Gerunds as Objects
Expressing Attitudes about Activities
Opening Day at the Giant's Ball Park
Giants deny feeling any added pressure. The fans enjoyed seeing the first ball fly over the brick wall and into the bay. The fans disliked seeing a gigantic soda bottle mounted on the edge of the field. Many missed being in Candlestick Park. They came by bus, by train, by boat and by taxi. The fans didn't mind taking public transportation. Visitors enjoyed exploring the multistoried structure and found and abundant supply of food and space.
Nouns & Gerunds as Objects
| OBJECT - NOUN | OBJECT - GERUND ( also a noun) | OBJECT - GERUND PHRASE |
|---|---|---|
We enjoyed the game. |
We enjoyed watching. |
We enjoyed watching the game. |
We didn't mind the noise. |
We didn't mind listening. |
We didn't mind hearing the cheers. |
Gerunds as Objects
| IMAGE | VERB BEFORE GERUND | SYNONYMS (verbs with same meaning) |
|---|---|---|
 |
I hate practicing my guitar. |
I detest / dislike practicing my guitar. (Hate, detest, dislike have the same meaning.) |
 |
I enjoy being a disk jockey. |
I love / like being a disk jockey. |
 |
I can't bear seeing bad results. |
I can't stand / hate seeing bad results. |
 |
I can't help rushing all the time. |
I can't avoid rushing all the time. |
 |
I postponed hiring an assistant. |
I delayed / put off hiring an assistant. |
Verbs commonly followed by a gerund object
admit He admitted smoking marijuana. |
delay They delayed leaving. |
like* I like learning languages. |
reccommend I recommend staying. |
advise* He advised going to college. |
deny He denied stealing it. |
love* We love going on vacation. |
regret* I regret not being there. |
allow They allowed smoking outside. |
deserve He deserves being in jail. |
mention He mentioned having dogs. |
remember** I remember hearing it. |
anticipate I anticipate having fun. |
detest She detests exercising. |
mind Do you mind smoking there? |
resent I resent being left alone. |
appreciate She appreciates having it. |
discuss We discussed going out. |
miss I miss being home. |
resist I resist eating too much. |
avoid We avoid asking for help. |
dislike He dislikes dressing up. |
neglect* I neglected doing my work. |
risk He risked losing everything. |
begin* I begin working tomorrow. |
enjoy She enjoys dressing up. |
postpone I postponed having kids. |
start We started taking walks. |
can't bear I can't bear hearing lies. |
escape He escaped getting married. |
practice I practice playing the piano. |
stop He stopped smoking. |
can't help I can't help sneezing. |
finish We finished watching TV. |
prefer* We prefer eating early. |
suggest He suggested chewing gum. |
can't stand I can't stand waiting. |
forget I forgot turning the light off. |
prevent Shots prevent getting ill. |
support He supported going to war. |
celebrate He celebrated beoming nine. |
imagine He imagined being free. |
prohibit They prohibit parking here. |
tolerate We don't tolerate cheating. |
complete He completed reading it. |
hate She hates being alone. |
quit I quit smoking. |
try We tried eating snails. |
consider He won't consider helping. |
keep We keep trusting him. |
recall She recalls being young. |
understand I understand getting mad. |
* May be followed by a gerund or an infinitive object without a change in meaning.
Means the Same
Verbs followed by a gerund or infinitive
Verb + gerund / verb + infinitive — no change in meaning
Verbs that come before infinitive phrases tend to express wishes and hopes about future activties, while verbs that come before gerund phrases tend to express opinions and attitudes about activities. However, in the examples below, the verbs mean the same, speakers find little difference if any.
| IMAGE | VERB BEFORE GERUND | VERB BEFORE INFINITIVE (same meaning) |
|---|---|---|
 |
I love traveling. |
I love to travel. |
 |
I prefer dunking my doughnuts. |
I prefer to dunk my doughnuts. |
 |
He deserves being in jail. |
He deserves to be in jail. |
 |
I continue working out everyday. |
I continue to work out everyday. |
Verbs that do not change meaning when followed by a gerund or infinitive object
attempt I attempted to build / building a house. |
continue We continued to work / working all day. |
love I love to travel / traveling |
begin We began to work / working. |
deserve He deserves to be / being in jail. |
prefer I prefer to walk / walking. |
can't bear I can't bear to leave / leaving you. |
hate I hate to miss / missing my bus. |
start She started to cry / crying |
can't stand I can't stand to see / seeing waste. |
like I like to smim / swimming. |
|
Means Something Different
Verbs followed by a gerund or infinitve
Verb + gerund / verb + infinitive — change in meaning
These five verbs have different meanings when followed by a gerund or infinitive object.
| IMAGE 1 | VERB BEFORE GERUND | VERB BEFORE INFINITIVE (different meaning) | IMAGE 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
I forgot locking the door. |
I forgot to lock the door. |
 |
 |
I regret telling you the news. |
I regret to tell you the news. |
 |
 |
That failed, so I tried fixing it with a wrench. |
I tried to fix your sink with a hammer. |
 |
 |
We stopped eating hamburgers. |
We stopped to eat hamburgers. |
 |
Practice 1
Gerund or Infinitive?
Select the gerund or infinitive object that best completes the sentence. Only one form can logically complete the sentence.
Verbal phrases before gerunds has been moved to the next page. (verb + prepositions: He depends on getting help.)
Index Grammar-Quizzes | Previous Gerund Subjects | Next Verbal Phrases + Gerunds
Related pages: Verbal phrase1 | Verbal phrases 2 | Verbs followed by infinitives