To Minify vs Minifying 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 minify (Infinitive)

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

Example

I want to minify the code to improve performance.

Minifying (Gerund)

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

Example

Minifying the code can help improve website performance.

Where can infinitives/gerunds be placed in a sentence?

To minify (Infinitive)

• 1. Subject

  To minify is a common practice in web development.

  To minify is a common practice in web development.

  • "*To minify*" serves as the subject of the sentence.
  • Infinitive phrase (subject) + verb (is) + noun phrase (a common practice in web development).
• 2. Object

  She wants me to minify the CSS files.

  She wants me to minify the CSS files.

  • "Me *to minify* the CSS files" is the object of the verb "wants."
  • Noun (She) + verb (wants) + noun phrase (me *to minify* the CSS files).
• 3. Adjective Modifier

  We need a tool to minify our JavaScript code.

  We need a tool to minify our JavaScript code.

  • "*To minify* our JavaScript code" modifies the noun "tool."
  • Noun (We) + verb (need) + noun phrase (a tool *to minify* our JavaScript code).

Minifying (Gerund)

• 1. Subject

  Minifying the JavaScript files is essential for better loading speed.

  Minifying the JavaScript files is essential for better loading speed.

  • "*Minifying* the JavaScript files" is the subject of the sentence.
  • Gerund (subject) + verb (is) + noun phrase (essential for better loading speed).
• 2. Object

  I enjoy minifying the CSS code.

  I enjoy minifying the CSS code.

  • "*Minifying* the CSS code" is the object of the verb "enjoy."
  • Noun (I) + verb (enjoy) + gerund (*minifying* the CSS code).
• 3. Object of Preposition

  They have a talent for minifying large datasets.

  They have a talent for minifying large datasets.

  • "For *minifying* large datasets" is the object of the preposition "for."
  • Noun phrase (They) + verb (have) + noun phrase (a talent for *minifying* large datasets).

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

They plan to minify the website before launch.

He hopes to minify the images to reduce file size.

We want to minify the HTML files for faster loading.

She decided to minify the CSS files to optimize performance.

They agreed to minify the codebase for better maintainability.

Verbs Taking Gerunds as Objects

• enjoy
• recommend
• avoid
• imagine
• consider

Example

He enjoys minifying the HTML code for optimization.

Experts recommend minifying CSS and JavaScript files for faster page load.

We should avoid minifying image files as it may degrade quality.

Can you imagine minifying the entire codebase manually?

They are considering minifying the database to reduce storage space.

Verbs Taking Both Infinitives and Gerunds as Objects

• like
• start
• begin

Example

I like to minify my code for better performance. I like minifying my code for better performance.

She started to minify her scripts to improve load time. She started minifying her scripts to improve load time.

We began to minify our CSS files for optimization. We began minifying our CSS files for optimization.