Fun /gerund or infinitive

Fun /gerund or infinitive
Message from miyamiya posted on 17-06-2014 at 20:15:56 (D | E | F)
Hello,

Let me ask you a question please.
1) It was fun meeting up with our old friends from college. ( from an English test)
2) It is great fun walking in the woods. ( in my dictionary)
3) it is a lot of fun to talk with her. ( in my dictionary)
Is "fun" followed by gerund or infinitive? Or either is fine?
Thank you in advance. Have a good day!
Miya,

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Edited by lucile83 on 17-06-2014 20:59

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Re: Fun /gerund or infinitive from gerondif, posted on 17-06-2014 at 22:38:57 (D | E)
Hello,
both are correct.
When you use a gerund, it is something you have already done:
I like teaching.
When you use the infinitive, it is more an ideal, a projection of your mind, an ideal choice, a point of view.
I like to teach in good conditions.
So,

1) It was fun meeting up with our old friends from college. ( from an English test)
It has happened, it is not a concept but a description of an event that happened
2) It is great fun walking in the woods. ( in my dictionary)
And you have probably already experienced that.

3) it is a lot of fun to talk with her. ( in my dictionary)
Here, you express a preference, your point of view.

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Re: Fun /gerund or infinitive from clint01, posted on 17-06-2014 at 23:35:08 (D | E)
Hello
I like doing something actually means that you enjoy doing it.
I like to do something means that you think it is a wise thing to do.
For example you may say I like shopping because you enjoy doing it but you never say I like going to a dentist twice a year because as far as I know nobody enjoys going to a dentist. That's why we say I like to go to a dentist because you think it is a wise thing to do.

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Re: Fun /gerund or infinitive from miyamiya, posted on 18-06-2014 at 02:28:05 (D | E)
Hello gerondif and clint01, Thank you for the reply!

I see. So the point is the concept of gerund and infinitive in this case.
I thought I automatically had to choose gerund or infinitive after "fun".
I read your answers a couple of times.
It was good to ask on this forum, because there is no answer like this in my textbook.
Thank you so much!
Miya,

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Re: Fun /gerund or infinitive from here4u, posted on 18-06-2014 at 12:38:06 (D | E)
I resisted answering because I knew that gerondif would ! and he does it so well !

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Re: Fun /gerund or infinitive from miyamiya, posted on 19-06-2014 at 06:08:16 (D | E)
Hello here4u,

If you don't mind, would you give me the lecture about it?
Because I feel that each person have different explanation about it.

Miya,

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