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Common Uses
13.5 Using Gerunds
Gerunds (and gerund phrases) are commonly used in academic writing. They are used:
1. as the subject of a sentence Volunteering is one of several ways to acquire job
experience.
2. as the object of a preposition The study focused on finding new methods to detect cancer.
Researchers are interested in conducting further studies.
3. as the object of certain verbs People dislike speaking in public for several reasons.
4. as a noun after the verb be Students stated their favorite weekend activity was
sleeping late.
5. after by (to explain how something Participants were divided into two groups by selecting
is done) names at random from a longer, larger list.
Notes
1. Gerund subjects are always singular.
2. Common verb + preposition + gerund combinations include ask about, worry about, think of, count on, keep on, and
succeed in.
3. Common adjective + preposition + gerund combinations include afraid of, good at, interested in, worried about, and
responsible for.
13.6 Using Infinitives
Infinitives (and infinitive phrases) are commonly used in academic writing. They are used:
1. as the object of the verb The researchers intended to show which study habits were
most successful.
2. after a form of the verb be According to the survey, the main goal of most students is
to graduate without a lot of debt.
3. after it + be + adjective It is almost impossible to predict the outcome of some
criminal trials.
Notes
1. Infinitives are not commonly used as subjects. Gerunds are more common.
2. Infinitives (to + verb) can be used to express purpose. They have the same meaning as in order to + verb.
[In order] To graduate from college with no debt, many students work part time or even full time.
3. Common adjectives after it + be include difficult, easy, important, impossible, interesting, and necessary.
176 Unit 13 Using Gerunds and Infinitives
Copyright 2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Copyright 2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
Copyright 2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-203
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