Gerunds and infinitives

If we fail to improve distribution by December, we will risk losing our share of the market. A gerund is a verb that ends with ’-ing’ → losing An infinitive is to + verb → to improve Use this unit to learn whether verbs are followed by the infinitive or the gerund, then check your writing to make sure that you have got them right. Read this paragraph from an essay about industrial relations and look at the verb forms in bold. At the meeting, senior management and union leaders discussed implementing new working practices and scales of pay. They attempted to reach agreement on these issues and each side expected the other side to compromise. However, finding solutions to some of the areas of disagreement proved extremely difficult. To give everyone an opportunity to consult their colleagues, the meeting was adjourned. When the talks resumed, management tried to make the union leaders see how important it was to modernise but they remained opposed to implementing some of the ideas. Union representatives denied causing the talks to break down. The management were unable to justify imposing unfair terms on the workforce. It was clear that the proposal would entail/involve/mean making 200 people redundant. Union officials would not contemplate/consider agreeing to the terms. Strikers described/mentioned being reluctant to go on strike.