I love gazing up at the sky, Gerund-Infinitive

Question

I want to know how one could know when to use a gerund and when to use an infinitive.

Does it make a difference when one says: ''I love gazing up at the sky'' or ''I love to gaze up at the sky''

I also know that there is a list of verbs followed by gerunds, one of these words is ''suggest''.

Would it sound weird to a native speaker if I were to say: ''she suggested to go to a movie'' instead of ''she suggested going to a movie''

I know the latter is the correct version, but I wonder whether it really sounds weird when someone uses the former version.

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

JaxTellerDoes it make a difference when one says: I love gazing up at the sky or I love to gaze up at the sky

No. The verb "love" takes either pattern.

JaxTellerWould it sound weird to a native speaker if I were to say: she suggested to go to a movie

It would sound very weird to me.

CJ

JaxTeller · Answer

So basically non-native speakers have no other choice than to memorize the list I mentioned before:)

Thanks for the reply.

CalifJim · Answer

JaxTellerthe list I mentioned before

You must have done that in a different thread. In any case, I don't recall anything about a list.

However, if you do have access to a list that shows the specific patterns that can follow each verb in the list, then yes, in effect you'll have to memorize it. You'll find, though, that if you read a lot of English, you'll learn the patterns just by seeing them again and again in writing. In a way, learning a foreign language is almost entirely learning its verb system.

CJ

JaxTeller · Answer

Reading is certainly a great way. Thank you again.

I love gazing up at the sky, Gerund-Infinitive

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