ACT English: Choose Between Gerunds and Infinitives Without Second-Guessing

A gerund is a verb form ending in -ing that acts as a noun: "Running is fun." An infinitive is "to" + base verb: "I want to run." Some verbs take gerunds, some take infinitives, some take either with different meanings. Verbs that take gerunds: enjoy, avoid, finish, consider, mind, imagine. Example: "I enjoy reading" (not "I enjoy to read"). Verbs that take infinitives: want, need, hope, try, plan, decide. Example: "I want to run" (not "I want running"). Verbs that take either with meaning change: remember, forget, regret, try. Example: "I remember eating lunch" (the act of eating is in the past). "I remember to eat lunch" (I recall that I need to eat; the eating is still to come). Memorizing which verbs take which form is the most reliable way to avoid these errors, as there is no consistent rule.

Why it matters: English idiom dictates these forms; they do not follow grammar logic. A learner must memorize or look up each verb. The ACT tests this by presenting gerunds where infinitives are correct, or vice versa, and expecting you to recognize the error based on the verb used.

Error 1: "I want reading the book." (Verb "want" takes infinitive, not gerund.) Correct: "I want to read the book." Error 2: "She avoids to eat vegetables." (Verb "avoid" takes gerund, not infinitive.) Correct: "She avoids eating vegetables." Error 3: "He tried to finishing the project." (Infinitive form should be base verb "finish," not "finishing.") Correct: "He tried to finish the project." The most common error is pairing a verb with the wrong form (gerund vs. infinitive). Less common but still tested is breaking infinitive form by using -ing: "to finishing" instead of "to finish."

On the ACT, if you see a verb followed by -ing or "to," check: Is that the correct form for that verb? If the form is wrong, choose the answer with the correct form. This mental check catches most gerund/infinitive errors without requiring extensive memorization.

Sentence 1: "I enjoy to swim." Error: "enjoy" takes gerund. Correct: "I enjoy swimming." Sentence 2: "She hopes reading the book." Error: "hope" takes infinitive. Correct: "She hopes to read the book." Sentence 3: "He considered to apply for the job." Error: "consider" takes gerund. Correct: "He considered applying for the job." Sentence 4: "They finished to decorate the house." Error: "finish" takes gerund. Correct: "They finished decorating the house." Sentence 5: "I regret telling her the truth." Correct: Regret can take a gerund for past actions. Sentence 6: "I regret to tell you the bad news." Correct: Regret can take infinitive for future actions. For each error, identify the verb and whether it incorrectly pairs with a gerund or infinitive, then correct it.

Create a personal reference list of the 20 most common verbs that appear on the ACT and whether each takes a gerund or infinitive. Review this list before practice tests. By test day, pairing verbs with correct forms will feel automatic.

Gerund and infinitive questions appear 2-3 times per ACT English section. These are not grammar errors (both forms are grammatically correct); they are idiom errors. Once you memorize which verbs take which forms, you answer these questions mechanically instead of guessing. Spending 30 minutes memorizing the top 20 verb-form pairs pays off with reliable points on a question type that feels random to unprepared students.

This week, create a deck of 20 flashcards: one side has a verb, the other shows "gerund" or "infinitive" or "both." Drill these cards daily until you can instantly recall which form each verb takes. By test day, seeing a verb-form combination will trigger instant recognition of whether it is correct, and you will answer gerund/infinitive questions without hesitation.