English Mastery
Module 4 · Gerunds & Infinitives

Gerunds & Infinitives — The Basics

Intermediate45 min25 questions7 sections
Step 1

Quick Look

When one verb follows another, English forces a choice: the -ING form (gerund) or the TO form (infinitive). Hindi has one ‘-ना’ for both — तैरना can become ‘swimming’ OR ‘to swim’ — which is exactly why this module exists. This chapter builds the foundation: what each form is, where each naturally lives, and the two jobs they never swap.
Sentence TypeStructure + Example
Gerund
verb+ing, used as a NOUN
Swimming keeps him fit. / I enjoy swimming.
Infinitive
to+base verb
He wants to swim. / She went to the pool to swim.
The negative
not comes BEFORE either form
He decided not to sell. / I regret not buying.

The golden rule: as the SUBJECT of a sentence, the gerund is the natural choice — Smoking is injurious (not ‘To smoke is injurious’ in normal speech). And a gerund subject is SINGULAR, always: Walking IS good exercise, even though ‘walking’ feels plural in Hindi (‘sair karna achhi hoti hai’).

One Hindi form, two English forms
तैरनाone Hindi formtwo English formsGERUNDa verb working as a NOUNswim+-ing=swimmingSwimming keeps him fit.I enjoy swimming.INFINITIVEthe ‘to’ form of the verbto+swim=to swimHe wants to swim.She went to the pool to swim.NOT comes BEFORE either formnotbuyingI regret not buying.notto sellHe decided not to sell.
The gerund names the activity; the infinitive is the ‘to’ form. In a negative, not comes before either.
Step 2

When to Use It

Walking after dinnerisSUBJECTVERBone activity → one singular verb: is · takes · costs
Use 1

Gerund as subject — the activity itself

When an activity is the topic, -ing leads the sentence.
  • Verifying documents takes half our time in every deal.
  • Walking after dinner is an old family habit.
  • Delaying the registry costs both parties.
enjoy+meetingavoid+answeringfinish+measuring
Use 2

Gerund after verbs — the fixed partners

Certain verbs demand -ing after them (full list next chapter).
  • I enjoy meeting new clients.
  • He avoided answering the price question.
  • They finished measuring the plot by noon.
want+toseedecide+toholdrefuse+tonegotiate
Use 3

Infinitive after verbs — the other camp

Other verbs demand to + verb (full list in Chapter 3).
  • She wants to see the sample flat first.
  • We decided to hold the inventory till Diwali.
  • He refused to negotiate on the landing price.
I called the officeWHY?किस लिए?to confirm the slotfor confirmingto confirm
Use 4

Infinitive of purpose — WHY you do something

‘To + verb’ answers ‘kis liye?’ Never ‘for + verb’.
  • I called the office to confirm the slot.
  • He came to Delhi to meet the investors.
  • We hired a surveyor to mark the boundaries.
Paying in cashis risky.=Itis riskyto pay in cash.SAME MEANING
Use 5

The formal alternative: It is... to...

English avoids infinitive subjects by starting with ‘It’.
  • It is risky to pay in cash. (= Paying in cash is risky.)
  • It takes patience to close a land deal.
  • It is important to read every annexure.
Where each form lives
GERUND verb + -ingINFINITIVE to + V1The SUBJECTof a sentenceGERUND’S JOBSwimming keeps him fit.the natural choice!It is risky to pay in cash.avoided as a subject → It is … to …AFTERanother verbTHE VERB DECIDESI enjoy swimming.enjoy · avoid · finish …He wants to swim.want · decide · refuse …To give aPURPOSEINFINITIVE’S JOB…for confirming the slotnever ‘for + verb’I called to confirm the slot.kis liye? → to + V1
Two jobs are never swapped: a gerund is the natural subject, and a purpose always takes to + V1.
Step 3

Hindi Concept Note

अHindi Concept Noteहिंदी में समझिए
हिंदी का ‘-ना’ English में दो रूप लेता है: gerund (-ing) और infinitive (to + verb)।
तैरना सेहत के लिए अच्छा है। Swimming is good for health. (subject gerund)
वह तैरना चाहता है। He wants to swim. (want के बाद infinitive)
मक़सद बताना हो (‘किस लिए?’) तो हमेशा to + verb: मैं उससे मिलने आया हूँ I have come to meet him. (‘for meeting’ नहीं — ‘for to meet’ तो बिल्कुल नहीं!)
और gerund subject हमेशा singular: सुबह टहलना अच्छा होता है Walking in the morning IS good (are नहीं)।
कौन-सा verb किस form को माँगता है — यही इस module की असली कमाई है। अगले chapters में पूरी lists मिलेंगी।
Step 4

