G13

G13. What are the rules governing the use of the gerund or infinitive?

Note: Any word, phrase, sentence or paragraph that I consider to be wrong is shown in red. And any text I consider to be questionable is followed by a question mark:

Request 1: What are the rules governing the use of the gerund or infinitive?

Response 1: The use of gerunds and infinitives in English can be confusing for learners because there are no strict rules to govern their use. However, there are some general guidelines that can be helpful:

1. Infinitives are often used after certain verbs such as "want," "need," "like," "dislike," "plan," "decide," "offer," "promise," "refuse," etc. For example:

I want to go to the movies tonight.
She promised to help me with my homework.
They decided to take a trip to the beach.

2. Gerunds are often used after certain verbs such as "enjoy," "avoid," "finish," "keep," "can't help," "spend time," "imagine," "suggest," etc. For example:

I enjoy playing soccer on weekends.
She can't help laughing at his jokes.
They spent hours talking about their future plans.

3. Some verbs can be followed by both an infinitive and a gerund, but the meaning can be different. For example:

I stopped smoking. (stopped the action)
I stopped to smoke. (stopped doing something else in order to smoke)
She remembered to call her mom. (she didn't forget to do it)
She remembered calling her mom. (she has a memory of doing it)

4. In some cases, a verb can be followed by an object + infinitive, object + gerund, or object + "to" + infinitive. For example:

He advised me to take a break.
He advised me taking a break.
He advised me to taking a break.

In general, it's important to learn the common verbs that are followed by gerunds and infinitives and practice using them correctly in context. However, there are many exceptions and idiomatic expressions that require memorization and practice to use correctly.

This is a good introduction to this complex topic, despite the unfortunate errors in 4. above.

Request 2: What are the rules governing the use of the gerund or infinitive after adjectives?

Response 2: The use of gerunds and infinitives after adjectives in English also has no strict rules, but there are some general guidelines:

1. Some adjectives are followed by infinitives, such as "eager," "happy," "able," "unwilling," "unlikely," "willing," etc. For example:

She was eager to start her new job.
He seemed unwilling to apologize for his mistake.
I am able to speak four languages fluently.

2. Some adjectives are followed by gerunds, such as "interested," "fascinated," "concerned," "excited," "tired," "annoyed," "terrified," etc. For example:

I am interested in learning how to play the guitar.
She was fascinated by the ancient ruins.
He was tired of waiting for the bus.

3. Some adjectives can be followed by either a gerund or an infinitive, such as "afraid," "happy," "sorry," "angry," "surprised," "disappointed," "pleased," etc. The choice between gerund and infinitive depends on the meaning of the sentence. For example:

She was afraid to go to the party. (She was scared to go)
She was afraid of going to the party. (She was scared about the idea of going)
He was surprised to see her. (He didn't expect to see her)
He was surprised by seeing her. (He was surprised about the act of seeing her)

4. Some adjectives are not followed by either a gerund or an infinitive, but by a preposition. For example:

He is good at playing chess.
She is interested in studying abroad.
They are fond of hiking in the mountains.

As with verbs, the best way to learn which adjectives are followed by gerunds or infinitives is to practice using them in context and pay attention to common patterns.

Ok, the adjectives in 4. are followed by a preposition, but then by a gerund as in 2. So, paragraphs 2. and 4. could be combined.

Request 3: What are the rules governing the use of the gerund or infinitive after stand-alone prepositions?

Response 3: In English, the use of gerunds and infinitives after prepositions can also be confusing, but there are some general rules:

1. Gerunds are used after prepositions that indicate an action, such as "by," "after," "before," "with," "without," "in," "on," "upon," etc. For example:

I always wake up by listening to music.
They left the party before saying goodbye to anyone.
She has trouble concentrating when studying with music.

2. Infinitives are used after prepositions that indicate a purpose or intention, such as "to," "for," "in order to," "so as to," etc. For example:

He went to the gym to work out.
She studies hard in order to get good grades.
They saved money so as to buy a new car.

3. Some prepositions can be followed by either a gerund or an infinitive, and the choice depends on the meaning of the sentence. For example:

He apologized for being late. (He apologized because he was late)
He apologized for being early. (He apologized because he shouldn't have been early)
She is interested in learning to play the guitar. (She wants to learn how to play)
She is interested in learning about different cultures. (She wants to gain knowledge about different cultures)

4. Some prepositions are not followed by either a gerund or an infinitive, but by a noun or a pronoun. For example:

He is fond of swimming.
She is afraid of spiders.
They are interested in art.

