To Respond vs Responding 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 respond (Infinitive)

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

Example

I need to respond to the email as soon as possible.

Responding (Gerund)

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

Example

Responding promptly shows professionalism.

Where can infinitives/gerunds be placed in a sentence?

To respond (Infinitive)

• 1. Subject

  To respond promptly is important in customer service.

  To respond promptly is important in customer service.

  • "*To respond* promptly" serves as the subject of the sentence.
  • Infinitive phrase (subject) + verb (is) + adjective phrase (important in customer service).
• 2. Object

  She wants me to respond to her invitation.

  She wants me to respond to her invitation.

  • "Me *to respond* to her invitation" is the object of the verb "wants."
  • Noun (She) + verb (wants) + noun phrase (me *to respond* to her invitation).
• 3. Adverb Modifier

  He tries his best to respond quickly.

  He tries his best to respond quickly.

  • "*To respond* quickly" modifies the verb "tries."
  • Noun (He) + verb (tries) + possessive pronoun (his) + adverb phrase (*to respond* quickly).

Responding (Gerund)

• 1. Subject

  Responding to customer inquiries is an essential part of the job.

  Responding to customer inquiries is an essential part of the job.

  • "*Responding* to customer inquiries" is the subject of the sentence.
  • Gerund (subject) + preposition (to) + noun phrase (customer inquiries).
• 2. Object

  I enjoy responding to emails from clients.

  I enjoy responding to emails from clients.

  • "*Responding* to emails from clients" is the object of the verb "enjoy."
  • Noun (I) + verb (enjoy) + gerund (*responding* to emails from clients).
• 3. Object of Preposition

  She has a talent for responding to difficult situations.

  She has a talent for responding to difficult situations.

  • "For *responding* to difficult situations" is the object of the preposition "for."
  • Noun phrase (She) + verb (has) + noun phrase (a talent for *responding* to difficult situations).

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

She plans to respond to the email later today.

They hope to respond to the inquiry within 24 hours.

He wants to respond to the message before the end of the day.

We decided to respond to the request with a detailed explanation.

They agreed to respond to the survey questions honestly.

Verbs Taking Gerunds as Objects

• enjoy
• recommend
• dislike
• avoid
• imagine

Example

She enjoys responding to customer feedback.

They recommend timely responding to online reviews.

I dislike the idea of responding to repetitive questions.

He avoids responding to negative comments on social media.

Can you imagine yourself responding to emergency situations?

Verbs Taking Both Infinitives and Gerunds as Objects

• like
• start
• begin

Example

She likes to respond to emails promptly. She likes responding to emails promptly.

We started to respond to customer complaints more effectively. We started responding to customer complaints more effectively.

He began to respond to the feedback with gratitude. He began responding to the feedback with gratitude.