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    Verb Patterns: Verb + Infinitive or Verb + - Ing?: Verbs Followed by A To-Infinitive

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    Teodora Pluskoska
    This document discusses different verb patterns in English, specifically verbs followed by infinitives or -ing forms. It provides examples of verbs that can be followed by to-infinitives like "want" and "try", verbs that take -ing forms like "enjoy" and "risk", and verbs that can take either like "love" and "prefer". It also covers verbs taking infinitives without "to" and differences in meaning between -ing and to-infinitive forms for some verbs.

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    Verb Patterns: Verb + Infinitive or Verb + - Ing?: Verbs Followed by A To-Infinitive

    Uploaded by

    Teodora Pluskoska
    80 views5 pages
    This document discusses different verb patterns in English, specifically verbs followed by infinitives or -ing forms. It provides examples of verbs that can be followed by to-infinitives like "want" and "try", verbs that take -ing forms like "enjoy" and "risk", and verbs that can take either like "love" and "prefer". It also covers verbs taking infinitives without "to" and differences in meaning between -ing and to-infinitive forms for some verbs.

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    Verb patterns

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    This document discusses different verb patterns in English, specifically verbs followed by infinitives or -ing forms. It provides examples of verbs that can be followed by to-infinitives like "want" and "try", verbs that take -ing forms like "enjoy" and "risk", and verbs that can take either like "love" and "prefer". It also covers verbs taking infinitives without "to" and differences in meaning between -ing and to-infinitive forms for some verbs.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    80 views5 pages

    Verb Patterns: Verb + Infinitive or Verb + - Ing?: Verbs Followed by A To-Infinitive

    Uploaded by

    Teodora Pluskoska
    This document discusses different verb patterns in English, specifically verbs followed by infinitives or -ing forms. It provides examples of verbs that can be followed by to-infinitives like "want" and "try", verbs that take -ing forms like "enjoy" and "risk", and verbs that can take either like "love" and "prefer". It also covers verbs taking infinitives without "to" and differences in meaning between -ing and to-infinitive forms for some verbs.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 5

    Verb patterns: verb + infinitive or verb +

    -ing?
     
    Grammar > Verbs  >  Verb patterns  > Verb patterns: verb + infinitive or verb + -ing?

    from English Grammar Today

    Verbs followed by a to-infinitive


    Some verbs can be followed immediately by a to-infinitive:

    deman
    afford like pretend
    d

    agree fail love promise

    arrange forget manage refuse

    remembe
    ask hate mean (= intend)
    r

    begin help need start

    choose hope offer try

    continu
    intend plan want
    e

    decide learn prefer

    I can’t afford to go on holiday.


    It  began to rain.
    She  hopes to go to university next year.
    My mother never  learnt to swim.
    Did you  remember  to  ring  Nigel?

    See also:
     Help somebody (to) do
     Want
     Verbs followed by a direct object and a to-infinitive

    Verbs followed by -ing


    -ing but not to-infinitive
    Some verbs are normally followed by the -ing form, not the to-infinitive:

    admit deny finish mind

    avoid dislike give up miss

    practis
    (can’t) help enjoy imagine
    e

    (can’t)
    fancy involve put off
    stand

    feel keep
    consider risk
    like (on)

    I always  enjoy cooking.


    Not: I always enjoy to cook.
    We haven’t finished eating yet.
    Not: We haven’t finished to eat.
    She  keeps  changing her mind about the wedding.

    New subject before -ing


    Some of these verbs (e.g. can’t stand, dislike, imagine, involve, mind, miss, put off and risk) can be used with a
    new subject before the -ing form (underlined in the examples below). If the new subject is a pronoun, it is in the
    object form (me, him, her, us, them):
    We just couldn’t imagine  Gerry  singing  in public.
    Do you  mind me  being  here while you’re working?
    I don’t want to risk  him losing his job.

    See also:
     Verbs followed by  -ing

    Verbs followed by a to-infinitive or -ing


    Hate, like, love, prefer
    Hate, like, love and prefer can be followed either by -ing or a to-infinitive. The difference in meaning is often
    small. The -ing form emphasises the verb itself. The to-infinitive puts the emphasis more on the preference for,
    or the results of, the action.
    Compare

    -ing form to-infinitive

    I like to drink juice in the morning, and tea at


    I  love cooking Indian food. (emphasis
    lunchtime. (emphasis more on the preference or
    on the process itself and enjoyment of it)
    habit)

    She hates  cleaning her room. (emphasis I hate to be the only person to disagree. (emphasis


    on the process itself and no enjoyment of more on the result: I would prefer not to be in that
    it) situation.)

    We prefer to drive during the day whenever we


    Most people  prefer watching  a film at
    can. (emphasis more on the result and on the habit or
    the cinema rather than on TV. (emphasis
    preference. The speaker doesn’t necessarily enjoy the
    on the process itself and enjoyment of it)
    process of driving at any time of day.)

    Hate, like, love, prefer with would or should
    When hate, like, love and prefer are used with would or should, only the to-infinitive is used, not the -ing form:
    She’d love  to  get a job nearer home.
    Not: She’d love getting a job nearer home.
    Would  you like to have dinner with us on Friday?

    To-infinitive or -ing form with a change in meaning


    Some verbs can be followed by a to-infinitive or the -ing form, but with a change in meaning:

    go remembe
    need try
    on r

    mea regre wan


    stop
    n t t

    Compare

    -ing form to-infinitive
    Working in London means
    leaving  home at 6.30. (Because I work I didn’t mean to make you cry. (I didn’t intend to
    in London, this is the result or make you cry.)
    consequence.)

    He  went on singing after everyone else She recited a poem, then went on to sing a lovely
    had finished. (He continued singing folk song. (She recited the poem first, then she sang
    without stopping.) the song.)

    I  tried searching  the web and finally


    found an address for him. (I searched I tried to email Simon but it bounced back. (I
    the web to see what information I could tried/attempted to email him but I did not succeed.)
    find.)

    She stopped crying as soon as she saw We stopped to buy some water at the motorway


    her mother. (She was crying, and then service area. (We were travelling and we stopped for
    she didn’t cry anymore.) a short time in order to buy some water.)

    See also:
     Mean
     Need
     Remember or remind?
     Stop + -ing form or to-infinitive
     Want

    Verbs followed by an infinitive without to


    Let, make
    Let and make are followed by an infinitive without to in active voice sentences. They always have an object
    (underlined) before the infinitive:
    Let me  show you this DVD I’ve got.
    They  made us wait  while they checked our documents.
    Not: They made us to wait …

    Help
    Help can be followed by an infinitive without to or a to-infinitive:
    She  helped me  find a direction in life.
    Everyone can  help to reduce  carbon emissions by using public transport.

    See also:
     Help somebody (to) do
     Let,  let’s
     Make

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