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Originally Posted by carla guaraldi Could you tell me when to use the infinitive or the gerund as the subject of a sentence?
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That would depend on what you were trying to say. In many cases, the "infinitve" is a bit stiff, when used as a subject. There are times when it is preferred, however.
Infinitives often create the sense of "potential action" or an abstraction. Gerunds often imply "concrete/real action" or process.
To love another person is to experience every emotion.
Loving another person is experiencing every emotion.
Which is better? I would choose the first. This is an abstraction.
To own a yacht is to throw one's money in the ocean.
Owning a yacht is throwing one's money in the ocean.
I prefer the second here. One gets more pain from the real action created by a gerund.
Does that help at all? :wink:
infinitive or gerund? 
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