Fix the mistake: Infinitives and Gerunds

Infinitives ① — Noun Usage: “to do”

“to + the base form of a verb” is called an infinitive and functions as a noun, adjective, or adverb in a sentence. First, let’s study the noun usage, which is translated as “to do” or “doing.”

Basic Rules

An infinitive in noun usage means “to do” and becomes the subject, object, or complement of a sentence. The pattern in which it is used as the object of a verb is the most common. Verbs such as want / like / hope / decide / try / plan / promise take an infinitive as their object. An infinitive can also be the subject, but when the sentence becomes top-heavy, it is common to use the anticipatory subject It and move the infinitive to the end (It is important to study.).

Points to Note

① Verbs that take an infinitive as their object and verbs that take a gerund (〜ing) as their object are different. want, hope, decide, try, plan, promise, agree, refuse take only infinitives. enjoy, finish, stop, mind, give up take only gerunds. like, love, hate, start, begin can take either.
② Question word + infinitive: what to do, how to swim, where to go, when to start. It becomes the object of a verb, as in “I don't know what to say.”
③ The structure It is + adjective + to do appears frequently. Using an anticipatory subject makes natural English, as in “It is difficult to learn a new language.”

Practice

1. Write “I want to become a doctor” in English.
2. Using It, write “Speaking English is difficult” in English.
3. Write “I don’t know what to say” in English (using what to).