Effective study habits. Using gerund and infinitive

Using gerunds with “to be”

One of the most common verbs that you will use with a gerund is the verb “to be” – this is the simplest way to present the gerund.
For example:
“Her big fear is driving on the main roads.”
Gerunds can be used in every tense in the same way. For instance:
“My goal for the year was finding a new job – and I did it.”

Using gerunds with prepositions and phrasal verbs

Prepositions are words such as “on”, “at” or “in”, that can be used to link nouns and noun phrases in a sentence.
When using any verb after a preposition, you must always use it as a gerund, and not in any other form.
For example:
“They are planning on arriving at midday.”
“He’s not very good at speaking in public.”
In the same way, when using a phrasal verbs, you must also use the gerund. Phrasal verbs are verbs formed in conjunction with a preposition or an adverb.
For example:
“Those children will grow up behaving very badly.”
“We have had to put off going on our holiday this year.”

Your turn

People can often get confused about how to use gerunds correctly because they are so similar to a verb – but by remembering one important fact – that they are nouns, not verbs – you will be able to avoid mistakes!
Make sure you practice using them correctly – try writing a few different examples with each of the different forms described above.
Learning to use gerunds and infinitives can feel a bit overwhelming at first. The good news is that our three-part tutorial gives you twenty gerund and infinitive tips to take you from beginner to pro. Here in part 1, we introduce gerunds and infinitives and explain the basics of everyday usage.
What is a gerund?
1. A gerund is a noun made from a verb by adding "-ing." The gerund form of the verb "read" is "reading." You can use a gerund as the subject, the complement, or the object of a sentence.
Examples:

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