"I once explained this difference to a French student of English who asked if there was any between 'like doing' and 'like to do' and was accused, by a native British English speaker, of inventing things that didin't exist in English."
Like to go or like going?
Both
I like eating fruit and
I like to eat fruit are correct but they have different meanings.
I like eating fruit means that I enjoy eating fruit,
when I taste an apple or an orange etc I feel good.
I like to eat fruit means that I think that it is good to eat fruit.
I have read articles about a healthy diet and
I see that it is better for our health to eat 5 pieces of fruit or vegetables a day
Another example:
I don’t like wearing a seat belt when I am in a car
(I find it uncomfortable in hot weather, I don’t enjoy wearing a seat belt) but I like to wear a seatbelt (it is good to wear a seat belt because if I’m involved in an accident it could save my life)
These rules can also be applied in the past.
I liked playing football in the park with my friends but I didn’t like to wear a hat when it was cold.
____________________________________
So,
*use "like+ing"when you mean that something causes you pleasure!(American English frequently uses the infinitive when 'like' means 'to enjoy')
____________________________________
No difference in meaning:
begin can’t bear cease continue hate prefer propose start
Examples:
• Continue adding the flour. ⇐⇒ Continue to add the flour. • I prefer using apricots. ⇐⇒ I prefer to use apricots. • I hate making cakes. ⇐⇒ I hate to make cakes.
4.2 Small Difference in Meaning
like love
Like + to infinitive has a slightly different meaning from like + -ing:
• I like to catch the early bus on Mondays. = this is a good plan or it’s a
____________________________________
OBS.: like is used together with amodal verbwe can only use the like to model...
IWOULD like to eat early today, cause I have a meeting this afternoon.
The -ing ending is used to show theprogressive aspect (progressive / continuous verb tenses). He's studying. They were goinghome when
I saw them. You've been workingtoo
hard! We'd
been talkingabout you
before you called. At 1:00 AM, I'll be
sleeping. John might be working. I'm not sure The operation is beingperformed right now. The
letters were beingtyped when I left
2.
The -ing form is also used for gerunds (verbs which are used as nouns).
Gerunds can be used as nouns for
subjects and subject
complements: Learninga language
isn't easy. Talkingto Bill was
a lot of fun. Communicatingby e-mail
has become very common. His hobby is collectingstamps. ______________________________________ Gerunds can also be
used as nouns for objects of verbs and
prepositions: They dislike studying. For exercise, he recommends
swimming. He doesn't care about beingon time. They're tired of listeningto you. Did he succeed in solvingthe problem?
3.
The -ing form is also seen in participles (verb forms which are used as
adjectives). Participles are commonly used as adjectives
which modify nouns: The movie was boring. That was an excitinggame. His explanation was
confusing. ______________________________________ Participles are also
used in phrases which modify parts of sentences
or entire sentences: Whistlinghappily, he
began to work. He entered the room, whistlinghappily, and
began to work. Holdinghis hands
in the air, he surrendered. He surrendered reluctantly, knowingthat he had no
other choice.
4.
The -ing form is also used after
go in
many expressions showing leisure-time
activities--including
go bowling, go dancing, go diving, go drinking, go
fishing, go hiking, go horseback
riding, go
jogging, go skating, go swimming, go
shopping, go skiing
Special Notes:
1.
After to, base forms
are generally used, but when to
is part of a phrasal verb
and when to
is used as a preposition, it is followed by an - ing form: I want to see you. / I look forward to
seeing
you. Are you
able to do
it
by
yourself? / Are you up to doing
it by yourself? He used to smoke. / He's used to smoking.
2.
If phrases
with participles are at the
beginning of a sentence, they should modify /
describe the first noun
or
pronoun in the
sentence: Whistlinghappily, he began to
work. ("Whistling happily" modifies
"he.") Holdinghis hands in the air,
he surrendered. ("Holding his hands in the
air" modifies "he.") ______________________________________ If a phrase with a
participle
is at the beginning of a
sentence and doesn't
modify /
describe the first noun or pronoun, the
meaning will not be clear. In this situation,
rewrite the sentence. wrong--needs to be rewritten: *Whistlinghappily, the work
was easy for him. wrong--needs to be
rewritten: *Holdinghis hands in the air,
the policeman knew that the criminal wanted to
surrender.
3.
Both
present participles (- ing forms) and past participles can be used as adjectives, but they have different meanings: The movie bored me. ---> The
movie was boring. / I was bored. That game excited me. ---> That
was an excitinggame / I was excited by that game. His explanation confused me. ---> His explanation was confusing. / I
was confused by his explanation.
4.
The
combination go +
an - ing form is
not used for all leisure-time
activities: wrong: *I go watching TV on weekends. *I go playing tennis on
weekends. *I
go sleeping late on weekends. *I go relaxing with my friends on weekends.
5.
Some verbs which combine with other
words are followed by an -ing form (gerund), not
to and a base form: I regret saying that. He admitted stealing the
money. I
recommend seeing a
doctor. He
considered taking a
vacation. They
proposed taking a
break. Did she
suggest cheating?
"When -ing forms are used as verbs, adjectives or adverbs, they are often called 'present participles.'
(This is not a very suitable name, because these forms can refer to the past, present, or future.) When they are used more like nouns, they are often called 'gerunds.' In fact, the distinction is not really as simple as this, and some grammarians prefer to avoid the terms 'participle' and 'gerund.'"
