◎What you'll master
- Use a gerund (verb + -ing as a noun) after verbs like enjoy, avoid, finish, suggest.
- Use an infinitive (to + base) after verbs like want, decide, hope, manage.
- Handle verbs that take either form with a change of meaning (remember, stop, try, regret).
- Choose the -ing form after prepositions (good at swimming, before leaving).
- Build purpose (to = in order to), object + infinitive, and bare infinitive after make / let.
1Two ways to turn a verb into 'noun-like' material
When one verb follows another, the second verb has to change shape. English gives you two moulds: the gerund (verb + -ing, working as a noun) and the infinitive (to + base form). The tricky part is that the first verb decides which mould the second one must take.
2Verbs that take a gerund vs verbs that take an infinitive
Verb + gerund (-ing)
A useful memory hook: many of these describe stopping, avoiding, or continuing an activity.
| Verb + GERUND | Example |
|---|---|
| enjoy · avoid · mind | She enjoys cooking; I avoid driving at night. |
| finish · keep · practise | He finished writing; they kept talking. |
| suggest · consider · imagine | I suggest waiting; we considered moving. |
| deny · admit · miss · risk | He denied taking it; I miss living there. |
Verb + infinitive (to + base)
Many of these look forward — a decision, a plan, a hope, an offer.
| Verb + INFINITIVE | Example |
|---|---|
| want · decide · hope · plan | They decided to leave; I hope to see you. |
| agree · promise · offer · refuse | She promised to help; he refused to sign. |
| learn · manage · afford | We managed to finish; I can't afford to wait. |
| expect · seem | I expect to arrive late; she seems to know. |
3Verbs that take EITHER — with a change of meaning
A small group takes both forms, but the meaning shifts. Here the choice really does matter, so read the pair carefully.
| Verb | + infinitive (to do) | + gerund (doing) |
|---|---|---|
| remember / forget | the action comes after remembering — I remembered to lock the door. | the memory of a past action — I remember locking the door. |
| stop | pause in order to do — He stopped to smoke. | end the activity — He stopped smoking. |
| try | attempt something hard — I tried to open it. | experiment to see what happens — Try restarting it. |
| regret | be sorry for what you're about to say — I regret to inform you… | be sorry for a past action — I regret telling her. |
go on
go on to do = move to a new action; go on doing = continue the same one.
4After a preposition, always use the gerund
A preposition (at, in, of, for, before, after, about, on, without…) is always followed by a noun — so a verb after it must wear its noun mould: the -ing form. Never to here.
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| adjective + preposition + -ing | She's good at swimming; I'm interested in learning Thai. |
| verb + preposition + -ing | He insisted on paying; they succeeded in finishing. |
| time preposition + -ing | Before leaving, lock up. · After eating, we walked. |
| without / by + -ing | He left without saying goodbye; learn by doing. |
5Infinitive of purpose, and verb + object + infinitive
Purpose: to = in order to
To say why someone does something, use the infinitive. It answers “What for?”
Verb + object + infinitive
Many verbs put a person (the object) between them and a to-infinitive: want / ask / tell / advise / allow / expect / encourage someone to do.
6Bare infinitive after make and let
Most “verb + object” patterns keep the to. But after make and let (and help, optionally), the to disappears — use the base form alone (the bare infinitive).
| Verb | Correct | Wrong |
|---|---|---|
| make | They made him apologise. | made him to apologise |
| let | Let me go. | Let me to go |
| help | Help me carry / to carry this. | — |
I enjoy ______ .
They decided ______ early.
We can't afford ______ a new car.
The teacher made the students ______ the essay again.
He stopped ______ because his lungs were damaged.
On the way home he stopped ______ a coffee.
I clearly remember ______ the door, so someone else must have opened it.
After a short pause, she went on ______ the second half of her plan.
✎Fix the Error
Each sentence has one mistake in the underlined word. Type the correction and check.
1.I really enjoy to read before bed.
2.I want going home now.
3.She's very good at to cook Italian food.
4.She avoided to answer the question.
5.His parents never let him to go out on weeknights.