Gerunds & Infinitives
Build your vocabulary with practical examples
Verbs followed by -ing
enjoy reading
/ɪnˈdʒɔɪ ˈriːdɪŋ/
I enjoy reading novels.
avoid talking
/əˈvɔɪd ˈtɔːkɪŋ/
She avoids talking about politics.
finish working
/ˈfɪnɪʃ ˈwɜːkɪŋ/
When do you finish working?
mind waiting
/maɪnd ˈweɪtɪŋ/
Do you mind waiting a minute?
keep trying
/kiːp ˈtraɪɪŋ/
Don't give up — keep trying!
Verbs followed by to-infinitive
want to learn
/wɒnt tə lɜːn/
I want to learn Italian.
decide to leave
/dɪˈsaɪd tə liːv/
We decided to leave early.
promise to call
/ˈprɒmɪs tə kɔːl/
I promise to call you tomorrow.
hope to see
/hoʊp tə siː/
I hope to see you soon.
plan to travel
/plæn tə ˈtrævəl/
They plan to travel next summer.
After Prepositions → -ing
interested in
/ˈɪntrəstɪd ɪn/
She is interested in learning German.
good at
/ɡʊd ət/
He is good at solving puzzles.
before going
/bɪˈfɔːr ˈɡoʊɪŋ/
Wash your hands before eating.
instead of
/ɪnˈsted əv/
Let's walk instead of taking a taxi.
Same Verb, Different Meaning
stop smoking
/stɒp ˈsmoʊkɪŋ/
He stopped smoking last year. (quit)
stop to smoke
/stɒp tə smoʊk/
He stopped to smoke. (paused in order to)
remember locking
/rɪˈmembər ˈlɒkɪŋ/
I remember locking the door. (memory)
remember to lock
/rɪˈmembər tə lɒk/
Remember to lock the door! (don't forget)