VERB PATTERNS

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

• Verbs followed by a to-infinitive

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

afford	demand	like	pretend
agree	fail	love	promise
arrange	forget	manage	refuse
ask	hate	mean (intend)	remember
begin	help	need	start
choose	hope	offer	try
continue	intend	plan	want
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
(can’t) help	enjoy	imagine	practise
(can’t) stand	fancy	involve	put off
consider	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.

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.

 

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 on	need	remember	try
mean	regret	stop	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.

 

• 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	notice	see
hear	overhear	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.

 

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  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	hate	like	persuade	request
ask	help	love	prefer	teach
challenge	instruct	need	recommend	tell
choose	intend	order	remind	want
forbid	invite

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.

(“Verb patterns: verb + infinitive or verb + - ing ?” from English Grammar Today © Cambridge University Press.)