Gerunds & Infinitives

When one verb follows another, the second verb is either an -ing form (also called a gerund) or a to-infinitive. Which one you use depends on the first verb, so it is best to learn these verbs as patterns.

Common verbs followed by -ing: enjoy, avoid, finish, mind, keep (= continue), suggest, consider, miss, practise, imagine, give up, can't stand, don't mind: 'I enjoy cooking.' 'Have you finished using the laptop?' 'He suggested taking a taxi.'

The negative is 'not + -ing': 'I enjoy not having to get up early.'

'Mind' is common in polite requests: 'Would you mind closing the window?' means 'Please close the window.' The answer 'No, not at all' means 'I'm happy to do it'.

'Suggest' is never followed by a to-infinitive: 'She suggested going out' or 'She suggested that we go out' (not 'suggested to go').

Many verbs are followed by to + infinitive (the base form of the verb): want, need, decide, hope, plan, promise, agree, refuse, offer, learn, manage, afford, seem, would like: 'I want to learn Italian.' 'We decided to leave early.'

Many of these verbs are about the future — wishes, plans, decisions and promises: 'I hope to see you soon.' 'She promised to call.'

The negative is 'not to + infinitive': 'He decided not to go.' 'Try not to be late.'

After 'would like', 'would love' and 'would prefer', use to + infinitive: 'I'd like to book a table.' Compare: 'I like cooking' (in general) with 'I'd like to cook tonight' (a wish now).

Some verbs can have an object (often a person) before the to-infinitive: want, would like, ask, tell, expect, allow, invite, remind, teach: 'I want you to stay.' 'My parents taught me to swim.' 'Remind me to call the bank.'

Use this pattern when the person who does the second action is different from the subject: 'I want to go' (I go) vs 'I want you to go' (you go).

Don't use a that-clause after 'want' or 'would like': 'I want you to help me' (not 'I want that you help me').

'Make' and 'let' are different: they take an object + infinitive without 'to': 'My boss made me work late.' 'Let me help you.' 'Help' can be used with or without 'to': 'Can you help me (to) carry this?'

After a preposition (in, on, at, of, about, for, with, without, before, after, instead of…), a verb always takes the -ing form: 'She's interested in learning German.' 'Thanks for helping me.' 'He left without saying goodbye.'

This includes common adjective + preposition and verb + preposition patterns: good at, bad at, interested in, afraid of, tired of, excited about, worried about; think about, talk about, apologise for, succeed in.

Be careful with 'to'. Usually 'to' is part of the infinitive (want to go), but in some expressions it is a preposition, so it is followed by -ing: look forward to, be used to, get used to: 'I'm looking forward to seeing you.'

An -ing form can also be the subject of a sentence, like a noun: 'Swimming is good exercise.' 'Learning a language takes time.'

Use to + infinitive to explain why someone does something — the purpose: 'I went to the shop to buy some bread.' 'She's saving money to buy a car.' It answers the question 'Why?': 'Why did you call? — To ask about the meeting.'

Don't use 'for' + verb to express purpose: 'I came here to study' (not 'for study' or 'for to study'). 'For' is used with a noun: 'I went out for a walk.'

For negative purpose, use 'so as not to' or 'in order not to': 'I left early so as not to miss the train.' 'In order to' is a more formal way of saying 'to'.

Many adjectives are followed by to + infinitive: easy, difficult, hard, nice, happy, glad, sorry, surprised, ready, important: 'This app is easy to use.' 'Nice to meet you.' 'I was surprised to see him there.' The same pattern follows 'It's + adjective': 'It's important to drink enough water.'

Some verbs can be followed by either -ing or to + infinitive.

With like, love, hate, prefer, start, begin and continue, the meaning is the same or very similar: 'It started raining / It started to rain.' 'I love swimming / I love to swim.'

With stop, remember, forget and try, the meaning changes.

'Stop + -ing' = no longer do an activity: 'He stopped smoking' (he quit). 'Stop + to' = stop what you are doing in order to do something else: 'He stopped to buy some flowers' (he paused to buy them).

'Remember/forget + to' = remember/forget a task you need to do; the action comes after: 'Remember to lock the door.' 'I forgot to buy milk.' 'Remember/forget + -ing' = remember/forget a past experience; the action came before: 'I remember locking the door' (I have a memory of it). 'I'll never forget meeting her.'

'Try + to' = make an effort to do something difficult: 'I tried to open the window, but it was stuck.' 'Try + -ing' = do something as an experiment to see if it helps: 'If you can't sleep, try drinking warm milk.'