To Determine vs Determining Infinitives & Gerunds

When and How to Use Each Expression?

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

To determine (Infinitive)

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

Example

I want to determine the cause of the problem.

Determining (Gerund)

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

Example

Determining the right solution can be challenging.

Where can infinitives/gerunds be placed in a sentence?

To determine (Infinitive)

• 1. Subject

  To determine the truth is essential in this investigation.

  To determine the truth is essential in this investigation.

  • "*To determine* the truth" serves as the subject of the sentence.
  • Infinitive phrase (subject) + verb (is) + adjective phrase (essential in this investigation).
• 2. Object

  She wants me to determine the best course of action.

  She wants me to determine the best course of action.

  • "Me *to determine* the best course of action" is the object of the verb "wants."
  • Noun (She) + verb (wants) + noun phrase (me *to determine* the best course of action).
• 3. Adjective Modifier

  I need a tool to determine the accuracy of the measurements.

  I need a tool to determine the accuracy of the measurements.

  • "*To determine* the accuracy of the measurements" modifies the noun "tool."
  • Noun (I) + verb (need) + noun phrase (a tool *to determine* the accuracy of the measurements).

Determining (Gerund)

• 1. Subject

  Determining the cause of the problem requires thorough investigation.

  Determining the cause of the problem requires thorough investigation.

  • "*Determining* the cause of the problem" is the subject of the sentence.
  • Gerund (subject) + verb (requires) + noun phrase (thorough investigation).
• 2. Object

  I enjoy determining the optimal strategy for success.

  I enjoy determining the optimal strategy for success.

  • "*Determining* the optimal strategy for success" is the object of the verb "enjoy."
  • Noun (I) + verb (enjoy) + gerund (*determining* the optimal strategy for success).
• 3. Object of Preposition

  She has a talent for determining people's emotions.

  She has a talent for determining people's emotions.

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

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

• plan
• hope
• want
• decide
• agree

Example

She plans to determine the winner of the competition tomorrow.

They hope to determine the cause of the issue soon.

He wants to determine the outcome of the experiment.

We decided to determine the best approach to solve the problem.

They agreed to determine the source of the error together.

Verbs Taking Gerunds as Objects

• enjoy
• recommend
• dislike
• avoid
• imagine

Example

She enjoys determining the root cause of problems.

They recommend determining the feasibility of the project before proceeding.

I dislike the process of determining the correct answer.

He avoids determining the outcome without proper analysis.

Can you imagine yourself determining the future trends?

Verbs Taking Both Infinitives and Gerunds as Objects

• like
• start
• begin

Example

She likes to determine the truth in every situation. She likes determining the root cause of problems.

We started to determine the best solution for the issue. We started determining the feasibility of the project.

He began to determine the outcome of the experiment. He began determining the optimal strategy for success.