imagine + infinitive or gerund (2025)

Hello

In the Advanced Language Practice I found the following rules for the verb imagine:

with an object and to: I imagined the castle to be haunted.
with -ing, an object is also possible: I couldn't imagine (her) living in a place like that.

Later on in an exercise, however, only the infinitive (in bold) is considered as correct:
I never imagined the mountains to be/being so high.

According to the rule above, shouldn't the gerund also be correct?

Thanks.

Are you sure those were rules you quoted? Perhaps they were just examples of the kind of structure that can be used with imagine.
For example, I don't think:
I imagined the castle being haunted would be considered correct.

Sometimes one of these sounds OK, sometimes the other.
I can't think why just now.

This is a difficult one!

Below is my best attempt at distinguishing between "imagine + inf" and "imagine + gerund". Others, I'm sure, will improve on this!

For me, "imagine + inf" is similar to "consider + inf"/"view + as + gerund":

(a) "I imagined my boss to be my intellectual superior"

whereas "imagine + gerund" = "picture"

(b) "I imagined my boss falling over drunk at the office Christmas party"

In (a) this was a judgement felt at the time of speaking: you may have been right or wrong (probably wrong...). In (b), there's no issue of judgement: you're simply describing a picture you saw in your imagination.

Hope this helps!

Loob

Loob said:

...
whereas "imagine + gerund" = "picture"

(b) "I imagined my boss falling over drunk at the office Christmas party"
...
In (b), there's no issue of judgement: you're simply describing a picture you saw in your imagination.

Click to expand...

Hi Loob,
This has been quite a while but I'm <going to> have to ask anyway.
In your (b) example, is it ever possible to use a bare infinitive instead of a gerund as in this?

(b') I imagined my boss fall over drunk at the office Christmas party.

And how about 'picture'?

(c') I pictured my boss fall over drunk at the office Christmas party.

<going to> Replaced 'gonna' with standard English. Cagey

Hi JungKim

I agree with LH. The bare infinitive works with see, but not with imagine or picture.

panjandrum said:

For example, I don't think:
I imagined the castle being haunted would be considered correct.

Click to expand...

You surprise me. For me:
"I imagined the castle being haunted"
"I imagined the castle to be haunted"
"I imagined the castle be haunted"

But
"I imagined my boss falling over"
"I imagined my boss to fall over"
"I imagined my boss fall over"

The difference? The castle being haunted is a stative/passive construction, the boss falling is an active construction.

Loob said:

For me, "imagine + inf" is similar to "consider + inf"/"view + as + gerund":
(a) "I imagined my boss to be my intellectual superior"

Click to expand...

What difference would it be if we compare it with:

"I imagined my boss being my intellectual superior"

Andygc said:

"I imagined my boss to fall over"

Click to expand...

Why is it wrong?

Loob said:

I refer you to post 3, Ivan.

Click to expand...

OK. This " I imagined my boss to fall over " would mean "I considered..." which makes it meaningless. I see now. But I don't see why this is not possible.

"I imagined my boss being my intellectual superior"

Ivan_I said:

But I don't see why this is not possible.

"I imagined my boss being my intellectual superior"

Click to expand...

It is possible. See post 8 .

So, what the difference?

"I imagined my boss being my intellectual superior" - I pictured?
"I imagined my boss to be my intellectual superior" - I considered?

Andygc said:

The difference? The castle being haunted is a stative/passive construction, the boss falling is an active construction.

Click to expand...

But it doesn't explain the difference between "imagined being" and "imagined to be".

"I imagined my boss to be my intellectual superior"

I don't understand clearly, but then you're saying that this sentence is using 'to infinitive' because it's not 'active' but 'static'?
I really need your definite answer.