To Motivate vs Motivating 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 motivate (Infinitive)

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

Example

I want to motivate my team to achieve their goals.

Motivating (Gerund)

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

Example

Motivating others is a rewarding experience.

Where can infinitives/gerunds be placed in a sentence?

To motivate (Infinitive)

• 1. Subject

  To motivate is an essential skill for leaders.

  To motivate is an essential skill for leaders.

  • "*To motivate*" serves as the subject of the sentence.
  • Infinitive phrase (subject) + verb (is) + noun phrase (an essential skill for leaders).
• 2. Object

  She wants me to motivate the employees.

  She wants me to motivate the employees.

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

  We need a plan to motivate our team.

  We need a plan to motivate our team.

  • "*To motivate* our team" modifies the noun "plan."
  • Noun (We) + verb (need) + noun phrase (a plan *to motivate* our team).

Motivating (Gerund)

• 1. Subject

  Motivating the team is crucial for success.

  Motivating the team is crucial for success.

  • "*Motivating* the team" is the subject of the sentence.
  • Gerund (subject) + verb (is) + noun phrase (crucial for success).
• 2. Object

  I enjoy motivating my coworkers.

  I enjoy motivating my coworkers.

  • "*Motivating* my coworkers" is the object of the verb "enjoy."
  • Noun (I) + verb (enjoy) + gerund (*motivating* my coworkers).
• 3. Object of Preposition

  She has a talent for motivating others.

  She has a talent for motivating others.

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

They plan to motivate their employees with incentives.

He hopes to motivate the team with inspiring speeches.

We want to motivate our colleagues to achieve success.

She decided to motivate herself to overcome challenges.

They agreed to motivate each other to reach their full potential.

Verbs Taking Gerunds as Objects

• enjoy
• recommend
• dislike
• avoid
• imagine

Example

He enjoys motivating his team to achieve excellence.

They recommend motivating employees through recognition and rewards.

She dislikes the idea of motivating others through fear and intimidation.

I avoid motivating others by using negative reinforcement.

Can you imagine yourself motivating a large audience with your speech?

Verbs Taking Both Infinitives and Gerunds as Objects

• like
• start
• begin

Example

We like to motivate our team with positive feedback. We like motivating our team with positive feedback.

He started to motivate himself to achieve his personal goals. He started motivating himself to achieve his personal goals.

She began to motivate her students to believe in themselves. She began motivating her students to believe in themselves.