10.11 Infinitives or Gerunds after Verbs

EXAMPLES

I started looking for a job a month ago. I started to look for a job a month ago.

I was sleepy, so I stopped (in order) to get a cup of coffee.

I stopped driving to work. Now I take public transportation. I used to be a teacher. Now I work in a hotel.

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.

EXPLANATION

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. 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.” 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.”

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.

But I was still wasting two hours a day. So my boss agreed to let me work from home a few days a

1.

week. At first I had some difficulty. I (wasn’t used to being/didn’t use to be)

2. alone all day, so I felt

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.

personal phone calls. I decided to stop (to answer/answering) the phone completely until I was

5.

finished with my day’s work. Now I return calls only in the evening.

I had the same problem with email and text messages. I usually prefer (to answer/answering) an

6.

email or text as soon as it comes in. But I was losing concentration. Now I stop (to work/working)

7.

every two hours, get a little exercise, answer my personal emails and texts, and then get back

to work.

Now (I used to work/I’m used to working) at home. I save time by not traveling, I save money

8.

on gas or public transportation, and I love (to set/setting) my own schedule.

9.

FUN WITH GRAMMAR

Write sentences with infinitives and gerunds. Get into teams. Your teacher will say a verb. Write a sentence using the verb + an infinitive or the verb + a gerund. The team with the most creative sentence wins the point. stop — We stopped on the way to school to get donuts for everyone. Stop eating my fries and get your own!

Working from home requires discipline, but can save you time and money.