VERB PATTERNS

THE INFINITIVE AND THE GERUND (aka THE –ING VERB)

THE INFINITIVE

Tense Time reference Formation Voice

Active Passive
Present Simple, refers to the present to work (to) lose (to) be lost
Future Simple or future He expects to stay He hopes to be
here for a week. offered a
promotion.
Present refers to an action to be working (to) be losing -
Continuous, Future happening now or He seems to be -
Continuous at a certain time in working hard.
the future
Past Simple, refers to the past or to have worked (to) have lost (to) have been lost
Present Perfect, future and shows He claims to have She is believed to
Past Perfect, Future that the action of won a lot of money. have been lost.
Perfect the infinitive
happened before
the action of the
verb
Past Continuous, refers to the past or to have been (to) have been -
Present Perfect future and working losing
Continuous, Past emphasizes the He’s got a -
Perfect Continuous, duration of the headache. He
Future Perfect action of the claims to have
Continuous infinitive, which been working on
happened before the computer all
the action of the morning.
verb

NOTE: The perfect infinitive is used with verbs such as seem, appear, believe, know, claim, expect and
modal verbs.

USE:

 to express purpose: Sam went to the bank to get some money.

 after certain verbs (agree, appear, decide, expect, hope, plan, promise, refuse, etc.): He promised to help
us with the decorations.
 after adjectives which:
a) describe feelings/emotions (happy, glad, etc.);
b) express willingness/unwillingness (willing, eager, reluctant, anxious, unwilling, etc.);
c) refer to a person’s character (mean, clever, etc.) and also with adjectives lucky and fortunate: You
were clever not to believe them.
 after certain nouns and pronouns such as something, somewhere, anyone, nothing, etc. usually to show
that something is necessary or possible: We had nowhere to go.
 after too and enough: She is too young to stay out so late.
 with it + be + adjective/noun: It is important to get there on time.
 to talk about an unexpected event which can be unpleasant, usually with only: They rushed to the airport
(only) to be informed that the flight had been cancelled.
 after be + the first/second/next, etc.: He was the first to arrive.
 after verbs and expressions such as ask, learn, find out, wonder, want to know, decide, explain, etc. when
they are followed by question words (who, what, where, how, etc.). Why is followed by a subject + verb,
not by an infinitive: He explained how to operate the machine.

NOTE: With adjectives which refer to character we can also use an impersonal construction It + be +
adjective + of + noun/pronoun: It was clever of you not to believe them.

NOTE: If two infinitives are joined with and or or, the particle to of the second infinitive can be omitted: He
agreed to come and help us.

NOTE: The subject of the infinitive is omitted when it is the same as the subject of the main verb: I would
like to help with the preparations. When it is different, however, it is not omitted. The subject of the infinitive
can be an object pronoun, a name or a noun: I would like Mary to help with the preparations.

THE BARE INFINITIVE

The bare infinitive is the infinitive form of a verb without the particle to.

USE:

 after modal verbs (can, should, must, etc.): He should apologize to his parents.
 after verbs such as let, make, see, hear, and feel: They saw her talk to the manager.
 after had better and would rather: You had better see a doctor.
 after help: She helped me fill in my application form.

NOTE: We use the infinitive with to after the modal verb ought: She ought to find a job.

NOTE: We use the infinitive with to after be made, be heard, and be seen (passive): She was seen to talk to
the manager.

NOTE: We use the gerund after can/could + verb + object: We could see smoke coming out of the building.

NOTE: We can use the infinitive with to after help with no change in meaning: She helped me to fill in my
application form.

THE GERUND

Form Time reference Formation Voice

 Active Passive
Simple refers to the present working losing being lost
or future Swimming is an Being employed by
energetic form of Facebook opens a
exercise. lot of doors.
Perfect shows that the having worked having lost having been lost
action of the He denied having I appreciate
gerund happened lied to his parents. having been told
before the action of the news.
the verb

NOTE: We can use the simple gerund form instead of the perfect gerund form with no difference in
meaning: He admitted stealing/having stolen the car.

