To Educate vs Educating 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 educate (Infinitive)

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

Example

I want to educate myself to become a better teacher.

Educating (Gerund)

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

Example

Educating children is a rewarding experience.

Where can infinitives/gerunds be placed in a sentence?

To educate (Infinitive)

• 1. Subject

  To educate is a noble profession.

  To educate is a noble profession.

  • "*To educate*" serves as the subject of the sentence.
  • Infinitive phrase (subject) + verb (is) + noun phrase (a noble profession).
• 2. Object

  She wants me to educate her children.

  She wants me to educate her children.

  • "Me *to educate* her children" is the object of the verb "wants."
  • Noun (She) + verb (wants) + noun phrase (me *to educate* her children).
• 3. Adjective Modifier

  We need a qualified teacher to educate our students.

  We need a qualified teacher to educate our students.

  • "*To educate* our students" modifies the noun "teacher."
  • Noun (We) + verb (need) + noun phrase (a qualified teacher *to educate* our students).

Educating (Gerund)

• 1. Subject

  Educating children requires patience and dedication.

  Educating children requires patience and dedication.

  • "*Educating* children" is the subject of the sentence.
  • Gerund (subject) + verb (requires) + noun phrase (patience and dedication).
• 2. Object

  I enjoy educating young minds.

  I enjoy educating young minds.

  • "*Educating* young minds" is the object of the verb "enjoy."
  • Noun (I) + verb (enjoy) + gerund (*educating* young minds).
• 3. Object of Preposition

  She has a passion for educating others.

  She has a passion for educating others.

  • "For *educating* others" is the object of the preposition "for."
  • Noun phrase (She) + verb (has) + noun phrase (a passion for *educating* others).

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

He plans to educate himself in the field of psychology.

They hope to educate underprivileged children in their community.

She wants to educate herself about different cultures.

We decided to educate ourselves on environmental issues.

They agreed to educate the public about the importance of recycling.

Verbs Taking Gerunds as Objects

• enjoy
• recommend
• dislike
• avoid
• imagine

Example

He enjoys educating students about history.

They recommend educating children through interactive methods.

I dislike the idea of educating large classes.

She avoids educating students with outdated information.

Can you imagine yourself educating students in a foreign country?

Verbs Taking Both Infinitives and Gerunds as Objects

• like
• start
• begin

Example

They like to educate themselves on current affairs. They like educating themselves on current affairs.

We started to educate our children at home. We started educating our children at home.

He began to educate himself in computer programming. He began educating himself in computer programming.