INFINITIVES
Both gerunds and infinitives can be nouns, which means they can do just about anything that a noun can do. Although they name things, like other nouns, they normally name activities rather than people or objects. Here are five noun-uses of gerunds and infinitives (and one additional non-noun use, the adjective complement, that we throw in here, free of charge).
Gerunds and infintives can both function as the subject of a sentence:
a. Playing basketball takes up too much of her time.
b. To play basketball for UConn is her favorite fantasy.
It is not impossible for an infinitive to appear at the beginning of a sentence as the subject (as in Ib), but it is more common for an infinitive to appear as a Subject Complement:
a. Her favorite fantasy is to play basketball for UConn.
The gerund can also play this role:
b. Her favorite fantasy is playing basketball for UConn.
Both of these verbal forms can further identify a noun when they play the role of Noun Complement and Appositive:
a. Her desire to play basketball for UConn became an obsession.
b. I could never understand her desire to play basketball for UConn.
c. Her one burning desire in life, playing basketball for UConn, seemed a goal within reach.
The infinitive is often a complement used to help define an abstract noun. Here is a very partial list of abstract nouns, enough to suggest their nature. Try following these adjectives with an infinitive phrase (their desire to play in the championship game, a motivation to
Advice appeal instruction
Command decision desire
Fact motivation opportunity
Order permission proposal
Plan possibility preparation
recommendation refusal reminder
request requirement suggestion
tendency wish
Infinitive phrases often follow certain adjectives. When this happens, the infinitive is said to play the role of Adjective Complement. (This is not a noun function, but we will include it here nonetheless.)
a. She was hesitant to tell the coach of her plan.
b. She was reluctant to tell her parents, also.
c. But she would not have been content to play high school ball forever.
Here is a list of adjectives that you will often find in such constructions.
Ahead amaze danxious
Apt ashamed bound
Careful certain content
delighted determined disappointed
eager eligible fortunate
glad happy hesitant
liable likely lucky
pleased proud ready
reluctant sad shocked
Although we do not find many infinitives in this next category, it is not uncommon to find gerunds taking on the role of Object of a Preposition:
a. She wrote a newspaper article about dealing with college recruiters.
b. She thanked her coach for helping her to deal with the pressure.
Two prepositions, except and but, will sometimes take an infinitive.
a. The committee had no choice except to elect Frogbellow chairperson.
b. What is left for us but to pack up our belongings and leave?
And, finally, both gerunds and infinitives can act as a Direct Object:
Here, however, all kinds of decisions have to be made, and some of these decisions will seem quite arbitrary. The next section is about making the choice between gerund and infinitive forms as direct object.
Although it is seldom a serious problem for native English speakers, deciding whether to use a gerund or an infinitive after a verb can be perplexing among students for whom English is a second language. Why do we decide to run, but we would never decide running? On the other hand, we might avoid running, but we would not avoid to run. And finally, we might like runningand would also like to run. It is clear that some verbs take gerunds, some verbs take infinitives, and some verbs take either. The following tables of verbs should help you understand the various options that regulate our choice of infinitive or gerund.
GERUND
Gerund adalah suatu kata yang dibentuk dari kata kerja (verb) yang ditambah suffix (akhiran) ing (verb + ing), berfungsi sebagai kata benda (noun). Pengertian lain, gerund adalah kata benda yang dibentuk dari V-ing atau kata kerja diubah menjadi kata benda dengan menambah akhiran-ing.
1.
Verb + Gerund
Rumus Kalimat : V-ING + P + C/O
Contoh Kalimat:
Singing is my hobby.
Running may be hard for some people.
2. Preposition + Gerund
Rumus Kalimat : PREPOSISI + V-ING/BEING
Contoh Kalimat :
I’m going to the party after working
They disscussed an article about
telling the truth.
Kapan Harus
Menghindari Gerund?
Verbal ini perlu dihindari*
penggunaannya ketika ada noun relevan berdasarkan kata kerja yang
sama.
Contoh:
Your
designs need some improving.
—> Your designs need some improvement.
The activating may
take up to five minutes. —> The activation may take up to five
minutes.
Sumber :
