10.11 Infinitives or Gerunds after Verbs EXAMPLES
EXPLANATION
I started looking for a job a month ago. I started to look for a job a month ago.
We can follow these verbs with either a gerund or an infinitive with almost no difference in meaning: begin, continue, like, love, prefer, and start.
I was sleepy, so I stopped (in order) to get a cup of coffee.
Following stop with a gerund or infinitive affects the meaning. Stop + infinitive means “stop one activity in order to start something different.” Stop + gerund means “quit.”
I stopped driving to work. Now I take public transportation. I used to be a teacher. Now I work in a hotel.
Used to + base form tells about a past habit or custom. This habit or custom has been discontinued. Be used to + gerund, noun, or pronoun means be accustomed to. Something is or was familiar to a person. Get used to + gerund, noun, or pronoun means “become accustomed to.”
I’m not used to talking about my strengths, but that’s what you have to do to find a job. At first it was hard for me, but I finally got used to working at night.
Notes: 1. The negative of used to + base form is didn’t use to. (We remove the d.) I didn’t use to drive to work. 2. The negative of be + used to + gerund, noun, or pronoun is isn’t/aren’t/wasn't/weren't used to. (We do not remove the d.) I’m not used to working on Saturdays. 3. The negative of get/got used to is usually can’t/couldn’t get used to. He can’t get used to working at night. * For a list of verbs followed by either gerunds or infinitives, see Appendix D.
EXERCISE 16 Circle the correct words to complete this story. In some cases, both choices are possible. If that’s the case, circle both choices. I was tired of driving to the office every day, so I started (to use/using) public transportation. 1.
But I was still wasting two hours a day. So my boss agreed to let me work from home a few days a week. At first I had some difficulty. I (wasn’t used to being/didn’t use to be) alone all day, so I felt 2.
a bit lonely. I had to get used to (stick/sticking) to a schedule. Every time the phone rang, I stopped 3.
(to answer/answering) it. Because I had a lot of work to do, I had to find a way to deal with 4.
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