As with other grammar rules, the best way to learn which prepositions are followed by gerunds or infinitives is to practice using them in context and pay attention to common patterns.

There's so much wrong here that I don't have the will to correct it all. The distinctions made in section 3 are ridiculous.

Request 4: What are the rules governing the use of the gerund or infinitive after a noun?

Response 4: In English, the use of gerunds and infinitives after a noun depends on the context and meaning of the sentence. However, there are some general guidelines:

1. Gerunds are often used after nouns that indicate an action or a state, such as "love," "enjoy," "hate," "fear," "avoid," "practice," "advice," "experience," etc. For example:

I love swimming in the ocean.
She hates doing the dishes.
He has a fear of flying.

2. Infinitives are often used after nouns that indicate a purpose or intention, such as "plan," "attempt," "decision," "desire," "need," "opportunity," "ability," etc. For example:

They have a plan to start their own business.
She has a desire to travel the world.
He has the ability to solve complex problems.

3. Some nouns can be followed by either a gerund or an infinitive, and the choice depends on the context and meaning of the sentence. For example:

I have a passion for playing the guitar. (noun + gerund)
I have a passion to play the guitar. (noun + infinitive)
He has a talent for singing. (noun + gerund)
He has a talent to sing. (noun + infinitive)

4. Some nouns are not followed by either a gerund or an infinitive, but by a preposition or a clause. For example:

She has an interest in art.
They have a responsibility to finish the project on time.
He has a belief that honesty is the best policy.

As with other grammar rules, the best way to learn which nouns are followed by gerunds or infinitives is to practice using them in context and pay attention to common patterns.

Section 2 is fine. Otherwise, this is another poor set of answers. I was expecting examples of gerunds following nouns directly (such as There is no point waiting any longer or after nouns plus prepositions (such as I am not in the habit of using my phone in public.)

Request 5: Give me a list of ten examples where both the gerund and the infinitive can ne used (after verbs, prepositions, adjectives and nouns).

Response 5: Sure, here are ten examples where both the gerund and the infinitive can be used:

1. After verbs of perception:

I saw him crossing/ cross the street.

2. After verbs of liking and disliking:

She enjoys singing/ to sing in the shower.

3. After verbs of preference:

He prefers swimming/ to swim in the ocean.

4. After verbs of intention:

They plan on studying/ to study abroad next year.

5. After prepositions of purpose:

She went to the gym for working out / to work out.

6. After adjectives of feeling:

I am excited about going/ to go to the concert.

7. After adjectives of necessity:

It's important to drink/ drinking enough water every day.

8. After nouns of preference:

Their goal is to learn/ learning a new language.

9. After nouns of action:

Her hobby is painting/ to paint landscapes.

10. After nouns of obligation:

His responsibility is to finish/ finishing the project on time.

In these examples, both the gerund and infinitive have the same basic meaning, but the choice depends on the context and personal preference.

A couple of ungrammatical suggestions here.

Request 6: Give ten sentences exemplfying the use of the bare infinitive after a catenative verb.

Response 6: Sure, here are ten sentences that exemplify the use of the bare infinitive after a catenative verb:

1. They can't afford to buy a new car this year.
2. I would like to have something to eat.
3. She needs to exercise regularly for her health.
4. He decided to quit smoking last year.
5. We should try to reduce our carbon footprint.
6. They want to learn to play the guitar.
7. She asked me to help her with her homework.
8. He taught me how to swim when I was young.
9. They allowed us to take a day off work.
10. She urged him to go to the doctor for a check-up.

In these examples, the catenative verbs (afford, would like, need, decided, should, want, asked, taught, allowed, urged) are followed by the bare infinitive (to buy, to eat, to exercise, to quit, to reduce, to learn, to help, to swim, to take, to go).

See my comment in Request 7 below.

Request 7: Each of the examples you list has a "to infinitive". But I want examples of a bare infinitive (i.e. an infinitive that is not preceded by "to").

Response 7: My apologies for misunderstanding your question. Here are ten examples that exemplify the use of the bare infinitive after a catenative verb:

1. Let me go to the store alone.
2. Make him stop playing video games all day.
3. He felt his heart race as he watched the car drive away.
4. I heard her sing the national anthem at the baseball game.
5. We watched the kids play soccer in the park.
6. She helped me carry the heavy boxes up the stairs.
7. He had us sit quietly and listen to the sounds of nature.
8. They made him clean the entire kitchen by himself.
9. I saw her dance gracefully across the stage.
10. She felt the warm sun on her face as she lay on the beach.

