, gerunds and participles in the following sentences. In the case of the participle, name the noun or pronoun it qualifies. (Answers at the end)

1. You had better say nothing.
2. His plan is to keep the matter secret.
3. What can you do besides typing?
4. To lean out of the window is dangerous.
5. It seemed impossible to save money.
6. Wouldn’t it be better to go on.
7. I have no objection to hearing your story again.
8. He thought it safer to go.
9. I happened to be looking out of the window when they arrived.
10. He couldn’t think what to say.
11. He was fined for being drunk in charge of a car.
12. I heard them shouting.
13. Let and let live.
14. He seems to be living in the area.
15. Do you feel like going out.
16. He pretended to have read the book.
17. He pretended to have been studying.
18. What about leaving it here and collecting it later?
19. I’m looking forward to meeting her.
20. He was accused of having deserted his ship.
21. He denied having been there.
22. He was punished by being sent to bed without any dinner.
23. I used to swim all the year round.
24. I’m used to living in a hot climate.
25. I felt the car skidding.
26. Taking off our shoes we creep cautiously along the passage.
27. Being a student he was naturally interested in museums.
28. Having been his own boss for such a long time, he found it hard to accept orders from others.
29. Convinced that they were trying to poison him, he refused to eat anything.
30. Having been bitten twice, the postman refused to deliver our letters unless we chained our dog up.