Nevertheless, you just need to know that sometimes To is used as a preposition, and sometimes used as a verb. When it's used as a preposition, it may be proceded by -ING . There are some verbs that are proceded by To as a preposition: I'm addicted to playing - I'm allergic to sleeping - I'm used to staying up late .
Gerunds aren’t the only kind of verb that act as nouns. When you need to use a verb as a noun, you can also turn it into an infinitive. An infinitive is the word “to” + a verb’s root. There are two ways you can use an infinitive: as a noun that communicates a single concept and as an adjective to describe a noun within the sentence.

Infinitive. Infinitives are formed by adding “to” before a verb to make the phrase function as a noun. Be careful as “to” can also be a preposition, and thus a gerund form of a verb must be used after. The following are ways infinitives are used. As the subject of a sentence, but it is not common.

So the difference is very subtle – very small. ‘Try doing’ is about getting results, achieving a successful outcome. Try to do’ is about making an effort. I’m trying to change this lightbulb but I can’t reach. We often use ‘try to do’ when we think something is hard. We’re trying to do this jigsaw, but it’s very difficult. In a nutshell, a word formed from a verb acting as a noun and ending in ing is a gerund. Infinitive phrases – normally referred to as infinitives – are formed with the word to in front of a verb. Both gerunds and infinitives can be subjects in sentences, and both gerunds and infinitives can serve as the object of a verb.
A gerund is a noun made from a verb by adding "-ing." Infinitives are the "to" form of the verb. It can be tricky to remember which verbs are followed by the infinitive (the to form) of the verb and which are followed by the gerund (the ing form) of the verb. Gerunds are often used when actions are real, fixed, or completed. "I enjoy cooking."
Many agree that there's no difference "between start/begin + infinitive" and "start/begin + gerund." But in sentences like "When we first started to talk/started talking," the gerund version is a lot more common. Maybe grammatically, both versions are correct. But colloquially, the gerund version is more common?
2 Answers. Show takes a gerund in your example. I believe these are the 2 most common correct constructions involving show: show + object + gerund, meaning "depict the object as it engages in an action". show + object, meaning "depict/demonstrate/reveal the object". The verb show in the context offered presupposes using the pattern show
As far as I know, the verb 'promise' can only be used in three ways. 1) with a noun: He promised me a present next time he went to America. 2) with an optional 'that' followed by a clause: They promised (that) they would never forget what had happened. 3) with a full infinitive: She promised to take me to the doctor's.
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  • need to infinitive or gerund