Verb patterns: verb + infinitive or verb + -ing?

English Grammar Today

Verbs followed by a to-infinitive

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

afford / refuse choose

demand begin hope
like ask offer
pretend hate continue
agree mean (= intend) intend
fail remember plan
love start decide
promise try learn
arrange want prefer
forget help
manage need

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?

Build an example of your own for the rest of the verbs above
Verbs followed by -ing

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

admit give up (can’t) stand

deny miss fancy

finish (can’t) help involve

mind enjoy put off

avoid imagine consider

dislike practise feel like

keep (on) risk

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.

Build an example of your own for the verbs above

Verbs followed by a to-infinitive or -ing

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 Meanings

I love cooking Indian food. (emphasis on the process itself and enjoyment of it)
I like to drink juice in the morning, and tea at lunchtime. (emphasis more on the
preference or habit)

She hates cleaning her room. (emphasis on the process itself and no enjoyment of it)
I hate to be the only person to disagree. (emphasis more on the result: I would prefer
not to be in that situation.)

Most people prefer watching a film at the cinema rather than on TV. (emphasis on
the process itself and enjoyment of it)
We prefer to drive during the day whenever we can. (emphasis more on the result
and on the habit or preference. The speaker doesn’t necessarily enjoy the 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?

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

go on need remember try mean regret stop want

Compare

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

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

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

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

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.

Verbs followed by -ing or an infinitive without to

A group of verbs connected with feeling, hearing and seeing can be used with -ing or
with an infinitive without to:

feel see overhear

notice hear watch

When they are used with -ing, these verbs emphasise the action or event in
progress. When they are used with an infinitive without to, they emphasise the action
or event seen as a whole, or as completed.

Compare
Hear
She heard people shouting in the street below and looked out of the window.
(emphasises that the shouting probably continued or was repeated)
I heard someone shout ‘Help!’, so I ran to the river. (emphasises the whole event: the
person probably shouted only once)
See
A police officer saw him running along the street. (emphasises the running as it was
happening)
Emily saw Philip run out of Sandra’s office. (emphasises the whole event from start
to finish)
Verbs followed by a direct object and a to-infinitive

Some verbs are used with a direct object (underlined) followed by a to-infinitive.
These verbs include:

advise prefer intend

hate teach order

like challenge remind

persuade instruct want

request need forbid

ask recommend invite

help tell

love choose

I advised him to get a job as soon as possible.

Did Martin teach Gary to play squash?

They want me to go to Germany with them.