Gerunds and Infinitives
The gerund (-ing form) and the infinitive (to + base form) of verbs
may be used as nouns, and therefore they sometimes function as the
object of a verb. In English, certain verbs are followed only by the
gerund, certain verbs by the infinitive, and certain verbs by either the
gerund or the infinitive. The following is a reference list of some
common verbs.
Verbs Followed by Gerunds
admit
advise
anticipate
appreciate
avoid
complete
consider
delay
deny
discuss
enjoy
finish
keep
mention
mind
miss
postpone
practice
quit
recall
recommend
regret
resist
risk
stop
suggest
tolerate
He admitted stealing the money.
She advises waiting until tomorrow.
I anticipate having a good time on vacation.
I appreciate hearing from you.
He avoided answering my questions.
She finally completed writing her term paper.
I will consider going with you.
He delayed leaving for school.
She denied knowing anything about it.
They discussed opening a new business.
We enjoyed visiting them.
She finished studying at about ten.
I keep hoping she will come.
She mentioned going to a movie.
Would you mind helping me?
I miss being with my family.
Let's postpone leaving until tomorrow.
The athlete practiced throwing the ball.
He quit trying to solve the problem.
I don't recall meeting him before.
She recommended seeing that play.
I regret telling him my secret.
I could not resist eating dessert.
She risked losing everything.
She stopped going to classes.
She suggested going to a movie.
He won't tolerate cheating during an examination.
Verbs followed by Infinitives
afford
agree
appear
arrange
ask
beg
care
claim
consent
decide
demand
deserve
expect
fail
forget
hesitate
hope
learn
manage
mean
need
offer
plan
prepare
pretend
promise
refuse
regret
seem
struggle
swear
threaten
volunteer
wait
want
wish
I can't afford to buy it.
They agreed to help us.
She appears to be tired.
We arranged to meet at ten.
He asked to come with us.
He begged to come.
I don't care to see that show.
She claims to be a descendent of Karl Marx.
She finally consented to marry him.
I have decided to leave on Monday.
I demand to know who is responsible.
She deserves to win the prize.
I expect to enter graduate school in the fall.
She failed to return the book to the library.
I forgot to mail the letter.
Don't hesitate to ask for my help.
Jack hopes to arrive next week.
He learned to play the piano.
She managed to finish her work early.
I didn't mean to hurt your feelings.
I need to have your opinion.
They offered to help us.
I am planning to have a party.
We prepared to welcome them.
He pretends not to understand.
I promise not to be late.
I refuse to believe his story.
I regret to tell you that you failed.
That cat seems to be friendly.
I struggled to stay awake.
She swore to tell the truth.
She threatened to tell my parents.
He volunteered to help us.
I will wait to hear from you.
I want to tell you something.
She wishes to come with us.
Verbs followed by Infinitives or Gerunds
begin
continue
hate
help
like
love
neglect
prefer
remember
start
He begins to work as soon as he arrives.
He begins working at ten a.m.
He continues to study.
He continues studying.
I hate to argue with you.
I hate arguing about politics.
It helps to know your limits.
I cannot help worrying about him.
They like to ski.
They like skiing.
Children love to play.
Children love playing with their friends.
She neglected to tell her the whole story.
She neglected telling her about the fire.
She prefers to eat a light dinner.
She prefers eating a light dinner.
I remembered to lock the door.
I can remember meeting him when I was young.
He started to run.
He started running.
Some common verbs are followed by either a gerund or an infinitive. But
the changes depending on which one is chosen. Here are three of the
verbs: forget, remember, stop.
For these verbs, an infinitive used after the verb is for an action that
happens AFTER the action in the main verb. A gerund after the main verb
means the action happens BEFORE the action of the main verb.
Examples of verbs followed by gerund or infinitives (meaning change)
I forgot to come for the test. (First action: forgetting)
He will never forget coming late for the test. (First action:
coming)
I remembered to go home to see my mother. (First action:
remembering)
I remembered going home to see my mother. (First action:
going)
I stopped to tell her that she was the best mother. (First
action: stopping)
I stopped telling her after she gave me a hug. (First action:
telling)
Remember visiting my mother =
you visited her in the past and now I am asking you to remember it.
Remember to visit my mother =
you must remember now that you will visit my mother in a while.
