Gerund vs infinitive 4 (change of meaning) Flashcards
Remember + gerund
This is when you remember something that has happened in the past. You have a memory of it, like being able to see a movie of it in your head.
I remember going to the beach when I was a child. (= I have a memory of going to the beach).
Remember + to infinitive
This is when you think of something that you need to do. (And usually, you then do the thing).
I remembered to buy milk. (= I was walking home and the idea that I needed milk came into my head, so I bought some).
Forget + gerund
This is the opposite of remember + gerund. It’s when you forget about a memory, something that you’ve done in the past.
Have we really studied this topic before? I forget reading about it.
Forget + to + infinitive
This is the opposite of remember + to + infinitive. It’s when you want to do something, but you forget about it.
I forgot to call my mother. (= I wanted to call my mother, but when it was a good time to call her, I forgot. I was thinking about something else, and the idea to call my mother didn’t come into my head).
Try + gerund
This is when you do something as an experiment or test. The thing you do is not difficult, but you want to see if doing it will have the result that you want.
I wanted to stop smoking, so I tried using nicotine patches. (= Using nicotine patches was easy, but I wanted to know if it would help me stop smoking).
Try + to infinitive
This is when the thing you do itself is difficult and/or requires you to make an effort to do it. In the present tense or future tense, this means you might not succeed in doing it. In the past tense, it means that you made an effort to do the thing, but you did not succeed.
I’ll try to carry the suitcase, but it looks too heavy for me.
She tried to catch the bus, but she couldn’t run fast enough.
Please try to be quiet when you come home
Look at the difference:
I tried giving up chocolate (it was no problem to stop eating chocolate) but it didn’t make me feel more healthy.
I tried to give up chocolate, but it was too hard. I always ate some when my friends offered it to me.
Stop + gerund
When we stop doing something it means the verb in the gerund is the thing that we stop. It can mean ‘stop forever’ or ‘stop at that moment’.
I stopped working when I was expecting a baby. (Working is the thing I stopped).
Stop + to do st
In this case, we stop something else in order to do the verb in the infinitive.
I stopped to eat lunch. (I stopped something else, maybe working or studying, because I wanted to eat lunch.
Regret + gerund
This is when you are sorry about something you did in the past and you wish you hadn’t done it.
I regret going to bed so late. I’m really tired today.
Regret + to infinitive
We use this construction when we are giving someone bad news, in quite a formal way. The verb is almost always something like ‘say’ or ‘tell’ or ‘inform’.
I regret to tell you that the train has been delayed.
go on + doing something
= continue doing the same thing
The president paused for a moment and then went on walking
go on + to do something
= do or say something new
After discussing the economy, the president went on to talk about foreign policy
can’t help + to do/do something
The speaker is unable to assist or provide support for someone to accomplish a particular task or action. It indicates a lack of capability, resources, or authority to aid in completing the task.
I can’t help you to get/get a job. You have to find one yourself
can’t help + doing something
the subject can’t stop himself doing it
She tried to be serious, but she couldn’t help laughing = she couldn’t stop herself laughing
I’m sorry I’m so nervous. I can’t help it = I can’t help being nervous
