Gerunds (instead of infinitives) in WH-questions


Is it possible to use a gerund instead of an infinitive in questions such as:

1) Why wait until tomorrow? > Why WAITING until tomorrow?

1 answer


Your first example isn't an infinitive, but a verb. There are understood words in this sentence that depend on the context.


Why [should you/we/he] wait until tomorrow? Other words could be substituted for 'should'.


'Waiting' would not be a gerund in this sentence, either. A sentence needs a verb.

link answered Aug 27 '13 at 11:34 Lewis Neidhardt Grammarly Fellow

An infinitive is a verb and a gerund too, so I cannot understand your explanation completely. Do you mean that a sentence always needs a finite verb? Anyway, since I am not a native speaker, I wanted to know if the same sentence with an ING form instead of a simple verb would make sense in English or if it's impossible to say something like "Why waiting until tomorrow?". Or do they have different meanings?Thank you for your patience!

LorenzoAug 27 '13 at 19:05

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