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ESL forum >
Ask for help > LIKE READING VERSUS TO READ
LIKE READING VERSUS TO READ
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inmaaa86
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LIKE READING VERSUS TO READ
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What is the difference between I like reading and I like to read? Sometimes I feel the first is the best when talking about hobbies. |
6 Dec 2022
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cunliffe
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I don�t think there�s a difference and people would say either of those, the infinitive or the participle, which acts as an adjective. If you were adding to the sentence, you might prefer the infinitive, �I like to read horror stories before I go to sleep� I agree that the first is the best when talking about hobbies. I like running, fencing, playing tennis etc... Definitely sounds better but I don�t know if there are any rules about it.
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6 Dec 2022
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tardisflo
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I like to read= A hobby
I like reading= More casual activity |
6 Dec 2022
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yanogator
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I completely agree with Lynne. Generally, the present participle implies an ongoing activity, or in some way involves the reader/hearer in the activity. Because of that, I like to read sounds like a simple statement of fact. I like reading has a little feeling in it. Bruce |
6 Dec 2022
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spinney
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I was always told that "I like to do something" meant that it was a kind of habitual action. "I like doing something," would be more general. e.g. I like reading = I enjoy reading I like to read before going to sleep = that is my custom before going to sleep. However, I think that is rather pedantic. To me, and most other native English speakers, there is no difference and if you said "I like reading before going to sleep," it would be correct. Anybody that would see that as incorrect must have read a grammar book from the 19th century or something. That said, I tend to encourage my students to use the gerund with the verb "like" if there is any doubt, purely because "dislike" and "enjoy" are followed by gerunds. |
7 Dec 2022
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Julip
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Hi all, I too am a native English speaker who finds that I LIKE READING and I LIKE TO READ are interchangeable. If there�s the slightest shadow of a difference between the two (and I don�t sense one, honestly), it would be so slight that explaining it to students (um, especially to students who have a hard time understanding the difference between I read and I am reading) would be pointless. Like spinney, I tell students it�s safer to go with the ing form, since we also say I enjoy reading, I�m crazy about reading, I�m fond of reading, I�m interested in reading (and never to read) Later, julip |
13 Dec 2022
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pilarnavarro
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Like and other verbs of preference can be followed by either the to-infinitive or the gerund with no difference in meaning. That�s what teachers have always told me at least. |
20 Dec 2022
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