A gerund or an infinitive can be a direct object of a verb.
Gerund=an-ing form of a verb infinitive= to + a base form
she enjoys painting. He wants to paint the kitchen yellow.
Use a gerund the following verbs: avoid, discuss, dislike, don´t nmind, enjoy, feel like, quit, suggest.
Use an infinitive after the folliwing verbs: agree, be sure, choose, decide, expect, hope, learn, need, plan, seem, want, wish, would like.
Other verbs can be followed by euther a gerund or an infinitive:begin, can´t stand, continue, hate, like, love, prefer, start.
A gerund (-ing form of a verb ) can function as an object of a preposition.
preposition object
i´m afraid of flying.
she´s bored with cooking.
she objects to discussing her feelings.
be careful! don´t use an infinitive as the object of a preposition.
don´t say: let´s go to movie instead