love to read/ love reading

[antonyan]

Hello again
going back in time, I remembered another English textbook according to which verbs of emotions( like, love,dislike,hate)
are followed by gerund.There was an exercise where you had to use infinitive or gerund to complete some sentences and of course "I love to read books by the sea " was considered incorrect according to the rule!!

[5jj]

... I remembered another English textbook according to which verbs of emotions( like, love,dislike,hate) are followed by gerund.There was an exercise where you had to use infinitive or gerund to complete some sentences and of course "I love to read books by the sea " was considered incorrect according to the rule!

Love, hate, etc can be followed by either a gerund or a to- infinitive. That is a fact. Any book that says they can be followed only by gerund is wrong.

However, there is difference in meaning, and the gerund is more often appropriate than the to- infinitive. This may be what the book said.

[TheParser]

NOT A TEACHER


Hello, Antonyan:

I thought that you would like these two examples from a very reliable grammar book. *

1. I like camping in the mountains. (It's so peaceful here.) The gerund is "more immediate and more vivid."

2. I like to camp in the mountains. (It's so peaceful there.) The infinitive is "remote and more objective."

* Marianne Celce-Murcia and Diane Larsen-Freeman, The Grammar Book (1983), page 436. The two authors also

credit two other scholars for these ideas: D. Bolinger and N.V. So.


Sincerely yours,

James

[Tdol]

In BrE like/love to often has a more restricted sense than the gerund:

I like drinking coffee. (Any time, anywhere)
I like to drink coffee in the morning. (Restricted- I don't drink it at night)

[5jj]

1. I like camping in the mountains. (It's so peaceful here.) The gerund is "more immediate and more vivid."

2. I like to camp in the mountains. (It's so peaceful there.) The infinitive is "remote and more objective."

Ms C-M and L-F may feel that, but I'd use camping in both those sentences. I feel that the -ing form tends to be used for a general feeling, the infinitive for a more deliberate choice:

I like spending time with my son. He's great company.
I like to spend time with my son occasionally. I take my role as a parent seriously.

[antonyan]

Thank you all for your prompt replies!
However, when teaching 9-year-olds, is it worth mentioning these nuances?
I have two examples on my mind that might exemplify another nuance, as I see it.
" I like to visit my dentist once a year for a dental check-up" ( I find it a wise thing to do)
"I like visiting my dentist ........" ( I enjoy my visit to my dentist!)
Am I correct?
I'd appreciate a comment on my example

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[5jj]

I have two examples on my mind that might exemplify another nuance, as I see it.
" I like to visit my dentist once a year for a dental check-up" ( I find it a wise thing to do)
"I like visiting my dentist ........" ( I enjoy my visit to my dentist!)
Am I correct?

Yes, in my opinion.

[Mohammadhelmi]

begin:	continue:	hate:	love:
start:	intend:	prefer:	like:

These verbs can be followed by both gerund or to + infinitive, with gerund these verbs refer to something in general but with to + infinitive refer to to something in particular.