bruno lombardi
to + infinitive or ing form? Sometimes I find for example the verb "to live" and other time "to living". What is the difference? probably the second means something that acts during the time? I know some typical construction as "I used to" or "I am used to" or others like "look forward to". But really there are some times that I just find the "to + ing" without all these constructions and I don't know why there is the "to + ing form". Thanks
24 Thg 03 2015 10:43
Câu trả lời · 4
This is about structure rather than meaning. 'To' is followed by the base form of the verb ( live ) when the 'to' is part of the infinitive. For example: want + to live try + to live decide + to live be able + to live 'To' is followed by the gerund (living) when the 'to' is part of the verb phrase. In these situations, 'to' is a regular preposition, and ( like 'with', 'for', 'at' and so on) it needs to be followed by a gerund. For example: Look forward to + living Be used to + living Be accustomed to + living A gerund is a verb in 'noun form'. So a good way to know whether to use the gerund or not is to say 'Can I substitute this verb for a noun?'. In these sentences, you could say, for example, 'I'm looking forward to your visit' or 'I'm used to a quiet life', so that's why we use a gerund. But you can't say 'I'm able to + noun', so that's why 'I'm able' has to be followed by an infinitive, not a gerund. As you say, in most cases, 'to' + verb is an infinitive form. The use of the gerund form is more unusual, and restricted to certain expressions such as those above.
24 tháng 3 năm 2015
When you add ing on the end of a verb it usually represents something that is happening at that moment for example I watched a movie (This is in past tense so it doesn't require +ing instead it uses -ed) I am watching a movie (This is present tense so it does use +ing) "To watch" is the general way of seeing a verb in a text book. When adding +ing it expresses that the action is occurring at that moment. However as you said sometimes it can be said with or without the +ing such as "I look forward to it" or "I am looking forward to it" But usually if it is an action in the present or future tense it requires +ing on the end. Hopefully this helps!
24 tháng 3 năm 2015
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