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Introduction
Some verbs need to be followed by an infinitive (to + verb), and some need to be followed by a gerund (verb + ing).
In some cases, only one of these options is possible. However, sometimes both can be used and the meaning can remain the same, and sometimes it can change depending on our choice.
Can you see the difference in meaning in the examples below?
I was going home, but I stopped to smoke. After I finished my cigarette, I continued my commute.
I stopped smoking 5 years ago. Since then, I've become a much healthier person.
In the fist example, the person stopped the first action, and then smoked. In the second one, the person quit smoking.
Infinitives
We use infinitives in the following cases:
When we want to describe an action
Example: It's dangerous to ride a bike when it's raining. You can slip!
To express purpose
I'm saving money to buy a car.
As the subject of a sentence
To do the right thing is not always easy.
After some verbs
Certain verbs are followed by infinitives. You can find a list of these verbs and examples below.
"I'm saving money to buy a car."
Verbs that are followed by infinitives
The following verbs need to be followed by an infinitive. Notice that the infinitive is independent of the first verb. Then, the first verb can be in the present, past, future, or any other tense.
Agree: She agreed to help with the project.
Aim: They aim to improve customer service.
Appear: He appears to understand the problem.
Arrange: I’ll arrange to meet them at 3 PM.
Ask: He asked to speak with the manager.
Attempt: She attempted to solve the puzzle.
Beg: The child begged to stay up late.
Can’t afford: We can’t afford to buy a new computer.
Can’t wait: I can’t wait to see that movie!
Choose: He chose to study abroad.
Claim: She claims to know the director personally.
Decide: They decided to leave early.
Demand: I demand to see the evidence.
Desire: He desires to be respected.
Expect: I expect to finish by Friday.
Fail: She failed to deliver the results on time.
Guarantee: I guarantee to finish the job today.
Happen: I happened to find his wallet in the hall.
Hope: We hope to visit Paris next year.
Learn: He’s learning to drive.
Manage: She managed to fix the problem.
Offer: She offered to take the job. / He offered to help us.
Plan: We plan to start a new business.
Prepare: I’m preparing to give a presentation.
Pretend: The cat pretended to be asleep.
Promise: He promised to call me.
Prove: He proved to be a reliable partner.
Refuse: They refused to cooperate.
Seem: You seem to be in a hurry.
Tend: They tend to arrive late.
Threaten: He threatened to quit if demands weren't met.
Turn out: It turned out to be a mistake.
Undertake: They undertook to finish the work in a week.
Want: I want to go home.
Wish: I wish to speak with the director.
Would like / would love / would hate: I’d like to speak to the manager.
"We can’t afford to buy a new computer."
"The cat pretended to be asleep."
Gerunds
We use gerunds in the following cases:
As the subject of a sentence
Example: Swimming with sharks is exciting!
After prepositions (for, in, on , at, with, like, after, before, up, etc). For example:
Thanks for coming.
Make sure you don't eat before swimming.
After some verbs
Certain verbs are followed by gerunds. You can find a list of these verbs and examples below.
"Swimming with sharks is exciting!"
Verbs that are followed by gerunds
Admit: She admitted cheating on the test.
Avoid: He avoided talking about the problem.
Can’t face: I can’t face dealing with more paperwork.
Can’t help: She can’t help laughing at his jokes.
Can’t resist: I couldn’t resist buying that chocolate cake.
Can’t stand: He can’t stand waiting in long lines.
Carry on: They carried on working despite the noise.
Consider: I’m considering moving abroad.
Delay: He delayed replying to the email.
Deny: She denied taking the money.
Detest: I detest being late.
Dislike: They dislike waking up early.
Enjoy: We enjoy traveling together.
Excuse: Excuse me for interrupting.
Fancy: Do you fancy going out for dinner?
Finish: He finished reading the book in one day.
Give up: She gave up smoking last year.
Imagine: Can you imagine living on an island?
Involve: This job involves dealing with customers.
Justify: How can you justify spending so much money?
Keep (on): He keeps forgetting his keys.
Mention: She mentioned seeing you at the party.
Mind: Do you mind opening the window?
Postpone: They postponed meeting until next week.
Practise: You should practise speaking English every day.
Put off: I keep putting off going to the dentist.
Resent: He resents being told what to do.
Risk: She risks losing her job if she’s late again.
Save: Save clicking “Send” until you’ve double-checked the email.
Suggest: He suggested taking a different route.
Tolerate: I can’t tolerate listening to that noise all day.
"She admitted cheating on the test."
"He keeps forgeting his keys."
Verbs that can be followed by both infinitives and gerunds
Some verbs can be followed by infinitives and gerunds. In some cases, the meaning of the verb will be the same. However, sometimes the meaning will change depending on our choice. Let's dive into each case.
Verbs with no change in meaning
The following verbs can be followed by either an infinitive or a gerund, with no difference in meaning.
Begin
She began reading a book.
She began to read a book.
Bother
He didn’t bother calling her.
He didn’t bother to call her.
Continue
They continued working late.
They continued to work late.
Intend
I intend meeting them soon.
I intend to meet them soon.
Propose
We propose launching the app in May.
We propose to launch the app in May.
Start
She started crying suddenly.
She started to cry suddenly.
Verbs with a change in meaning
Some verbs can change their meanings depending on the form of the verb it's followed by (an infinitive or a gerund). Let's see these differences:
Remember and forget
Infinitive
Refers to remembering/forgetting to do something in the future.
I remembered to lock the door. (I locked it.)
I forgot to call her. (I didn’t call.)
Gerund
Refers to remembering/forgetting something you did in the past.
I remember locking the door. (I have a memory of it.)
I’ll never forget visiting Rome. (It’s a memory.)
Regret
Infinitive
Used for formal announcements (bad news).
We regret to inform you that your flight is cancelled.
Gerund
Expresses sorrow about something that happened.
I regret saying that. (I wish I hadn’t.)
Try
Infinitive
Attempt to do something difficult.
I tried to fix the printer, but failed.
Gerund
Try something as an experiment or solution.
Try restarting your computer. (Let’s see if it works.)
Stop
Infinitive
Stop in order to do something else.
He stopped to smoke. (He paused an activity in order to smoke.)
Gerund
Quit or cease doing something.
He stopped smoking. (He quit smoking permanently.)
Mean
Infinitive
Intend to do something.
I meant to call you. (It was my intention.)
Gerund
Involve or result in something.
Taking this job means relocating. (Involves relocating.)
Go on
Infinitive
Start doing something new or different.
After the break, she went on to explain the next topic.
Gerund
Continue doing the same thing.
She went on talking for hours.
Need
Infinitive
Shows what a person needs to do.
I need to clean the house. (I’ll clean it.)
Gerund (Passive meaning!)
The subject needs to be acted upon.
The house needs cleaning. (= needs to be cleaned)
Practice
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