1. Infinitive or Gerund Solving the puzzle
I would like to give you a few quick tips for helping students with the English grammar of some verb complements, specifically infinitives and gerunds, and give you a bit of practice with them to assist you as you teach Deaf students in your classes.
with
Kathleen Eilers-crandall, PhD
DeafTec-2014

2. What’s going on here?
In English, we use … Jerry wants to work on the project. But not … *Milly wants working on the project.
For example, how can you help a student figure out why English uses Jerry wants to work on the project, but not *Milly wants working on the project, and Milly finished working on the project, but not *Jerry finished to work on the project?
DeafTec-2014

3. And What’s going on here?
And, we use … Jerry finished working on the project. But not … *Milly finished to work on the project.
For example, how can you help a student figure out why English uses Jerry wants to work on the project, but not *Milly wants working on the project, and Milly finished working on the project, but not *Jerry finished to work on the project?
DeafTec-2014

4. The challenge
Read and written English is a representation, not the complete language.
Deaf students do not have full access to the language they need to use for reading and writing.
Teachers must provide Deaf students with the fullest possible visual access to information.
Before I do this, I would like to share with you some general information about English learning and deafness. Your Deaf students are learning an auditory-based language through visual channels. That is not an easy task. Hearing people learn the spoken language of their environment almost effortlessly and then learn to recognize that language in print when they go to school. Deaf people also learn almost effortlessly the sign language of their environment, and that language is not English, and it doesn’t have a written representation. Your Deaf students will have learned English from the printed form, but the printed form is a representation that is not the complete language.
For example, the printed form of spoken languages does not show information such about intonation, timing, and stress. These are features that a hearing person learns early and already begins to imitate during the first year of life, before using any words or phrases in the language of their environments. These features assist children in the learning of the grammar of their environmental language. Deaf children will learn during their first year the equivalent features in a sign language which is in their environment.
What I am indicating to you is that without hearing, learning to read an auditory-based language which one does not have full access to is quite challenging. And, as teachers we must make a concerted effort to provide Deaf students with the best visual access to language (whether it be a spoken or a signed language) as is possible.
Deaf students, as you have observed if Deaf students have been in your classes, may or may not have excellent English skills. Of course, this holds true for your hearing students also, but not necessarily because they didn’t have access to the spoken form of the language.
DeafTec-2014

5. Assumptions
Deaf students in your classes can read and understand fairly well information that you use in your class assignments.
You provide your Deaf students with a form of language that is visually accessible.
Your Deaf students' writing skills are generally intelligible to readers, but contain some word and phrase usage idiosyncrasies.
The information I will share with you today is based on several assumptions: 1) the Deaf students in your classes can read and understand fairly well the printed information that you may have given them in your classes; 2) you will provide your Deaf students with a form of language that is visually fully accessible; 3) your Deaf students' writing skills are generally intelligible to readers, but contain some word and phrase usage idiosyncrasies that are not correct in English.
DeafTec-2014

6. Back to the original question
What is the problem with …
*Milly wants working on the project.
and …
*Jerry finished to work on the project.
when there is no problem with …
Jerry wants to work on the project,
and
Milly finished working on the project.
OK … let’s get on with the original question …
What is the problem with *Milly wants working on the project and *Jerry finished to work on the project when there is no problem with Jerry wants to work on the project and Milly finished working on the project?
DeafTec-2014

7. What words are the problem?
*Milly wants working on the project..
Millie wants
working on the project
*Jerry finished to work on the project.
Jerry finished
to work on the project
Is the problem with the words wants or working, or with the words finished and to work?
Well, the first two words (the subject and the main verb) of the sentences are correct – Milly wants and Jerry finished.
So, let’s focus on the last words of the sentences --- working on this project and to work on the project.
Hmm… those look right, too. There must be some interaction between the main verbs of these sentences and the words that come after the main verbs, the complements of the verbs. [In these sentences, working is a gerund and to work is an infinitive.]
DeafTec-2014

8. What to do?
Ideally, we should strive to …. address the incorrect usage and increase students’ independent learning skills …
How can we explain this to our students and give them tools to understand and avoid this problem in the future?
There are several ways to go about this and increase our students’ independent learning skills as well.
The following steps are an example of scaffolding instruction, but that is another topic. The point I am making here is that we should go in logical small steps from where a student is at present to the goal, not expect perfection without going through a process of successive approximation to the goal.
DeafTec-2014

9. Tools needed A list of common verbs that take infinitive complements
A list of common verbs that take gerund complements
Some directed practice with these constructions
A dictionary designed for English language users
The tools needed are a list of the common words that apply in this situation, some directed practice with these constructions, and a dictionary designed for English language learners.
DeafTec-2014

