Grammar, compared
Gerund vs infinitive
After some verbs you use -ing, after others you use to. The verb decides. There is a pattern to learn, not a rule to guess.
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| Verb plus -ing | Verb plus to |
|---|---|
| I enjoy cooking. | I want to cook. |
| She avoids driving at night. | She decided to drive at night. |
| I stopped smoking. (I quit.) | I stopped to smoke. (I paused in order to smoke.) |
Which verbs go where
| Pattern | Verbs | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb plus -ing | enjoy, avoid, finish, keep, mind, suggest, consider, practise | She avoids driving at night. |
| Verb plus to | want, need, decide, hope, plan, agree, promise, learn, afford, manage | We decided to leave early. |
| Either, same meaning | like, love, hate, start, begin, continue, prefer | He started working. He started to work. |
| Either, new meaning | stop, remember, forget, try, regret | Remember to lock it. I remember locking it. |
| After a preposition | interested in, good at, before, after, without | Before leaving, call me. |
Watch out if you speak Spanish
- Spanish uses the infinitive after prepositions: antes de salir. English uses -ing: before leaving, not before to leave.
- Suggest takes -ing: I suggest going, not I suggest to go.
- Want takes a person plus to: I want you to come, not I want that you come.
- Look forward to, be used to and object to use to as a preposition, so -ing follows: I'm looking forward to seeing you.
Practice
Grammar practice
Choose or type the answer for each sentence, then check.
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Questions
- How do I remember which verbs take -ing?
- Learn them in groups, with an example each. Start with enjoy, avoid, finish, keep and suggest, which always take -ing.
- What is the difference between I remember to lock and I remember locking?
- Remember to lock is about a task you must do. Remember locking is a memory of something you already did.
Keep going
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