Help center

To Captivate vs Captivating Infinitives & Gerunds

📝

Notes from a Native English Speaker

Infinitives: An infinitive is the base form of a verb, usually preceded by the word "to" (e.g., to swim, to eat, to learn). It can function as a noun, adjective, or adverb in a sentence. Infinitives are often used to express intentions, purposes, desires, or potential actions. Gerunds: A gerund is the -ing form of a verb (e.g., swimming, eating, learning). It’s different from a “present participle” which functions as a verb tense. A gerund can be the subject, object, or complement of a sentence.

When and How to Use Each Expression?

Get a sense of when and how each expression can be used through the following examples!

To captivate (Infinitive)

Purpose or Intention: Use the infinitive "to captivate" when you want to express a purpose, intention, desire, or potential action

Example

She wants to captivate the audience with her performance.

Captivating (Gerund)

Activity or Experience: Use the gerund "captivating" when you want to refer to the activity itself or the experience as a noun.

Example

Captivating the audience is her favorite part of performing.

Where can infinitives/gerunds be placed in a sentence?

To captivate (Infinitive)

  • 1Subject

    To captivate is her goal as a performer.

    To captivate is her goal as a performer.

    • "*To captivate*" serves as the subject of the sentence.
    • Infinitive phrase (subject) + verb (is) + noun phrase (her goal as a performer).
  • 2Object

    He expects me to captivate the judges.

    He expects me to captivate the judges.

    • "Me *to captivate* the judges" is the object of the verb "expects."
    • Noun (He) + verb (expects) + noun phrase (me *to captivate* the judges).
  • 3Adjective Modifier

    I need a captivating story to captivate the readers.

    I need a captivating story to captivate the readers.

    • "*To captivate* the readers" modifies the noun "story."
    • Noun (I) + verb (need) + noun phrase (a captivating story *to captivate* the readers).

Captivating (Gerund)

  • 1Subject

    Captivating the audience requires skill and charisma.

    Captivating the audience requires skill and charisma.

    • "*Captivating* the audience" is the subject of the sentence.
    • Gerund (subject) + verb (requires) + noun phrase (skill and charisma).
  • 2Object

    I enjoy captivating the readers with my storytelling.

    I enjoy captivating the readers with my storytelling.

    • "*Captivating* the readers" is the object of the verb "enjoy."
    • Noun (I) + verb (enjoy) + gerund (*captivating* the readers).
  • 3Object of Preposition

    She has a talent for captivating people's attention.

    She has a talent for captivating people's attention.

    • "For *captivating* people's attention" is the object of the preposition "for."
    • Noun phrase (She) + verb (has) + noun phrase (a talent for *captivating* people's attention).

Verbs Taking Infinitives/Gerunds as Objects

The following are verbs that can take only the base form of the verb (infinitive), only the -ing form (gerund), or both.

Verbs Taking Infinitives as Objects

Example

They hope to captivate the audience with their performance.

She plans to captivate the viewers with her dance routine.

We decided to captivate the audience with our musical talents.

He wishes to captivate the crowd with his magic tricks.

They want to captivate the judges with their singing abilities.

Verbs Taking Gerunds as Objects

Example

He enjoys captivating the audience with his stand-up comedy.

They recommend captivating storytelling techniques for engaging presentations.

I am considering captivating the crowd with a magic show.

She avoids captivating the audience with excessive theatrics.

Can you imagine captivating a room full of people with your speech?

Verbs Taking Both Infinitives and Gerunds as Objects

Example

She likes to captivate the crowd with her powerful vocals. She likes captivating the crowd with her powerful vocals.

He started to captivate audiences at a young age. He started captivating audiences at a young age.

They began to captivate the viewers with their breathtaking dance moves. They began captivating the viewers with their breathtaking dance moves.

This content was generated with the assistance of AI technology based on RedKiwi's unique learning data. By utilizing automated AI content, we can quickly deliver a wide range of highly accurate content to users. Experience the benefits of AI by having your questions answered and receiving reliable information!