To Rent vs Renting 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 rent (Infinitive)

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

Example

I want to rent a car for my vacation.

Renting (Gerund)

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

Example

Renting a car is convenient for traveling.

Where can infinitives/gerunds be placed in a sentence?

To rent (Infinitive)

• 1. Subject

  To rent a house is a common option for many people.

  To rent a house is a common option for many people.

  • "*To rent* a house" serves as the subject of the sentence.
  • Infinitive phrase (subject) + verb (is) + noun phrase (a common option for many people).
• 2. Object

  She wants me to rent a movie for her.

  She wants me to rent a movie for her.

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

  I need a car to rent for the weekend.

  I need a car to rent for the weekend.

  • "*To rent* for the weekend" modifies the noun "car."
  • Noun (I) + verb (need) + noun phrase (a car *to rent* for the weekend).

Renting (Gerund)

• 1. Subject

  Renting a bike is a popular choice for exploring the city.

  Renting a bike is a popular choice for exploring the city.

  • "*Renting* a bike" is the subject of the sentence.
  • Gerund (subject) + verb (is) + noun phrase (a popular choice for exploring the city).
• 2. Object

  I enjoy renting movies from the local store.

  I enjoy renting movies from the local store.

  • "*Renting* movies from the local store" is the object of the verb "enjoy."
  • Noun (I) + verb (enjoy) + gerund (*renting* movies from the local store).
• 3. Object of Preposition

  She has a passion for renting luxurious villas.

  She has a passion for renting luxurious villas.

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

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 rent a beach house for their summer vacation.

He hopes to rent a bike for his sightseeing tour.

She wants to rent an apartment in the city center.

We decided to rent a cabin in the mountains.

They agreed to rent a van for their road trip.

Verbs Taking Gerunds as Objects

• enjoy
• recommend
• dislike
• avoid
• imagine

Example

He enjoys renting bikes for weekend adventures.

They recommend renting a car for exploring the countryside.

She dislikes the idea of renting a house for vacation.

I avoid renting equipment from unreliable sources.

Can you imagine yourself renting a private yacht for a day?

Verbs Taking Both Infinitives and Gerunds as Objects

• like
• start
• begin

Example

I like to rent movies from the local library. I like renting movies from the local library.

We started to rent an office space for our business. We started renting an office space for our business.

He began to rent out his spare room on Airbnb. He began renting out his spare room on Airbnb.