Gerunds and infinitives
Verb patterns: + -ing, + to, or both.
In English, some verbs are followed by a gerund (-ing form), others by a to-infinitive, and a few can take both — sometimes with a change in meaning. Verbs such as enjoy, avoid, mind, suggest, can't help, and finish are always followed by the gerund (e.g., 'She enjoys reading'). Verbs such as want, decide, hope, promise, manage, and refuse are always followed by the to-infinitive (e.g., 'He decided to leave'). The to-infinitive is also used to express purpose — it answers 'why?' (e.g., 'She went to the library to study'). After prepositions, only the gerund can follow (e.g., 'He left without saying goodbye'). Some verbs take both forms but change meaning: 'stop + -ing' means to cease an action, while 'stop + to' means to pause in order to do something; 'remember/forget + -ing' refers to a memory of a past event, while '+ to' refers to a duty yet to be done; 'try + -ing' means to experiment, while 'try + to' means to make an effort. For example: 'I stopped smoking' (I quit) vs. 'I stopped to smoke' (I paused so I could smoke).
Key terms
| Pattern | Verbs | Example |
|---|---|---|
| + gerund (-ing) | enjoy, avoid, mind, suggest, can't help, finish, consider, deny, admit | 'She enjoys reading'; 'They considered moving'. |
| + to-infinitive | want, decide, hope, promise, manage, refuse, offer | 'He decided to leave'; 'She managed to pass'. |
| after a preposition | any preposition (without, after, about, instead of, before, from, on, in...) | 'He left without saying goodbye'; 'She's keen on going'. |
Note: 'offer' always takes the to-infinitive ('offered to help'), never the gerund.
| Verb | + gerund (-ing) meaning | + to-infinitive meaning |
|---|---|---|
| stop | cease doing something (quit the action) | pause in order to do something new |
| remember | have a memory of a past action | not forget to do a future duty |
| forget | have no memory of a past action | fail to do something (duty not done) |
| try | experiment with something to see if it helps | make an effort, possibly with difficulty |
| regret | feel sorry about something already done | be sorry about what you are about to say (formal) |
Key contrast — stop + -ing: 'I stopped smoking' (I quit). Stop + to: 'I stopped to smoke' (I paused so I could smoke).
| Verb | + gerund sentence | + to-infinitive sentence |
|---|---|---|
| stop | She stopped talking. (She went quiet.) | She stopped to talk. (She paused her walk to chat.) |
| remember | I remember meeting him. (I have that memory.) | Remember to call her! (Don't forget — it's a duty.) |
| forget | I'll never forget visiting Paris. (I have the memory.) | He forgot to send the email. (He didn't do it.) |
| try | Try adding salt — it might taste better. (experiment) | She tried to open the jar. (She made an effort.) |
| regret | I regret saying that. (Sorry I said it.) | I regret to inform you... (Formal — bad news now.) |
- 1Sentence: 'She was nervous about ___ (perform) in front of the school.'
- 2Step 1 — identify what comes before the blank: The word before the blank is 'about'. That is a preposition.
- 3Step 2 — apply the preposition rule: After ANY preposition, English requires the gerund (-ing form). Never a to-infinitive.
- 4Step 3 — write the answer: 'She was nervous about performing in front of the school.' ✓
- 5Common error to avoid: 'She was nervous about to perform' ✗ — the to-infinitive cannot follow a preposition.
- 1Sentence A: 'He stopped ___ his phone so he could focus on studying.'
- 2Step 1 — read the context: The clause 'so he could focus on studying' tells us he gave up using his phone — he ceased that activity.
- 3Step 2 — match to the correct pattern: 'Stop + gerund' = cease the action. So: 'He stopped using his phone.' ✓
- 4Sentence B (different meaning): 'She walked past the bakery and stopped ___ at the cakes.'
- 5Step 3 — read the context again: She paused her walk in order to look — the stopping is for a new purpose.
- 6Step 4 — match to the correct pattern: 'Stop + to-infinitive' = pause in order to do. So: 'She stopped to look at the cakes.' ✓
Using the gerund after 'offer': 'She offered helping us' is WRONG. 'Offer' always takes the to-infinitive: 'She offered to help us.' Similarly, 'suggest' takes the gerund — but 'offer' does not.
Choosing 'stop + to' when the context means 'quit': If someone stopped a bad habit, use the gerund: 'She stopped biting her nails' (= she quit). 'She stopped to bite her nails' has the opposite meaning — she paused in order to bite them.
After ANY preposition (without, after, before, about, instead of, from, on, in...), use only the gerund — never the to-infinitive. Watch out especially for 'be used to' and 'look forward to': the 'to' in these phrases is a preposition, so: 'I'm used to getting up early' and 'looking forward to seeing you'. 'Without to say' and 'used to get up' are both wrong.
Memory tip for dual-meaning verbs: -ing looks backwards (past or existing action); to looks forwards (future duty or new action). 'I remember doing it' = past memory. 'Remember to do it' = future task not yet done.
Rules
- 1Verbs enjoy, avoid, mind, suggest, can't help, finish, and consider are always followed by the gerund (-ing form), never the to-infinitive.
- 2Verbs want, decide, hope, promise, manage, refuse, and offer are always followed by the to-infinitive, never the gerund.
- 3After any preposition (about, without, before, after, instead of, etc.), use only the gerund form.
- 4The to-infinitive is used to express purpose, answering the question 'why?' or 'for what reason?'.
- 5Stop, remember, forget, try, and regret change meaning depending on whether they are followed by -ing or to: -ing refers to an action already done or in progress, while to refers to an action that follows or is yet to be done.
Practice
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