INFINITIVES

Both gerunds and infinitives can be nouns, which means they can do just about anything that a noun can do. Although they name things, like other nouns, they normally name activities rather than people or objects. Here are five noun-uses of gerunds and infinitives (and one additional non-noun use, the adjective complement, that we throw in here, free of charge).

Gerunds and infintives can both function as the subject of a sentence:

a.       Playing basketball takes up too much of her time.

b.      To play basketball for UConn is her favorite fantasy.

It is not impossible for an infinitive to appear at the beginning of a sentence as the subject (as in Ib), but it is more common for an infinitive to appear as a Subject Complement:

a.       Her favorite fantasy is to play basketball for UConn.

The gerund can also play this role:

b.      Her favorite fantasy is playing basketball for UConn.

Both of these verbal forms can further identify a noun when they play the role of Noun Complement and Appositive:

a.       Her desire to play basketball for UConn became an obsession.

b.      I could never understand her desire to play basketball for UConn.

c.       Her one burning desire in life, playing basketball for UConn, seemed a goal within reach.

The infinitive is often a complement used to help define an abstract noun. Here is a very partial list of abstract nouns, enough to suggest their nature. Try following these adjectives with an infinitive phrase (their desire to play in the championship game, a motivation to pass all their courses, her permission to stay up late, a gentle reminder to do your work) to see how the phrase modifies and focuses the noun.

advice appeal command decision desire fact instruction motivation	opportunity order permission plan possibility preparation proposal recommendation	refusal reminder request requirement suggestion tendency wish

Infinitive phrases often follow certain adjectives. When this happens, the infinitive is said to play the role of Adjective Complement. (This is not a noun function, but we will include it here nonetheless.)

a.       She was hesitant to tell the coach of her plan.

b.      She was reluctant to tell her parents, also.

c.       But she would not have been content to play high school ball forever.

Here is a list of adjectives that you will often find in such constructions.

ahead amazed anxious apt ashamed bound careful certain content delighted

determined disappointed eager eligible fortunate glad happy hesitant liable likely

lucky pleased proud ready reluctant sad shocked sorry surprised upset

Although we do not find many infinitives in this next category, it is not uncommon to find gerunds taking on the role of Object of a Preposition:

a.       She wrote a newspaper article about dealing with college recruiters.

b.      She thanked her coach for helping her to deal with the pressure.

Two prepositions, except and but, will sometimes take an infinitive.

a.       The committee had no choice except to elect Frogbellow chairperson.

b.      What is left for us but to pack up our belongings and leave?

And, finally, both gerunds and infinitives can act as a Direct Object:

Here, however, all kinds of decisions have to be made, and some of these decisions will seem quite arbitrary. The next section is about making the choice between gerund and infinitive forms as direct object.

Verbs that take other verb forms as objects are called catenatives (from a word that means to link, as in a chain). Catenatives can be found at the head of a series of linked constructions, as in "We agreed to try to decide to stop eating between meals." Catenatives are also characterized by their tendency to describe mental processes and resolutions. (Kolln)

Although it is seldom a serious problem for native English speakers, deciding whether to use a gerund or an infinitive after a verb can be perplexing among students for whom English is a second language. Why do we decide to run, but we would never decide running? On the other hand, we might avoid running, but we would not avoid to run. And finally, we might like runningand would also like to run. It is clear that some verbs take gerunds, some verbs take infinitives, and some verbs take either. The following tables of verbs should help you understand the various options that regulate our choice of infinitive or gerund.

AFFIRMATIVE AND NEGATIF AGREEMENT

     Ø  Affirnative agreement

Sebenarnya kata so, too, dan also mempunyai arti yang sama yaitu juga, pula, pun. Tapi dalam penggunaannya terdapat perbedaan, so digunakan sebelum tobe(s) dan auxilliaries(kata bantu).

Example:

1  .      My wife will talk to him and so will I

2  .      My wife has talked about it, and so have I

3  .      My wife talked about it, and so did I

4  .      My wife is talking about it, and so am I

Sedangkan too dan also digunakan setelah tobe(s) dan auxilliaries.

Example:

1  .      My wife will talk to him and I will too

2  .      My wife has talked about it, and I have too

3  .      My wife talked about it, and I did also

4  .      My wife is talking about it, and I am also

When indicating that one person or thing does something and then adding that another does the same, use the word “so” or “too”. To avoid needless repetition of words from the affirmative statement, use the conjunction “and”, followed by a simple statement using so or too. The order of this statement will depend on whether so or too is used.

1.      When a form of the verb be is used in the main clause, the same tense of verb be is used in the simple statement that follows.

Affirmative statement (be) + and + [ S + verb (be) + too]

Example: I am happy and you are too.

Affirmative statement (be) + and + [ so + verb (be) + S ]

Example: I am happy and so are you.

2  .      When a compound verb (auxiliary +verb), for example, will go, should do, has done, have written, must examine, etc., occurs in the main clause, the auxiliary of the main verb is used in the simple statement, and the subject and verb must agree.

Affirmative statement (compound verb) + and + [ S + auxiliary only + too ]

Example: Edward should do his homework and Bella should too.

Affirmative statement (compound verb) + and + [ so + auxiliary only + S ]

Example: Edward should do his homework and so does Bella.

3  .      When any verb except be appears without any auxiliaries in the main clause, the auxiliary do, does, or did is used in the simple statement. The subject and verb must agree and the tense must be the same.

Affirmative statement (single verb except be) + and + [ S + do, does ,or did + too ]

Example: Jackson plays guitar every day and Jessica does too.

Affirmative statement (single verb except be) + and + [ so + do, does, or did + S ]

Example:

1  .      Mark sung “moments” and so did Kevin.

2  .      We want to buy a fountain, and she does too.

3  .      My mother likes traveling, and so do their mother.

4  .      My brother invites him to the party, and my sister does too.

5  .      They wrote a good poem, and so did he.

6  .      Fred cooked fried rice for his breakfast, and Tina did too.

    Ø  Negative Agreement

Hampir sama dengan penjelasan affirmative agreement di atas, neither dan either memiliki arti yang sama yaitu: tidak keduanya, atau kedua-duanya tidak.

Untuk neither digunakan sebelum auxilliary verb, for example:

1    .      My roommate won't go, and neither will I

2    .      My roommate hasn't gone, and neither have I

3    .      My roommate doesn't go, and neither do I

4    .      My roommate isn't going, and neither am I

Dan untuk either digunakan setelah auxilliary verb dan kata "not", for example:

1    .      My roommate won't go, and I won't(will not) either

2    .      My roommate hasn't gone, and I haven't either 

3    .      My roommate doesn't go, and I don't either

4    .      My roommate isn't going, and I am not either

Hal lain yang harus diperhatikan yaitu untuk pemakaian tobe dan auxilliaries setelah kata "..and.." harus sesuai dengan tobe dan auxilliaries yang digunakan di awal kalimat, seperti :

1    .      My wife is talking about it, and so am I

2    .      My wife has talked about it, and I have too

3    .      My roommate won't go, and neither will I

4    .      My roommate doesn't go, and I don't either

 “Either” and “neither” function in simple statements much like “so” and “too” in affirmative sentences. However, either and neither are used to indicate negative agreement. The same rules for auxiliaries, be and do, does, or did apply.

Negative statement + and + [ S + negative auxiliary or be + either]
Negative statement + and + [ neither + positive auxiliary or be + S ]

Examples:

-          I didn’t see Bella this morning. Edward didn’t see Bella this morning

-          I didn’t see Bella this morning and Edward didn’t either.