As your English skill improves and you can express more complex ideas in English, you will often construct a sentence with more than one English verb. There are two ways to do this in English:
1. Use a gerund (a verb that ends with -ing)
2. Or use an infinitive (a verb + to).
But how do you know which kind of verb to use? In this blog article, we will look at verbs with to and verbs with -ing in English.
If it’s any comfort, English verbs can be confusing, even for experienced students. That’s why it is a great idea to join an English course for adults. You can ask your teacher questions and get answers immediately. Plus, you can practice your English conversation and learn from your fellow English students. Find English courses for adults here.
When do we use English gerund verbs and infinitive verbs?
Do you enjoy learning English?
Do you want to improve your English level?
Notice there are two English verbs in each sentence.
Sentence 1: enjoy, learn.
Sentence 2: want, improve.
The first verb in the sentence determines whether the second verb will be with -ing or with to.
In English, the verb enjoy is always followed by a verb + -ing. The verb want is always followed by a verb + to.
What are the grammar rules for using English verbs with -ing?
Why are some English verbs followed by a gerund verb and some by an infinitive verb? The short answer is: nobody knows, it’s just the way the English language has evolved.
A good English grammar book will have a long list of English verbs that are followed by the gerund and verbs that are followed by the infinitive -- you just have to study those lists. It also helps to listen to English conversations and hear how the verbs are usually used. This is yet another good reason to join an English conversation course for adults.
To make it easier, here is a handy list of the most common English verbs, with examples:
Common English verbs followed by the infinitive + to
|
afford |
|
She can’t afford to buy a new computer now, so she’s borrowed mine. |
|
agree |
|
Do you agree to follow the rules? |
|
decide |
|
I’ve decided to move out of the city |
|
forget |
|
Don’t forget to lock the door when you leave! |
|
help |
|
Can you help to carry this bag, please? |
|
hope |
|
I hope to be back before 10pm tonight |
|
learn |
|
Joi learnt to speak English when he was five. |
|
need |
|
Do you need to go to the bank? There’s one there. |
|
offer |
|
Dan offered to take me home |
|
plan |
|
We plan to visit New York next summer. |
|
pretend |
|
Lola was pretending to be asleep. |
|
promise |
|
Do they promise to come to the party? |
|
seem |
|
He seems to like his new school |
|
want |
|
He doesn’t want to go to his piano class |
|
Would like |
|
I’d really like to visit Spain. |
Common English verbs followed by a gerund -ing:
|
enjoy |
|
I enjoy going to the cinema. |
|
finish |
|
I finished studying and then went to the pub. |
|
imagine |
|
Can you imagine living in that palace? |
|
mind |
|
Do you mind helping me with this bag? |
|
Spend (time) |
|
She spends a lot of time uploading photos to the internet. |
|
suggest |
|
She suggests going to bed an hour earlier. |
|
avoid |
|
I’d avoid going that way -- there’s traffic jam! |
Notice there are more verbs followed by the infinitive than by the gerund. So if you are not sure, a good strategy is to try an infinitive.
How to form negatives with English verbs
To form negatives, we add ‘not’ before the gerund or the infinitive:
For example,
I don’t mind not going to the beach today -- we can go tomorrow.
I learnt to not always believe what I see on the internet.
Mainly you just have to memorise which verbs work together. But here are a few other handy rules that you can learn that will help you use the correct English verbs.
Always use English gerunds (verb + -ing) here:
- After English prepositions and phrasal verbs:
She’s interested in learning more.
He took up running and now he is training for a marathon.
- When the English verb is the subject of the sentence:
Learning to read can take a long time.
Doing yoga is good for your health.
Always use English Infinitives here:
-
To express purpose, or say why you are doing something:
For example,
She’s wearing a suit to make a good first impression.
-
After adjectives, or words that describe:
It’s difficult to understand why people behave that way.
It’s lovely to be by the sea in summer.
