Hello, everyone. Welcome back to English for Management and Leadership. In this lesson, we'll be talking about infinitives and gerunds and how to identify their patterns and sentences. Infinitives are the most basic form of the verb. They have no characteristics that connect them to a particular verb tense. In English verbs that have to in front of them are in the infinitive form. For example, to get, to eat, to talk, to meet, to write. Gerunds are a verb ending in ing. But something unique or interesting or downright frustrating in English is that when gerunds and infinitives bind to another verb, they are no longer verbs, but nouns. Before we get too deep into this, let's take a look at a few example sentences. Bert learned to read when he was five. Who is this sentence about? Oh, Bert. That's your subject. What did he do? He learned something. What is that something? Oh, to read. See how read is now a thing? And things are nouns. Here's a sentence with a gerund. She prefers swimming. Who is this sentence about? She. What does she do? She prefers something. What is that something? Oh, swimming. Swimming is not a verb in the present progressive tense anymore. It is a noun. Keep in mind that gerunds have special properties. Not every verb with an ing is a gerund. Many verbs with ing are still participles in the progressive right now tense. I think of verbs like the metal aluminium. Aluminium is the most abundant metal on Earth. It's essential for the Earth's composition. Verbs are essential to every sentence. Other elements will bind with aluminum to create new elements. Though their names change, these new elements cannot be created without aluminum. Think of all the uses for aluminum. It can stand alone and be shaped without the help of any other elements, just like verbs. On the other hand, even though oxygen is abundant, a single oxygen molecule cannot stand alone. It has to bind with something, always. Gerunds and infinitives cannot stand alone. They must bind with certain verbs. Oxygen and aluminum form aluminum oxide. This becomes an abrasive compound that's often added to toothpaste. Yes, to BioDent toothpaste! This element has a new name. Neither oxygen or aluminum are verbs anymore. They've become nouns. It would take more than a PhD in chemistry to figure out why gerunds and infinitives happen, but it's important for you to know that they do happen. Let's take a look at the infinitives and gerunds used during our breakout sessions of the meetings. Jake says we need to think about the entities that influence the products we buy. Where is the subject, where is the verb, and where is the infinitive? You've got it. Who is the sentence about? Jake. What is the action? Need. What is needed? Oh, thinking about entities. That's a thing. Here's another. The trend is to be open to holistic care. Where is the infinitive? Yeah, that's a tricky one. To be is the noun. During this breakout session we see Catherine reads notes. How would you write this sentence using a gerund? Here's what I put. Catherine begins reading notes. Are you noticing a basic pattern in these infinitives? Usually there's a subject, plus a verb, and then the infinitive, plus the rest of the sentence. The main verb can be in any tense, and still have an infinitive that follows. Here are other examples. I chose to take a new job. She will love to help with the project. He remembers to send the report. Like our loose oxygen molecules only certain verbs will bond with every common verb, like our aluminum, to make these infinitive nouns. A type of verb often used in business are verbs of influence. They are verbs like authorize, advise, urge, tell, get, or persuade. Other popular verbs that come before an infinitive are like, love, want, need, mean, forget, remember, start, refuse, agree, hope, and prefer. Most of these verbs have to do with thinking and feeling. Thinking and feeling, ha, I just created two gerunds. And that's exactly what we're talking about next. What is the gerund pattern? You're right, it's not much different. It's usually a subject with a verb plus a new verb with i, n, g, plus the rest of the sentence. Look at these sentences with gerunds. I understand quitting is not an option. We advise speaking to our manager. Jake continued talking. Even though our fascinating aluminum oxide compound has formed an abrasive material used in the next best selling BioDent toothpaste, the molecular bonds still have the ability to break apart, especially if they are moved. Infinitive and gerund bonds with their regular verbs can also break apart or split, especially if we begin moving them. A new word will squeeze its way between the bond of the verb of the gerund or infinitive. Look at these split sentences. Eric appreciated her helping with the order. The boss generally understands leaving early for family issues. Gerunds can also be use as a subject. Writing takes time. Many times, the gerund will be in a singular noun, so pay attention to the present tense s. Here's a split infinitive. He taught Nathan to read for comprehension. It's important to know this pattern, and many times, using a gerund or infinitive is necessary. But as a caution, don't overuse them. As you'll see in module four, when we discuss concise language, many times, infinitives and gerunds can be eliminated. You've done a lot of good work in this lesson, so let's condense all of this into some key takeaways. A gerund and an infinitive are verb forms that can act like a noun in a sentence. The basic pattern for these types of sentences are a subject plus a regular verb in any tense, then to plus a verb in its infinitive and a new verb plus i, n, g if it's a gerund. Gerunds and infinitives can be split up. If you would like more information about gerunds and infinitives, look for an additional reading within module three. Well after working so hard, I want you to rest. Did you catch the gerund and the infinitive in that sentence? Thanks for watching English for Management and Leadership.
