Verbs Followed by Infinitives or Gerunds.
Which verbs take gerunds, infinitives, or either form, and when meaning changes.
Verbs Followed by Infinitives or GerundsSlide 1 of 9
Summary
Verbs Followed by Infinitives or Gerunds organizes common verb patterns into three groups. Some verbs are followed by a gerund, some are followed by an infinitive, and some can be followed by either form. The presentation emphasizes learning the pattern associated with each verb.
Several verbs accept a gerund or an infinitive with no change of meaning. Other verbs—including forget, remember, stop, go on, and try—change meaning according to the form that follows them.
Important points
- A gerund uses the -ing form of the verb.
- An infinitive uses to + verb.
- Verbs such as enjoy, avoid, and suggest are followed by gerunds.
- Verbs such as decide, hope, and promise are followed by infinitives.
- Verbs such as begin, continue, and prefer can take either form without a change of meaning.
- With some verbs, choosing the gerund or infinitive changes the meaning of the expression.
Self-test
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