Verb Patterns
By Syahmi Zakwan
Verb patterns describe the specific constructions (format) that follow verbs in English.
The two most common patterns involve using either the -ing form (gerund) or the infinitive
(to + base verb) form.
Pattern #1: Verb + -ing (Gerund) Patterns
A. Used after certain verbs:
● enjoy, mind, keep, admit, recommend, suggest, start, begin, continue
● Examples:
● She didn’t mind working late.
● I enjoyed not cooking for a change.
● He admitted stealing the money.
● I recommend trying the new restaurant.
● He suggested going for a walk.
B. Used after prepositions (about, at, by, in, of, etc):
● Examples:
● I’m worried about not being good enough.
● He’s good at drawing.
● They escaped by breaking a window.
● She’s interested in working at The Shed.
● He’s capable of solving the problem.
C. Used after certain expressions (it’s worth, it’s no use, there’s no point):
● Examples:
● It wasn’t worth pretending any longer.
● It’s no use complaining.
D. Used as the subject of a sentence:
● Examples:
● Setting up the website was easy.
● Eating in a restaurant is more expensive than eating at home.
Pattern #2: Verb + to + Infinitive Patterns
A. Used after certain verbs:
● want, hope, agree, offer, promise, refuse, threaten, plan, manage, seem, decide, need
● Examples:
● They threatened to tell the police.
● I promise not to break anything.
● Oobah Butler managed to make his garden shed into a five-star-rated
restaurant.
● She agreed to help.
● He offered to carry my bag.
● They refused to leave.
● We plan to visit next week.
B. Used after certain adjectives:
● (difficult, good, important, happy, relieved, etc)
● Examples:
● People are happy to believe anything they read online.
● I was relieved to see I wasn’t late.
● It is difficult to understand.
C. Used to show purpose:
● Examples:
● I went online to read the news.
● They wrote reviews to avoid anti-spam technology.
● He went to the shop to buy bread.
D. Used after question words:
● what, how, when, where, who, etc.
● Examples:
● He wasn’t sure what to do next.
● I don’t know where to go or who to ask.
E. Verb + Object + to + Infinitive
Some verbs (advise, ask, invite, remind, tell, warn) need an object before the infinitive:
● Examples:
● They warned me not to tell anyone.
● I’ve invited your parents to visit us.
