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Gerunds and Infinitives

Definition

There are verbs that are followed by either the gerund or the infinitive. The meaning of the verb changes depending on whether a gerund or infinitive is used.

Example

I stopped playing games. (The meaning is “I do not play games anymore.”)

I stopped to play games. (The meaning is “The reason I stopped was to play games.”)

Explanation

The verbs “stop”, “remember”, “try”, and “forget” take either the gerund or the infinitive. The meaning of the verb changes depending if it takes the gerund or the infinitive.