Here, we will look at some of the meanings and usages of gerunds and infinitives. In particular, we will be focusing on the performers of gerunds and infinitive actions.
The Performer of Gerund Actions
As with all actions, the ones expressed by gerunds are also performed by someone. The performer of the gerund action can be the sentence subject. However, this is not always true. In these cases, a possessive adjective is used to show who the performer is.
| Gerund only | Possessive Adjective + Gerund |
| I'll never forget winning the game. (I won the game.) |
I'll never forget Peter's/his winning the game. (Peter won the game.) |
When a gerund occurs after a verb, an object pronoun can replace the possessive adjective. Sentences with object pronouns are more casual than those with possessive adjectives.
Verb + Object Pronoun + Gerund
We were happy about him winning the game. ("him" is the object pronoun, and "winning" is the gerund.)
The Performer of Infinitive Actions
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