English grammar · lesson 29 of 30 · free

Gerunds and infinitives — English grammar for kids

When one verb follows another, the second verb is either an -ing form (a gerund: enjoy singing) or to + base verb (an infinitive: want to sing). Which one depends on the first verb.

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The grammar rule

The first verb decides — “some verbs are followed by -ing, others by to + verb”

  1. -ing after: enjoy, finish, avoid, keep, practise, and after every preposition (good at swimming, fond of reading, looking forward to meeting).
  2. to + base after: want, decide, plan, hope, promise, agree, need, refuse.
  3. Learn them in pairs: enjoyed singing, decided to sing.

Use it for: Writing natural sentences about likes and plans, and Class 8–10 grammar and competitive English.

Worked example: Zoya enjoyed ___ a song. → singing

  1. “enjoy” is always followed by the -ing form.
  2. sing → singing: Zoya enjoyed singing a song.

Check: “enjoyed to sing” sounds wrong; “enjoyed singing” is right ✓

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🖨️ Gerund and Infinitive Worksheet

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