Gerunds versus Infinitives
Some verbs are followed by infinitives and some are followed
by gerunds. In some cases verbs are
followed by both. The difficult thing is
that in some cases (start, like) there really isn't any difference in meaning.
However, there are some verbs that have very different
meanings.
Stop
infinitives
He stopped to buy a newspaper.
This means that he was on the way somewhere and stopped with
the purpose to buy a newspaper. He
stopped doing something so that he could buy a newspaper.
gerunds--This has two meanings. Though people often think this means quit, it
can also be a short stop.
He stopped buying newspapers.
This means that he no longer buys newspapers.
He stopped singing.
He was singing, then he stopped.
The combination of both of them
He stopped singing to answer the phone.
