Tuesday 9 August 2016

-ing form or infinitive

Are you confused about when to use the -ing form of the verb and when to use the infinitive?

When a sentence contains two verbs, it can be difficult to remember which form the second verb takes.
The video below demonstrates some examples in conjunction with the verb 'remember'. These examples illustrate how the -ing form and the infinitive change the meaning of the sentence.

I remember posting the letter
The first action was 'post the letter' and the second action was 'remember what I did'.


            I posted the letter      I remember that I posted the letter
past________X_______________________|______________________future
                                                                     NOW




I must remember to post the letter
The first and only action is 'remember' and the verb 'to post' has no tense (it is, in fact, infinitive).


                                                           I must remember to post the letter
past________________________________|_______________________future
                                                                    NOW

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