Common Mistakes Hindi Speakers Make

Wrong
Right
Why
To smoking is injurious to health.
Smoking is injurious to health.
Never mix the two forms — ‘to’ + ‘- ing’ together is impossible. Subject gerund.
Reading books are a good habit.
Reading books is a good habit.
A gerund subject is singular — the verb agrees with ‘reading’, not ‘books’.
I came here for to meet you.
I came here to meet you.
Purpose = to + verb. ‘For to’ does not exist in English.
He went to the market for buying vegetables.
He went to the market to buy vegetables.
Purpose again infinitive. (‘For buying’ sounds like a label, not a purpose.)
I enjoy to play cricket on Sundays.
I enjoy playing cricket on Sundays.
Enjoy is a gerund-camp verb — preview of Chapter 2’s list.
She decided selling the shop.
She decided to sell the shop.
Decide is an infinitive-camp verb — preview of Chapter 3’s list.
Step 5

Signal Words

Foundation signals:
Activity as the topic/subject gerund (Verifying takes time)
Purpose, ‘kis liye’ to + verb (I called to confirm)
‘It is + adjective + to...’ formal alternative for infinitive ideas
Negative not slots before either form (not to sell / not buying)
After a verb check which camp it belongs to (Chapters 2–5)
Step 6

Practice

Set A

Fill in the blanks

0 / 10
  1. 1
    (jog) every morning has changed his health completely.
  2. 2
    She came to the office (collect) the allotment letter.
  3. 3
    It is dangerous (ignore) structural cracks.
  4. 4
    (find) honest labour is the hardest part of this business.
  5. 5
    He switched off his phone (avoid) the recovery calls.
  6. 6
    (learn) Excel (be) essential for our back office now. (two blanks)
  7. 7
    We stopped at Murthal (have) parathas.
  8. 8
    It takes years (build) a reputation and one deal (lose) it.
  9. 9
    (argue) with the registrar’s staff never helps.
  10. 10
    They hired a photographer (shoot) the sample flat.
Set B

Correct the mistake

0 / 8
  1. 11
    To walking daily is good for the heart.
  2. 12
    Smoking cigarettes are banned inside the campus.
  3. 13
    I went to the bank for to update the passbook.
  4. 14
    She called me for telling the good news.
  5. 15
    Driving at night on that stretch are risky.
  6. 16
    He joined the gym for become fit.
  7. 17
    It is important verify the chain of title. (add what’s missing)
  8. 18
    Not to eating breakfast is a bad habit. (make it natural)
Set C

Translate into English

0 / 7
  1. 19
    रोज़ पढ़ना ज़रूरी है।
  2. 20
    वह मुझसे मिलने आया था।
  3. 21
    झूठ बोलना ग़लत है।
  4. 22
    मैं documents जमा करने बैंक गया।
  5. 23
    सुबह जल्दी उठना आसान नहीं है।
  6. 24
    उसने पैसे बचाने के लिए auto लेना बंद कर दिया... मतलब, वह पैसे बचाने के लिए पैदल जाता है।
  7. 25
    बिना पढ़े sign करना ख़तरनाक है।
Step 7

Answer Key

Show answersHide answers
Answers · Set A
1
Jogging
2
to collect
3
to ignore
4
Finding
5
to avoid
6
Learning ... is
7
to have
8
to build ... to lose
9
Arguing
10
to shoot
Answers · Set B
11
Walking daily is good for the heart. (Subject gerund, no ‘to’.)
12
Smoking cigarettes is banned inside the campus. (Gerund subject singular verb.)
13
I went to the bank to update the passbook. (‘For to’ doesn’t exist.)
14
She called me to tell (me) the good news. (Purpose infinitive.)
15
Driving at night on that stretch is risky. (Singular verb.)
16
He joined the gym to become fit. (Purpose to + verb.)
17
It is important to verify the chain of title. (It is + adjective + to.)
18
Not eating breakfast is a bad habit. (Gerund subject; not before it.)
Answers · Set C
19
Reading every day is essential. / Studying daily is necessary.
20
He had come to meet me.
21
Lying is wrong. / Telling lies is wrong.
22
I went to the bank to submit the documents.
23
Getting up early in the morning is not easy. / Waking up early isn’t easy.
24
He walks to save money. / He goes on foot to save money.
25
Signing without reading is dangerous. / It is dangerous to sign without reading.

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Next up · Chapter 2Verbs Followed by Gerunds

The verbs that demand -ing: enjoy, avoid, finish, mind, suggest, and the full reference list.