Verbs in this category include:
advise, allow, attempt, begin, can't bear, continue, forbid, forget, go on,
hate, hear, intend, like, love, permit, prefer, propose, regret, remember,
see, start, stop, try, watch.
1. - Complete these sentences using used to or be used to.
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






When I was a child I ... go swimming in the lake
I ... in front of an audience. I am a teacher.
As a father I ... the mess my children make every evening.
In the army I ... at six every morning.
My grandmother ... 5 miles to go to church on Sundays.
Anderlecht ... the best Belgian players. Nowadays they can't afford that any longer.
In Spain you will soon ... a siesta in the afternoon.
On holiday in Finland my wife ... a sauna every day!
After all this time I have become quite ... this program.
2. - Complete with a gerund or an infinitive.
1. - A: Oh, mum, this program is nearly finished. Can’t I go on ___________TV for a
while?
B: No, I want you to do my Math homework and then go on
_______________(writing).
2. - A: Your dress is dirty. It needs________________(wash).
B: I know. I wanted ____________(take) it to the laundromat today, but they
were closed.
3. - I’ll never forget ________________(visit) Thailand for the first time.
4. - Why don’t we stop____________(get something to eat?
5. - We should really stop____________(spend) money on junk food.
6. - I am sorry for___________(spoil) your plans last weekend.
7. - I regret___________(inform) you that we don’t require your services anymore.
8. - He stop__________(behave) foolishly.
9. - He regrets_____________(misbehave) in the meeting yesterday.
10. - Try_______________(cut down) on fat. You might get thinner.
11. - Try________(open) the door. I cannot do it.
12. - We have agreed _____ (quit) smoking.
13. - We were afraid of ______ (gain) weight.
14. - Have you considered _________ (go) to a specialist?
15. - Do you like __________ (spend) an evening watching television?
16. - I remember ______________ (drink) much more than I should.
17. - If your TV remote doesn't work, maybe you should try ____________ (change) the
batteries.
18. - We tried _____________ the fire department, but the phone lines were down.
19. - I don't mind __________ (go) museums if they're really interesting.
20. - We______________adviced Carlos________________ (call) his assistant.
3. - Complete using a gerund or an infinitive:
Yuri was in his first year at university, studying History. He was rather a lazy
student, and he tended to avoid __________ (work) whenever he could. In the
middle of the semester, his history professor gave out an assignment, due in two
weeks. Yuri intended ___________ (do) the assignment, but he postponed
____________ (write) it for a week. The following week, he forgot
____________ (do) it. The night before the assignment was due, he suddenly
remembered it, and rushed to the library. He tried ____________ (read) as
much as possible on the topic, but there wasn't enough time. Yuri considered
_____________ (ask) for more time to do his paper, but the History professor
was known to be very tough on students, so finally he decided ____________
(cheat) and copy his paper from somewhere else. He found an old article on the
same topic, and quickly typed it out. The next day, he submitted the paper.
The following week, he was alarmed _____________ (see) the professor
approaching him, looking angry.
"Is this your own work, or did you copy it?" asked the professor. Yuri denied
_____________ (copy) the paper.
"If you expect me ____________ (believe) that, you must be very stupid," said
the professor. "Every word is taken from an article I wrote myself five years
ago. Did you really think I would forget _____________ (write) it?"
4. - CHOOSE THE BEST WAY TO COMPLETE THE SENTENCES BELOW:
1) I’m worried ____________ a job interview.
with having
about having
to have
to have
2) ___________the game surprised us.
Winning
We won
To win
We win
3) Who is responsible __________dinner in your house?
to cook
for cooking
that they cook
of cooking
4) I am sure ___________ here will please them.
you being
you are
you to be
your being
5) What do you think __________a taxi to the airport?
to take
your taking
about taking
taking
6) I’m tired ___________ on this research paper.
for work
to work
of working
about working
7) Was the teacher's _____________ clear?
explaining
explained
explain
explanation
8) We insisted ______________at the meeting.
to be heard
on being heard
to hear
on hearing
9) Please ask them _____________in the classroom.
not to smoke
don't smoke
don't to smoke
not smoking
10) I was lucky____________such a good grade.
of getting
to get
to getting
get