What the hell are verb patterns?
In English we have many rules when it comes to using two verbs together in the same phrase. Verb patterns are
the way you are going to use the second verb when it is dependent on the first verb. For example:
I like drinking green tea after dinner or I like to drink green tea after dinner
In this example you’ll see that in one of them I am using the “ing form” and in the other I’m using the “to
infinitive.” In this example both forms are correct and both forms mean the exact same thing.
What’s so difficult about that???
Sure, it seems quite easy so far, but the verb “like” is an example of a verb that can be used with either form and
the meaning doesn’t change. If I was to change the first verb from “like” and use the verb “stop,” this same rule,
or pattern, would not be the same and the meaning would change. For example:
I stopped drinking water when exercising or I stopped to drink water when exercising
In this example, both phrases are correct but they have different meanings. In the first, I have stopped the activity
of “drinking water,” and in the second, I have stopped what I was doing (exercising) to drink water.
So, now you can see that depending on the first verb that I use, I have to know what form I will use with the verb
that follows.
Now let’s take a look at all the possibilities.
Verbs that are always followed by the ING (gerund)
Now that we know that these rules exist, let’s categorize them and explore all of our options when making verb
patterns.
The first category we are going to look at are all the verbs that are followed by the second verb being in the “ing
form.” The first verb can be conjugated however you like, as long as the second verb is in the ing form.
Miss- I miss playing the guitar on the weekend.
Apprectiate- I appreciated playing the guitar on the weekend
Practice- I’m going to practice playing the guitar on the weekend
Consider- I have considered playing the guitar on the weekend
Admit- I admitted playing the guitar on the weekend
Cant’ stand- I can’t stand playing the guitar on the weekend
As you can see, all of these verbs when followed by another verb, independently of how you conjugate them, will
always have the “ing” conjugation in the second verb.
Verbs that are always followed by the (to) infinitive
As you saw above, there are verbs always followed with the ing form, but we also have verbs that are always
followed by the (to) infinitive.
Exactly the same as above, these verbs can be conjugated however you like as long as the second verb is in the
(to ) infinitive form. Let’s take a look at some of the most common ones.
Demand- I demanded to pay the bill
Offer- I’m going to offer to pay the bill
Wait- I was waiting to pay the bill
Decide- I have decided to pay the bill
Hope- I hope to pay the bill (I have never said this)
Plan- I didn’t plan to pay the bill
As you can see, these verbs will always be followed by a verb in the (to) infinitive form. Just like the verbs
followed by ing, it doesn’t matter how we conjugate the first verb as long as you follow the pattern of that first
verb, whether it’s the “ing form” or the “(to) infinitive.”
Other Patterns
Some verbs can be used with both forms without changing meaning. Some of these verbs include:
Like- I like to eat / I like eating
Continue- I continued to eat / I continued eating
Start- I started to eat / I started eating
And like I showed you with the verb “stop,” some verbs can use both patterns but the meaning changes. For
example:
Remember - I remembered to lock the door (I didn’t forget)
– I remember locking the door (I have that memory in my mind)
Forget -- I forgot to lock the door (I didn’t remember)
– I forgot to tell you to lock the door (I don’t have that memory)
Try -- I tried to tell you what happened (a failed attempt at something)
– Have you tried telling her in a nicer way? (a suggested way to fix a problem)
These ones tend to be the most difficult to understand, but it’s very important not to get too stressed out about
memorizing all of them because this is something that tends to happen naturally with the more exposure to
English you have.
One of the best ways to start understanding these terms in a natural way is by having more exposure to the
language.
