[Natsumi]

Hi!

I don't know which sentence is correct, or if maybe both are correct:

1. I find it easy doing gymnastics (I think "v.ing" is incorrect)

2. I find it easy to do gymnastics (I think "to v.infinitive" is correct)

A native person has told me that both are correct, but I have serious doubts as my grammar book only mentions the "to infinitive" form.

Hope you can help me...

[susan53]

V+ing is fine immediately after I find.. with the adjective phrase at the end :

I find doing gymnastics really easy
I find doing gymnastics really boring
I find doing gymnastics extremely painful

But after I find it + adjective, the to + infinitive structure is more normal :
I find it really easy/boring/painful to do gymnastics.

Here are some authentic examples from the two corpora - one British English and the other American :

For my part I find it difficult to conceive such a state of affairs.
I find it, find it hard to believe that you're not...
I find it better to do all artwork at the finished size...
We often find it more useful to tidy that definition up
...which the Europeans may find it economically profitable to destroy
the student of literature may sometimes FIND IT helpful to classify a poem or an essay as...

and there were many more examples. The only example I found of the Ving construction used after it + adjective was :

I didn't find it dangerous living in the flats.

So it's possible, but much rarer than the infinitive construction.

[Natsumi]

Thank you for your answer Susan53.

What about after the structure "I would enjoy"? Is it followed by "v.ing", "to infinitive" or both? e.g.:

I would enjoy playing golf.
I would enjoy to play golf.

Thanks once more for your help.

[susan53]

??? I've already answered this - you put it in a separate post. You'll find the answer here.