English grammar is one of the most important parts of language learning. It’s also among the most intimidating and confusing ones, especially for those just starting to learn the language.
A certain part of English grammar includes phrases. There are many different types of phrases, and they all have functions. Some phrases modify nouns and pronouns, while others act as adverbs. You can also use certain phrases as prepositions or conjunctions.
Gerund and infinitive are two different types of phrases. Gerunds and infinitives are verb forms, but their function is very different. Gerunds can be used as nouns, while infinitives cannot.
Moreover, the phrases “started to cry” and “started crying” are correct.
What Is Meant By “Phrase?”
A phrase is a group of words with a grammatical connection and usually expresses a single idea.
Nouns, verbs, adverbs, and prepositional phrases are the most common phrases. Each phrase has its function in the sentence.
The noun phrase is the most common type, which contains a noun (or pronoun) and its modifiers. Examples of noun phrases include “the dog,” “the dog’s bowl,” and “the bowl the dog eats out of.”
Another type of phrase is prepositional, which contains a preposition and any accompanying dependent clauses. Examples of prepositional phrases include “behind the house,” “in front of the house,” and “over the fence.”
Phrases can also be made up of more than one word. For example, in “I’m going to the store” (where ‘to’ is a preposition), ‘to’ is acting as an adverb because it describes how I am going somewhere—not where I am going—and ‘the’ would be working as an article since it modifies ‘store.’
What Is Meant By A Gerund Phrase?
A gerund phrase is a group of words that contains a gerund and may or may not contain other words. A gerund is a form of the verb used as a noun, usually formed by adding “-ing” to the verb. For example, “to run” becomes “running.”
A gerund phrase can be used as an adjective or an adverb, but it cannot be used as a subject or object of a sentence; it can also be used as a complement.
When using a gerund phrase to modify another noun, the modified noun will always come before the gerund phrase; for example: “Running is my favorite activity.”
A gerund phrase as an adverb must come after the word it modifies for it to work correctly in the context. For example: “He ran quickly across the room.“
What is Meant By An Infinitive Phrase?
An infinitive phrase is a word or phrase that contains an infinitive verb (a verb plus the word “to”). Infinitive phrases express purpose, often called “infinitive clauses.” Sometimes, an infinitive phrase can be used as a noun.
Infinitive phrases can be used to express purpose in two ways. One way is by using the word “for” to introduce the infinitive phrase. This means the infinitive phrase will show what someone wants or intends to do with something.
Infinitive phrases also use words like “with,” “to,” and “by” to show purpose. These words show what someone does or how someone does something.
Know The Difference: Infinitive Phrase vs. Gerund Phrase
Infinitive phrases and gerund phrases are very similar in that they both have a subject and a verb and can be used as the subject or object of a sentence; however, there are some differences between the two:
- Infinitives express a relation between a verb and its subject, while gerunds express the same relation but with an additional circumstance.
- Infinitive phrases consist of an infinitive verb form and any objects or modifiers that modify the verb’s meaning.
- For example: “to run.” In this example, the infinitive is “run,” while “to” is an adverbial preposition that modifies the verb by telling us who is doing it (the subject).
- Gerund phrases consist of a gerund verb form and any objects or modifiers that modify the meaning of the gerund.
- For example: “running.” In this example, the gerund is “running,” while “running” is an adjective describing how fast someone was moving when they were running (an adverbial modifier).
- Infinitive phrases are used to modify nouns or pronouns, while gerund phrases are used as subjects or objects in sentences.
- Infinitive phrases can be used as adjectives, while gerund phrases can be used as nouns or verbs.
- Prepositions always precede infinitive phrases, while either prepositions or conjunctions can precede gerund phrases.
For example:
Infinitive: To get up early is hard for me every day.
Gerund: Getting up early is hard for me every day.
Here is a video clip about gerunds and infinitives.
Which One Is Correct: “Started Crying” And “Started To Cry?”
Both phrases are correct.
The phrase “started crying” is a present progressive tense sentence, meaning that the verb is in the present tense, but it describes an action happening right now.
The phrase “started to cry” is the simple past tense of the verb “to start”, and it’s used to describe something that happened in the past and continued until a certain point in time.
How Do You Identify Gerunds And Infinitives?
Gerunds and infinitives are both types of verbs, but they’re used in different contexts.
- To identify a gerund, look for an -ing word that follows the verb, such as “reading” or “eating.” If the word is a verb and not the subject of a sentence, then it’s a gerund.
- To identify an infinitive, look for an -to word that precedes the verb. For example: “to read” or “to eat.” An infinitive is usually preceded by “to” or followed by a noun.
What Are Different Ways To Say “Crying?”
There are many different ways to say “crying.” These include the following:
- sobbing
- wailing
- weeping
- blubbering
What Is A Gerund?
Gerunds are verb forms that end in “ing” and are used as nouns; they’re also called nominalized verbs, present participles, or verbal adjectives.
Gerunds can be used as subjects, objects, and complements of prepositions. In a sentence, gerunds can function as the main verb (like a regular verb) or as an adverbial modifier for another verb (like an adverb).
- As a subject: The most important thing about gerunds is that they can be subjects of sentences, just like other nouns can be. When you use a gerund as a subject, it’s unrelated to any other words in your sentence; it’s just standing alone.
- As an object: Gerunds can also work as objects in sentences, which means they describe who or what something happens to—or who or what does something. A gerund will usually follow the word it’s describing (the object), but if there are more than two words between them, we call this a “split infinitive.”
- As a complement: Gerunds can also act as complements of prepositions like “up,” “down,” “under,” etc. when they’re being used in front.
Here is a table showing the gerund form of some verbs.
| Verb | Gerund |
| Sing | Singing |
| Run | Running |
| Write | Writing |
| Walk | Walking |
| Play | Playing |
Final Thoughts
- The English language is a composition of different structural rules and regulations.
- These regulations are collectively known as English grammar.
- Phrases are a specific part of the English language.
- You have to understand its different types and their uses to learn the language properly.
- Infinitive and gerund phrases are two different types of phrases.
- Infinitive phrases consist of an infinitive verb and any objects or modifiers.
- Gerund phrases consist of a gerund verb and any objects or modifiers.
- You can use an infinitive phrase as an adjective, whereas a gerund phrase is mostly used as a noun or a verb.