Watch Maria's latest video to master gerunds and infinitives

Hello, hello, everyone.

Welcome back to Learn English with Cambridge.

In today's video, we will delve into the

fascinating world of gerunds and infinitives.

By the end of this video, you'll have a solid understanding of

their usage and be ready to put your knowledge into practice.

Let's get started.

First things first, what are gerunds and infinitives?

Both are verb forms that can act as nouns in sentences.

Gerunds end in I N G, as in swimming or singing,

while infinitives are the base form of the verb,

preceded by to, to swim or to sing.

Gerunds are used when we want to talk about actions as things or concepts.

We use gerunds in various situations, such as when a verb acts as a subject,

after prepositions or after certain verbs.

As the subject. Swimming is my favourite hobby.

Here, swimming is acting as the subject of the sentence.

After prepositions.

I'm interested in learning a new language.

In this case, learning is following the preposition in.

After certain verbs. She enjoys playing the guitar.

Here, playing is used after the verb enjoys.

Let's move on to infinitives.

We use infinitives when we want to express purposes or

intentions or to show what someone wants or needs to do.

Desire or intention. I want to go to the movies tonight.

In this sentence, to go indicates the speaker's desire or intention.

Obligation. She needs to study for her exams.

Here, to study expresses what she has to do.

Decision and desire.

He decided to quit his job and travel the world.

To quit and to travel demonstrate the person's decisions and desires.

It's time for some exercises to solidify your understanding.

I'll provide a sentence and you'll need to choose whether to use a gerund

or an infinitive.

I enjoy new recipes.

I enjoy cooking new recipes. She promised her best at the game.

She promised to try her best at the game.

He prefers to the gym every morning.

He prefers to go to the gym every morning.

Congratulations, you've successfully learnt about the differences between

infinitives and gerunds.

Remember, practice makes perfect.

Keep using them in your conversations and writing.

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Thanks for watching and see you next time.