Use of a Infinitive and a Participle
Choosing between an infinitive and a participle, this is another
type of question on the GMAT sentence correction questions. In this type of question after eliminating all
the obvious errors you will be struggling between two options; one will have an
infinitive and the other will have a participle.
Like you may have to directly choose between 'to run' and 'running'.
Both may sound equally correct to your ears, but only one of the two options is
correct. Do not worry, in such a situation we need to memorize a simple rule.
The Rule
An infinitive is almost always used to show intention or
desire, whereas a participle is almost always used to show the result or effect
of something. So use a present participle to show effect and infinitive to show
intention.
Example,
Sentence 1: Sheldon drove his truck at 170 miles an hour, causing
an accident.
Sentence 2: Sheldon drove his truck at 170 miles an hour to
cause an accident.
In the sentence 1 the present participle 'causing' express
the result or effect of driving at 170 miles per hour, whereas in the second
sentence 'to cause' clearly suggests that Sheldon drove his truck at a
particular speed with the intention of causing an accident.
Important Note: Here
when you read the sentence, you need to understand the meaning of the sentence.
Once you understand the meaning of the sentence it is very easy to decide between
an infinitive and a participle.
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