Exceptions and variations with English verbs
Verbs which talk about likes and dislikes can be followed by either a gerund or an infinitive. But the meaning is slightly different:
I like going to the cinema whenever I can. (I enjoy it)
I like to go to the cinema once a month. (This habit is important to me)
I love eating sushi (I enjoy it)
I love to eat sushi with a cold lemonade. (I prefer to eat sushi in this, particular way. This habit is important to me)
Some verbs can be followed by either a gerund OR an infinitive, and the meaning is the same. The most common are begin, bother, prefer, start, continue:
|
Verb |
With Infinitive |
With gerund |
|
bother |
Don’t bother to come to the party if you don’t want to see her. |
Don’t bother coming to the party if you don’t want to see her. |
|
continue |
He continued to work hard and passed the course. |
He continued working hard and passed the course. |
|
prefer |
I prefer to eat earlier in the day. |
I prefer eating earlier in the day. |
|
start |
I’ll start to study nearer the exam. |
I’ll start studying nearer the exam. |
Some other verbs can be followed by a gerund or an infinitive, but the meaning changes. The most common are remember, try, stop.
|
Verb |
With infinitive |
With gerund |
|
remember |
I remembered to buy milk last night, on my way home from work.
(Here you are remembering something that happened quite recently. You remembered a task... and did something) |
I remember going to the beach every summer when I was young.
(Here you are remembering something from the more distant past. First you did it -- you went to the beach -- and now you are remembering it) |
|
try |
Try to listen more in class.
(Do make an effort to listen more in class. It’s a request.) |
Try doing some exercise early in the morning
(Do something, to see if you like it. It’s a milder suggestion) |
|
stop |
I stopped studying to have a coffee break.
(I was studying. Then I changed that activity. After the coffee break I will probably go back to studying) |
I stopped smoking and now I feel much healthier.
(I smoked in the past. Now I do not smoke at all) |
Remember, modal verbs are always followed by the infinitive without to (sometimes called the bare infinitive). This includes the verbs should, might, must, may, can, could.
The verbs let and make are also followed by the bare infinitive, not the infinitive + to.
Common grammar errors using English gerunds and infinitives
The most common error is choosing the wrong form of verb. It will help to remember these English grammar rules:
1. English phrasal verbs are always followed by gerunds.
2. Only the first verb in the sentence is conjugated. The second verb stays the same, whatever the verb tense:
For example,
We really enjoyed went to the cinema. x
We really enjoyed going to the cinema. ✓
Another common error is to use the infinitive + to instead of the bare infinitive:
For example,
We must to finish our homework tonight. x
We must finish our homework tonight. ✓
Fifi made me to eat the last piece of chocolate cake! x
Fifi made me eat the last piece of chocolate cake! ✓
Famous examples of English verbs in movies and music
Movie directors love using gerunds in film titles. Famous examples include the movies: Being John Malkovich, Driving Miss Daisy, Finding Nemo.
Less common are films with an infinitive in the title. But here’s one – the 1980’s cop thriller To Live and Die in LA. When it comes to music, you can listen to Celine Dion’s hit ‘To Love You More’
If you want hit songs with gerunds in the title, here are just a few:
‘Dancing Queen’ by ABBA, ‘Waiting for a Girl Like You’ by Foreigner. ‘Begin Again’ by Taylor Swift. More recently, Chappell Roan sings about "Dancing at the Pink Pony Club…"
Mini quiz
Find and correct the English verb errors in these sentences. Let’s get going:
- Did you remember going to the shop? We haven’t got any coffee.
- My parents wouldn’t let me to go to the party last night
- To learn English is very difficult.
- We stopped having a break at 11, and eat a snack.
- Jenny is capable of to go to school alone now.
Answers:
- Did you remember to go to the shop? We haven’t got any coffee.
- My parents wouldn’t let me go to the party last night
- Learning English is very difficult.
- We stopped to have a break at 11, and eat a snack.
- Jenny is capable of going to school alone now.