To Obfuscate vs Obfuscating 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 obfuscate (Infinitive)

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

Example

The company's goal is to obfuscate the source code to protect its intellectual property.

Obfuscating (Gerund)

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

Example

Obfuscating the data can make it more difficult for hackers to decipher.

Where can infinitives/gerunds be placed in a sentence?

To obfuscate (Infinitive)

• 1. Subject

  To obfuscate is a common practice in cybersecurity.

  To obfuscate is a common practice in cybersecurity.

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

  They hired a team to obfuscate the sensitive information.

  They hired a team to obfuscate the sensitive information.

  • "A team *to obfuscate* the sensitive information" is the object of the verb "hired."
  • Noun (They) + verb (hired) + noun phrase (a team *to obfuscate* the sensitive information).
• 3. Adverbial Modifier

  He worked diligently to obfuscate the data.

  He worked diligently to obfuscate the data.

  • "*To obfuscate* the data" modifies the verb "worked."
  • Noun (He) + verb (worked) + adverb phrase (diligently *to obfuscate* the data).

Obfuscating (Gerund)

• 1. Subject

  Obfuscating information is a common practice in cybersecurity.

  Obfuscating information is a common practice in cybersecurity.

  • "*Obfuscating* information" is the subject of the sentence.
  • Gerund (subject) + verb (is) + noun phrase (a common practice in cybersecurity).
• 2. Object

  I enjoy obfuscating the code to enhance security.

  I enjoy obfuscating the code to enhance security.

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

  She has a talent for obfuscating sensitive data.

  She has a talent for obfuscating sensitive data.

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

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
• refuse
• attempt
• choose
• learn

Example

The company plans to obfuscate the database for security reasons.

She refused to obfuscate the document without proper authorization.

They attempted to obfuscate the login credentials to prevent unauthorized access.

He chose to obfuscate the code to make it harder to reverse engineer.

We need to learn to obfuscate our communication to protect sensitive information.

Verbs Taking Gerunds as Objects

• avoid
• consider
• recommend
• mind
• resist

Example

He avoids obfuscating data unless absolutely necessary.

We are considering obfuscating the passwords for added security.

Experts recommend obfuscating email addresses to prevent spam.

Do you mind obfuscating your personal information for privacy?

They resisted obfuscating their system, leading to a security breach.

Verbs Taking Both Infinitives and Gerunds as Objects

• like
• start
• begin

Example

She likes to obfuscate sensitive information. She likes obfuscating sensitive information.

We started to obfuscate our online transactions. We started obfuscating our online transactions.

He began to obfuscate the source code of the application. He began obfuscating the source code of the application.