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Gerunds
 

As we already mentioned, when verbs are strung together the second verb is an infinitive.

 

She hates to wait.

 
  (Noun + Verb + Verb)  
  We like to smell roses.
 
  (Noun + Verb + Verb + Noun)  

Sometimes verbs aren't followed by another verb but by a gerund (gerund). If you remember, gerunds are used to create the present progressive. Technically, they are nouns.

 

They hate waiting.

 
  (Noun + Verb + Noun)  
  She likes studying.  
  (Noun + Verb + Noun)  

The verbs below can be followed by either an infinitive or a gerund.

begin
 
like
 
hate
 
start
 
love
 
prefers  
stop          
  I like listening to classical music.
 
 

She hates waiting for her food.

 
  We need to begin working on the project.
 
  They stopped to smell the roses.  
  Stop eating everything!
 
continue
 
  Please continue to study.
 
  Please continue studying.
 
  They continued eating for another hour.
 

The following verbs are always followed by a gerund.

enjoy
 
finish
 
  She enjoys reading British novels.
 
  They finished watching the movie.
 
quit - quit
 
  Please quit bothering us!
 
  Quit speaking in Spanish. Speak English please!
 

Infinitives almost never follow prepositions. Instead gerunds are used.

  Thank you for coming.
 
  I don't feel like working today. Let's sleep in.
 
  Before walking the dog, be sure to do your homework.
 
  After eating two pizzas, he felt full.
 
success   successful (adj.)   failure  
succeed
 
manage
 
fail  
  We succeeded!  
  She succeeded in eating the entire plate.  
  By studying hard, he succeeded in learning everything.
 
  She failed to tell me about that.  
  We managed to pass the test.  
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