Newsgroup: it.cultura.linguistica.inglese
Titolo: Infinitive, Base form, Gerund

Is there a general rule (even if not infallible) to know which form to use?
Kiuhnm

 use?
Could you be a bit more specific?
Tschüss,
Enrico il Pentolaio.
--
"People say sometimes that Beauty is only superficial. That may be so. But 
at least it is not as superficial as Thought is. To me, Beauty is the wonder 
of wonders. It is only shallow people who do not judge by appearances. The 
true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible." (Oscar Wilde, 
The Picture of Dorian Gray) 

 Could you be a bit more specific?
Please follow this link:
http://a4esl.org/q/f/z/zy67mjr.htm
I answered correctly to 17/19 questions. I do not know a general rule. I 
simply try to remember an example that may help me.
If I am not wrong, all the grammar books I have seen show an infinite 
list of cases.
The problem is that I cannot remember 200 cases :)
Kiuhnm

Kiuhnm ha scritto:

That's why you might just as soon remember none.
FB

 The problem is that I cannot remember 200 cases :)
Have you ever read "Practical English Usage"?
There's a detailed list about this very subject.


 There's a detailed list about this very subject.
Thank you, I'll give it a try.
Kiuhnm

 The problem is that I cannot remember 200 cases :)
Sicuramente la pratica aiuta molto: leggere, ascoltare...
-- 
Enrico C
=======================================
http://www.lillathedog.net/icling/dizionari_inglese.html

 The problem is that I cannot remember 200 cases :)
Sicuramente la pratica aiuta molto: leggere, ascoltare...

 ad/ca82cd76b7d69238/d0a83af420fdfe6c?&hl=it#d0a83af420fdfe6c
Ok.
Kiuhnm

 used to [living]" with "She used to [live]".
Put it this way: you're used to _something_, so you can be used to 
loneliness or to being lonely.
FB

 
http://a4esl.org/q/f/z/zy67mjr.htm
Io 13/18!
Non male....
però sono andato soltanto "a senso"!
-- 
I'm a Dream!!!
-
"prendila vitella, perchè vacca diventa comunque" (da icling) 

 Non male....
Ti ricordi cosa hai sbagliato?



The question's faulty , so it's not surprising.
Mike 

 The question's faulty , so it's not surprising.
Could you be more explicit?
Kiuhnm


Certainly . Each question was supposed to offer three alternative answers - 
gerund , base form , and infinitive . Thus 'Lola used  _  cigars after 
dinner' : the alternatives offered are '1 smoking , 2 to smoke , 3 smoke' .
However , another question gives the sentence 'I'll never get used  _ 
without my seven cats' , and offers the alternatives '1 to living , 2  live 
, 3 to live' . The correct answer ('to living') is of course neither a 
gerund , base form or infinitive ; if the question had been correctly 
phrased , offering the sentence 'I'll never get used to _ without my seven 
cats' , I think you'd have been much less likely to get confused .
Mike 

 cats' , I think you'd have been much less likely to get confused .
Yes, you're right: "to" is a preprosition. Now, I remember I read in a 
grammar book that, whenever we have a preposition followed by a verbal 
form, we have to put it in the -ing form. This rule should be general 
enough.
Kiuhnm

 Ti ricordi cosa hai sbagliato?
No. Ma provo a rifarlo tanto sbaglierò le stesse, grosso modo, presumo....
aspetta :-)
....
1)
Travelling to Africa means ......... a few basic things about life in 
extreme condition.
Learn anzichè learning
2)
She asked me ....... her informed of everything.
OK
3)
I suggest ....... the fish for just a short time
to boil anzichè boiling
4)
They made me ...... them what I had seen
OK
5)
I'd rather ...... in a tent than in a dirty hotel
OK
6)
Victor is always the first ........ and is very proud of it
OK
7)
There's nothing .....in this little town, so we always go to the city on 
Saturday.
OK
8)
Walking or cycling is the best way ...... a country
OK
9)
My parents always advised me not.... too much medicine.
take anzichè to take
10)
I remember ..... long conversations with my grandfather when I was younger.
OK
11)
I'll never get used ..... without my seven cats
to live anzichè to living
12)
They said they had come .... me some questions, but they only wanted to sell 
something.
OK
13)
They never let me ...... the night out when I was at school.
OK
14)
Lola used ..... cigars after dinner
OK
15)
We forgot ..... the lights and our landlord got very angry with us.
OK
16)
Please ..... the children.
OK (ma non ho capito che significa..."please look after the children" :-) )
17)
They said I didn't run fast enough ..... the track team.
OK
18)
We'll have to give up ..... to parties every weekend.
go anzichè going


 go anzichè going
Per capire questo magari è meglio usare un altro verbo, to stop.
"We stopped writing an hour ago"
Ho messo "writing" perchè l'azione che è stata interrotta è l'atto dello 
scrivere.
"We stopped to get a drink"
Qui invece il "to" indica che ci siamo fermati _per fare_ qualcos'altro. "to 
get a drink" ha quindi valore finale.
Spero di essere stato chiaro.
;-)
Tschüss,
Enrico il Pentolaio.
P.S. E tu quando dai il PET? :PPP
