Gerunds and infinitives
Choosing between the -ing form and the to-infinitive after verbs, objects and prepositions.
When one verb follows another, the second verb appears either as a gerund (-ing) or as an infinitive, and the choice depends on the first verb. Some verbs are followed by the gerund (enjoy, avoid, mind, suggest, finish), while others take the to-infinitive (want, decide, hope, promise, agree). Many verbs take an object plus the to-infinitive (I want you to stay; they told him to wait). After a preposition we always use the gerund (good at swimming, interested in learning, instead of going). We use the to-infinitive to express purpose (I went out to buy bread). A few verbs change meaning with each form: 'stop doing' means to finish an activity, while 'stop to do' means to pause in order to do something. Finally, make and let are followed by a bare infinitive without 'to' (She made me wait; let me go).
Rules
- 1Use the gerund (-ing) after enjoy, avoid, mind, suggest, finish, keep, practise and after every preposition (about, at, in, of, without, instead of).
- 2Use the to-infinitive after want, decide, hope, promise, agree, offer, plan and to express purpose (I came here to help).
- 3Many verbs take object + to-infinitive: want/tell/ask/advise/allow someone to do something.
- 4Make and let take a bare infinitive (no 'to'): make him work, let her go; but 'be allowed to' uses to.
- 5Meaning-change verbs: stop/remember/forget/regret/try + -ing vs + to-infinitive carry different meanings; check the meaning before choosing.
Practice
10 easy · 10 medium · 10 hard