Gerunds and infinitives with advise, allow, permit and forbid!

Gerunds and infinitives with advise, allow, permit and forbid!

All four of these verbs can be followed by
either an –ing form or an infinitive. There is no difference of meaning, but the structures are different.

These verbs are followed by –ing forms if
there is no object. If there is an object, we
use an infinitive .

I wouldn’t advise buying a used car.
(NOT I wouldn’t advise to buy a used
car.) Here the –ing form is used because the verb advise has no object.

I wouldn’t advise you to buy a used
car. (NOT I wouldn’t advise you buying
a used car.)

The college doesn’t allow / permit
smoking on the campus. (NOT The
college doesn’t allow / permit to
smoke on the campus.)

The college doesn’t allow / permit
students to smoke on the campus.
(Here the infinitive to smoke is used
because the verbs allow / permit has
an object.)

These structures can be changed into the
passive. Study the examples given below.

Buying a used car is not advised.
(Here the –ing form becomes the
subject of the passive verb.)

Smoking is not permitted on the
campus. (Here again the –ing form
becomes the subject of the passive
verb.)

Now study the passive forms of the infinitive structures.

You are not advised to buy a used car.
Students are not allowed to smoke on
the campus.

As you can see, it is the personal objects and not the infinitives that become the subject of the passive verb.

Thanks :-)