In these examples, the catenative verbs (let, make, feel, hear, watch, help, have, made, saw, felt) are followed by the bare infinitive (go, stop, race, sing, play, carry, sit, clean, dance, lay).

Finally we have a good set of exemplifying sentences - except sentence 10.

Request 8: Your sentence 10 above does not have a bare infinitive. Please give me a different example.

Response 8: You are correct, my apologies for the error. Here is a different example that exemplifies the use of the bare infinitive after a catenative verb:

10. He had the mechanic fix the brakes on his car.

In this sentence, "had" is the catenative verb, and "fix" is the bare infinitive that follows it.

Ok.

Request 9: Is there a characteristic that catenative verbs which are followed by a bare infinitive have in common?

Response 9: Yes, there is a characteristic that most catenative verbs that are followed by a bare infinitive have in common: they express causation or permission, and they are usually used in a transitive sense.

In other words, catenative verbs that take a bare infinitive often express the idea of making or allowing something to happen, or causing something to be done by someone else. For example, "let," "make," "have," and "get" are all common catenative verbs that can be used in this way.

Here are a few examples:

Let me know if you need any help. (The speaker is giving permission for the listener to ask for help.)
They made him clean his room. (The subject caused someone else to do the action of cleaning.)
She had her hair cut at the salon. (The subject caused someone else to do the action of cutting her hair.)
We need to get the car fixed before we can go on our trip. (The subject is causing someone else to do the action of fixing the car.)

While not all catenative verbs that express causation or permission are followed by a bare infinitive (some are followed by a "to" infinitive), many of them are, and this is a common pattern.

See my Request 10 comment.

Request 10: What about verbs of the senses such as "see" or "feel"?

Response 10: Verbs of the senses such as "see" or "feel" can also be catenative verbs, and they can be followed by a bare infinitive in certain contexts. However, the use of the bare infinitive after these verbs is less common than with causative or permissive verbs.

When verbs of the senses are followed by a bare infinitive, they often express the idea of perceiving or experiencing something that is happening, or that is about to happen. For example:

I heard the clock strike midnight. (The speaker perceived the action of the clock striking.)
We watched the sun rise over the mountains. (The subject observed the action of the sun rising.)
She felt her heart race as she waited for the results. (The subject experienced the action of her heart racing.)

However, it's important to note that verbs of the senses can also be followed by a "to" infinitive to express a similar idea, and in many cases the choice between the bare infinitive and the "to" infinitive is a matter of personal preference or stylistic choice. For example:

I heard the clock strike midnight. (bare infinitive)
I heard the clock striking midnight. ("to" infinitive)
We watched the sun rise over the mountains. (bare infinitive)
We watched the sun rising over the mountains. ("to" infinitive)
She felt her heart race as she waited for the results. (bare infinitive)
She felt her heart racing as she waited for the results. ("to" infinitive)

In general, the use of the bare infinitive after verbs of the senses is less common than after causative or permissive verbs, but it is still a valid construction in certain contexts.

I am not aware of any justification for the claim that "the bare infinitive after verbs of the senses is less common than after causative or permissive verbs". It is the case however that the catenative verbs of perception can be followed by both a bare infinitive and a gerund.

Request 11: An example in your response 10 above is I heard the clock striking midnight. ("to" infinitive). But this sentence does not have a "to" infinitive. Please correct this error and the other two similar errors.

Response 11: You are correct, I apologize for the error. The correct examples should be:

I heard the clock strike midnight. (bare infinitive)
We watched the sun rise over the mountains. (bare infinitive)
She felt her heart racing as she waited for the results. ("to" infinitive)

Thank you for bringing this to my attention.

This response doesn't correct the wrong sentences in response 10.

Request 12: Please correct the following sentences: We watched the sun rising over the mountains. ("to" infinitive) and She felt her heart racing as she waited for the results. ("to" infinitive)

Response 12: I apologize for my mistake earlier. The corrected sentences are:

We watched the sun rising over the mountains. (gerund)
She felt her heart racing as she waited for the results. (gerund)

In these sentences, "rising" and "racing" are gerunds, not "to" infinitives. Thank you for pointing out the errors.

Ok, let's end this enervating thread on this correct response.

General comment

This is probably the worst of all the 80+ interactions I have so far had with ChatGPT.