Gerunds & Infinitives

Verb + -ing Verb + to Question word + to Both (meaning change) No difference Exercises

Verb + -ing (gerund)

These verbs are always followed by -ing, never to + infinitive:

admitavoidconsider denyenjoyfancy finishimaginekeep (on) mindpostponerisk stopsuggestcan't help dislikefeel likegive up put offgo onmiss practicequitrecommend

Verb	Example
enjoy	I enjoy reading* in the evenings.* (✗ enjoy to read)
mind	Would you mind closing* the door?*
admit	He admitted lying* to his parents about the accident.*
deny	The player denied fouling* his opponent.*
suggest	She suggested going* to the movies.*
avoid	He tried to avoid answering* my question.*
postpone	We postponed launching* the website until next week.*
risk	She's risking losing* her job by arriving late every day.*
finish	I'll call you when I've finished cleaning* the apartment.*
keep on / keep	You keep interrupting* when I'm talking!*
give up	My uncle gave up smoking* three years ago.*
put off	Don't put off finishing* your homework until Sunday night.*
can't help	I can't help laughing* every time he tells that joke.*
feel like	Do you feel like watching* a movie tonight?*

Negative form: After enjoy, mind, choose and suggest we use "not -ing…" for the negative form (e.g., "When I'm on vacation, I enjoy not having to get up early." · "That place seems dangerous, I suggest not going there." · "I don't mind not telling mom, as long as you promise me you won't do it again." · "I choose not to go there.")

A special case: imagine We all know that imagine is always followed by an -ing verb, object + -ing, a that-clause, or as (e.g., "I imagine living in a mountain." · "I imagine you wearing a funny hat." · "Imagine that you were on a deserted island and I were with you and I told you not to panic."). However, in some dictionaries like the online Oxford dictionary or Macmillan, we see "imagine" can also be used with object + to be/do. This is true because the construction "imagine SB/STH to verb" is standard English and expresses a belief which is held (present) or was held and is no longer (past): "Having heard his voice, I imagine him to be a large man in his fifties." · "I imagined him to be a large man in his fifties, so imagine my surprise when I found out he was a schoolboy only 17 years old!"

Verb + to + infinitive

These verbs are followed by to + infinitive:

affordagreeask expectchoosearrange decidedeservefail forgethopelearn manageofferplan preparepromiserefuse threatenwould likeseem appeartendpretend claimdare

Verb	Example
decide	We decided to take* a taxi home.*
choose	She chose to study* abroad instead of staying home.*
agree	David agreed to help* me.*
arrange	We arranged to meet* at the coffee shop at noon.*
deserve	You deserve to win* this award — you worked so hard.*
fail	He failed to mention* that the flight was delayed.*
manage	We managed to get* to the airport on time.*
afford	They can't afford to eat* out very often.*
refuse	She refused to tell* me her name.*
promise	I promised not to be* late.*
plan	They plan to renovate* the kitchen next summer.*
threaten	The company threatened to sue* if we didn't pay.*
would like	Would you like to join us for dinner?
pretend	My brother pretended to be* asleep when Mom called him.*
claim	He claims to know* the owner of the restaurant.*
seem / appear / tend	He seems to have* plenty of money.*

Negative form: The negative is not to… (e.g., "We decided not to tell him that because it would hurt him." · "I expect not to see you around here again." · "She pretended not to see me, and it made me so angry!")

A question of emphasis: Some verbs are followed by to + infinitive but that does not mean other words (adverbs, for example) cannot appear in the phrase. Compare: "Mother said I can choose to go anywhere this summer." (the implication is that you can choose to go anywhere or not to go anywhere — the choice is about going or not) vs. "Mother said I can choose anywhere to go this summer." (the implication is that you are going somewhere and can choose the destination — the choice is about where, not whether you will go). The difference is really one of emphasis and will depend upon the context.

Continuous and perfect infinitive: In some cases, you can also use verb + to inf + verb-ing (to be doing) as well as verb + to inf + perfect infinitive (to have done) (e.g., "Julian pretended to be reading the newspaper." (= he pretended that he was reading) · "We seem to have lost our way." · "You seem to be enjoying this moment.")

Dare: After dare, you can use a verb with or without to (e.g., "I wouldn't dare to call my boss at this hour." or "I wouldn't dare call my boss at this hour.")

Verb + question word + to

After some verbs, you can use a question word (what / whether / how, etc.) + to…. This is especially common after:

askdecideknow rememberforgetlearn understandwonderexplain

Verb	Example
ask	We asked how to get* to the station.*
decide	Have you decided where to go* for your vacation?*
know	I don't know whether to apply* for the job or not.*
understand	Do you understand what to do?

Also: show / tell / ask / advise / teach somebody what / how / where to do something (e.g., "Can somebody show me how to change the film in this camera?" · "Ask Jack. He'll tell you what to do.")

Verbs that take both — with a meaning change

Verb	+ -ing	+ to
stop	He stopped smoking. (he no longer smokes)	He stopped to smoke. (he paused in order to smoke)
remember	I remember closing* the window.* (I closed it, and I remember that I did this) I remember taking* the chicken out of the freezer.* (I took the chicken out of the freezer and I remember that I did this)	I remembered to close* the window.* (I remembered that I had to close it, so I did) Please remember to pay* the electricity bill.* (don't forget to do this)
try	Try adding some lemon. (experiment — see if it helps)	She tried to open* the door.* (attempt — it may not work)
forget	I'll never forget meeting* you.* (memory of a past event)	Don't forget to lock* the door.* (task you must do)
regret	I regret doing* that, I'm so sorry.* (I did it and I'm sorry about it)	I regret to inform* you that you haven't passed your exam.* (I'm sorry that I have to say something)
go on	Things need to change, we can't go on living* like this.* (continue doing something)	After living in Alaska, he went on to live* in California.* (do or say something new)

Verbs with no difference in meaning

These verbs can be followed by either -ing or to + verb without a real change in meaning:

beginbothercontinue intendstart

+ -ing	+ to
It started raining.	It started to rain.
Don't bother taking off* your shoes.*	Don't bother to take off* your shoes.*

One exception: we don't normally use -ing right after another -ing form: "It's starting to rain." (not "It's starting raining.")

Exercises

EXERCISE:

Exercise 1 — Verb + -ing

Complete each sentence with one of these verbs in the correct form: check, call, drive, sign, wash, park, eat, lose, speak, swim, finish, injure.

1. He tried to avoid his phone during the meeting.

2. Could you please stop me at midnight?

3. I enjoy along the coast on weekends.

4. I considered up for the marathon, but I changed my mind.

5. Have you finished the dishes yet?

6. Let's rent an apartment. I don't want to go on on the street every night.

7. I don't mind you in my car, just clean up after.

8. My grandmother keeps her glasses.

9. I've put off to my boss about the raise.

10. What a rude thing to do! Can you imagine anybody in a pool with their shoes on?

11. Marco gave up the puzzle after an hour.

12. If you skip leg day at the gym, you risk yourself.

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