THE INFINITIVE
The infinitive is used:
• to say why you do something
I’ve just gone running to get some exercise.
He’s taken up tennis to make friends.
• to say why something exists
There’s an example to help you.
• after too and enough
It’s too cold to go swimming today.
He isn’t good enough to make the national team.
The infinitive is used after these verb patterns:
•
verb + to infinitive:
She agreed to meet him after work.
agree, appear, begin, bother, decide, demand, fail, hope, learn, manage,
offer, plan, refuse, seem, be supposed, threaten
•
verb + (somebody) + to infinitive:
She expected to win the race.
I expect you to play in the match.
ask, choose, expect, help, intend, promise, want
•
verb + somebody/something + to infinitive:
The money enabled him to go to university.
advise, allow, enable, encourage, forbid, force, invite, order, permit,
persuade, promise, recommend, refuse, remind, tell, threaten, warn
VERB + -ING
The verb + -ing is used:
•
after prepositions:
He’s made a lot of friends by joining the tennis club.
We watched a film about climbing in the mountains.
•
as subjects or objects of a sentence:
Climbing is safer than it looks.
He decided to take up adventure racing.
The verb + -ing is used after these verbs:
admit, appreciate, avoid, celebrate, consider, delay, deny, dislike, enjoy,
finish, imagine, involve, keep, mind, miss, postpone, practice, regret, risk,
stop, suggest
I really enjoyed winning that match.
She suggested playing a game of squash after school.
The verb + -ing is used after the following expressions:
it’s no good
can’t stand
it’s not worth
can’t bear
it’s no use
can’t help
it’s a waste of time
It’s not worth joining that sports club.
It’s a waste of time entering the competition unless you’re really fit.
I can’t bear watching my team when they play badly.