10. Common verbs + infinitives
Some verbs that can add infinitives … (verb + infinitive)
attempt begin. continue, decide, forget, hate, hurry, like, love, need, offer, plan, refuse, start, try, want, wish
Examples attempt to study begin to eat continue to win decide to try
Here is a very short list of common words that as main verbs can add infinitives. These words use the grammar … main verb + to + verb …
attempt, begin, continue, decide, forget, hate, hurry, like, love, need, offer, plan refuse, start, try want, wish
Some examples -- attempt to study, begin to eat, continue to win, decide to try
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11. Common verbs + gerunds
Some verbs that can add gerunds … (verb + gerund)
avoid, begin, celebrate, continue, delay, enjoy, finish, keep, like, love, miss, quit, recall, recommend, start, stop, suggest
Examples avoid studying begin eating celebrate winning recommend reading
Here is another very short list of common words that can add gerunds. These words use the grammar … main verb + verb+ing …
avoid, begin, celebrate, continue, delay, enjoy, finish, keep, like, love, miss, quit, recall, recommend, start, stop, suggest
Some examples -- avoid studying, begin eating, celebrate winning, recommend reading
DeafTec-2014

12. Watch out … similar Did you notice … We can use …
some words such as begin and continue are on both of the above lists.
We can use …
He began to study. I will continue to study. and
She began studying. I will continue studying.
Both usages have approximately the same meanings.
You may have noticed that some words such as begin and continue are on both of the above lists. One can use, He began to study and He began studying. Both of these have approximately the same meanings.
But some words on both lists do not; for example, She stopped to eat and She stopped eating have almost opposite meanings.
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13. Watch out … different Did you notice … We can use …
the word … stop
We can use …
She stopped to eat
[She stopped whatever she was doing. Then, she started to eat.]
and
She stopped eating.
[She was eating, and she is not eating anymore.]
These have different meanings, almost opposite meanings.
But some words on both lists do not; for example, She stopped to eat (She stopped whatever she was doing and started to eat) and She stopped eating (She was eating and she is not eating anymore) have almost opposite meanings.
DeafTec-2014

14. Resources for students
Lists of verbs that take infinitives and gerunds.
Ask students to bookmark these lists
Show students how to check their work against these lists.
Dictionaries for English language learners
Use these on smart phones for easy access.
Show students how to check verbs in their work.
If your students have a list of these verbs, which can be found on many web sites, your students can quickly learn to check their work against these lists. Also, you can show students how to get this information from a dictionary especially designed for English language learners, one which they can carry in their pocket all the time everywhere they go -- on their smart phone.
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15. Dictionary example 1
Longman English Dictionary Online ( begin
Let’s look at the Longman English Dictionary Online ( I will now show your two or three examples from this dictionary, which is especially designed for English language learners and which uses 2000 commonly used words in the language to define words and explain their usage. This dictionary not only defines words, but also has a lot of information about the usage of words.
Here is one example of a word on the short list.
begin
This one is fairly straight forward. Notice the blue text begin to do something and begin doing something. Both usages (the infinitive and the gerund) are permissible. There are also example sentences to assist students with these two usages. Notice that both of these usages have the same meaning --- Meaning #1 -- start doing something.
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16. Dictionary example 2
Longman English Dictionary Online ( stop
Do you see the blue text stop to do something and the example sentence Sam stopped to give me a lift. All right, that is the grammar for stop + to + verb (infinitive). But where is the grammar for stop + verb+ing (gerund)? Well, we need to look at the meaning of the word, too. The example on the left is only meaning #1. Meaning #2 for the word stop is on the right.
Look at b) above with the meaning -- if you stop doing something, you do not continue to do it and right below that in blue text -- stop doing something with the example sentence I stopped digging. (stop + verb+ing) If we compare that with the other meaning of stop we can see that, yes, both grammars are possible, but the meanings are different. Now, we can figure out why the sentences I stopped to dig and I stopped digging are different.
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17. Useful Lists for Practice
Here are some lists with practice items for infinitives.
Here are some lists with practice items for gerunds.
Here are some useful links to lists of verbs and practice with using infinitives and gerunds.
The practices here are successively more challenging, and can be used as students gain more independent learning skills.
DeafTec-2014

18. Scaffold to Independence
At first, work with students on each step toward mastery.
With success, students will feel comfortable and begin working independently.
Your students will gain self-confidence and be able address more complex verb complements.
I would caution teachers and tutors, however, that a good bit of scaffolding, working with students on a step by step basis, is needed before students will feel comfortable tackling this skill independently. And, when students understand and feel comfortable with their newly learned skills in this area, they will gain self-confidence and be able address more complex verb complements. You will notice some of these on the practice websites just shown, particularly those labeled 2 and 3.
DeafTec-2014

19. Have fun with grammar
You can work with your students to unravel some of the grammar puzzles that cause confusions and difficulties with the use of infinitives and gerunds following main verbs in English sentences.
I hope these tips can help you and your students have fun with grammar and begin to unravel some of the grammar puzzles that can cause confusions and difficulties with the use of infinitives and gerunds following main verbs in English sentences.
DeafTec-2014