To Include vs Including 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 include (Infinitive)

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

Example

I want to include all the necessary information in my report.

Including (Gerund)

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

Example

Including all the necessary information is crucial for a successful project.

Where can infinitives/gerunds be placed in a sentence?

To include (Infinitive)

• 1. Subject

  To include is an important step in the process.

  To include is an important step in the process.

  • "*To include*" serves as the subject of the sentence.
  • Infinitive phrase (subject) + verb (is) + noun phrase (an important step in the process).
• 2. Object

  She wants me to include her in the project.

  She wants me to include her in the project.

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

  We need a checklist to include all the necessary items.

  We need a checklist to include all the necessary items.

  • "*To include* all the necessary items" modifies the noun "checklist."
  • Noun (We) + verb (need) + noun phrase (a checklist *to include* all the necessary items).

Including (Gerund)

• 1. Subject

  Including different perspectives can lead to better decision-making.

  Including different perspectives can lead to better decision-making.

  • "*Including* different perspectives" is the subject of the sentence.
  • Gerund (subject) + verb (can lead) + noun phrase (better decision-making).
• 2. Object

  I appreciate including me in the discussion.

  I appreciate including me in the discussion.

  • "*Including* me in the discussion" is the object of the verb "appreciate."
  • Noun (I) + verb (appreciate) + gerund (*including* me in the discussion).
• 3. Object of Preposition

  She has a habit of including everyone's opinions.

  She has a habit of including everyone's opinions.

  • "Of *including* everyone's opinions" is the object of the preposition "of."
  • Noun phrase (She) + verb (has) + noun phrase (a habit of *including* everyone's opinions).

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 include additional examples in his presentation.

They hope to include more details in the proposal.

She wants to include all the team members in the meeting.

We decided to include a bonus section in the book.

They agreed to include a discount for early bird registrations.

Verbs Taking Gerunds as Objects

• enjoy
• recommend
• avoid
• imagine
• consider

Example

I enjoy including different ingredients in my recipes.

They recommend including a cover letter with your job application.

He avoids including unnecessary details in his presentations.

Can you imagine including a surprise element in your event planning?

We are considering including a free trial period for our new product.

Verbs Taking Both Infinitives and Gerunds as Objects

• like
• start
• begin

Example

She likes to include examples in her research papers. She likes including examples in her research papers.

We started to include interactive features in our website design. We started including interactive features in our website design.

He began to include relevant statistics in his reports. He began including relevant statistics in his reports.