USE:

 as a noun: Cycling is a popular form of exercise.

 after certain verbs (admit, anticipate, appreciate, avoid, consider, continue, delay, deny, discuss, enjoy,
escape, excuse, fancy, finish, forgive, go (for activities), imagine, involve, keep (= continue), mention,
mind, miss, postpone, practise, prevent, quit, recall, recollect, report, resent, resist, risk, save, stand,
suggest, tolerate, understand, etc.): He avoided answering my question.
 after dislike, enjoy, hate, like, love, prefer to express general preference: She likes painting.
 after expressions such as be busy, it’s no use, it’s (no) good, it’s (not) worth, what’s the use of, can’t
help, there’s no point (in), can’t stand, have difficulty (in), have trouble, have a hard/difficult time, etc.:
What’s the use of waiting for an answer?
 after spend, waste, lose (time, money, etc.): We wasted a lot of time trying to find a parking space.
 after prepositions: He was found guilty of lying in court.
 after hear, listen to, notice, see, watch, and feel to describe an incomplete action, that is to say that
somebody saw, heard, etc. only a part of the action: I listened to James singing a song. (I listened to a part
of the song. I didn’t listen to the whole song.).

NOTE: We use the gerund after the preposition to with verbs and expressions such as look forward to, be
used to, object to, in addition to, prefer (= doing something to doing something else), etc.: She objects to
working on Saturdays.

NOTE: With the verbs hear, listen to, notice, see, watch, and feel we use bare infinitive (the infinitive
without the particle to) to describe a complete action, something that somebody saw, heard, etc. from
beginning to end: I listened to James sing a song. (I listened to the song from beginning to end.). 

NOTE: The subject of the gerund is omitted when it is the same as the subject of the main verb: I remember
winning the gold medal. The subject of the gerund can be an object pronoun, a possessive adjective, a name
or a possessive case: I remember Steve winning the golden medal.

VERBS TAKING THE INFINITIVE OR THE GERUND WITH A CHANGE IN MEANING

FORGET
 forget + infinitive = not remember: I have to go out. I forgot to buy a newspaper.
 forget + gerund = not recall: I’ll never forget traveling by plane for the first time.

REMEMBER
 remember + infinitive = not forget: Did you remember to tell Sam about the meeting?
 remember + gerund = recall: I remember talking to him before.

GO ON
 go on + infinitive = then: She introduced herself and went on to talk about her new book.
 go on + the gerund = continue: He went on writing letters until 10.00.

MEAN
 mean + infinitive = intend to: She means to buy a new car soon.
 mean + gerund = involve: She is determined to get a ticket for the concert, even if it means paying a lot
of money.

REGRET
 regret + infinitive = be sorry to (it is normally used in Present Simple and is followed by verbs such as
say, tell, inform): We regret to inform you that you have failed.
 regret + gerund = feel sorry about: He regretted selling his house.

TRY
 try + infinitive = attempt, do one’s best: We tried to move the heavy branch to the side of the road.
 try + gerund = do as an experiment: If you can’t go to sleep, try drinking some milk.

STOP
 stop + infinitive = stop to do something else: He stopped to fill the tank with petrol, then continued
driving.
 stop + gerund = finish, give up: He stopped drinking coffee because it upset his stomach.

BE SORRY
 be sorry + infinitive = apologize for a present action: I’m sorry to say this, but your work is rather
unsatisfactory.
 be sorry for + gerund = apologize for an earlier action: We are sorry for keeping you waiting.

LIKE
 like + the infinitive = think that something is good or right to do: I like to pay my bills as soon as I get
them.
 like + the gerund = enjoy (general preference): Tom likes meeting new people.

VERBS TAKING THE INFINITIVE OR THE GERUND WITHOUT A CHANGE IN MEANING

allow attempt begin bother cease

 continue deserve neglect omit permit
start

 begin, start, continue, propose, bother, intend + infinitive/gerund: We continued to discuss/discussing

the plans.
 advise, allow, permit, recommend, encourage + object + infinitive: He advised us to book in advance.
 advise, allow, permit, recommend, encourage + gerund: He advised booking in advance.
 need, require, want + gerund. This construction often shows that it is necessary to repair or improve
something: The carpet needs hoovering.

Verbs which can be followed by the gerund, infinitive, noun, or -that clause

fear hate like love intend prefer recommend

VERBS FOLLOWED BY THE INFINITIVE

Many different verbs are followed, or can be followed, by a second verb in the infinitive. All of the verbs
listed below are followed by a -to infinitive when the infinitive is used. Verbs marked with an asterisk (*) can
also be followed by a -that clause, as shown in the examples. Verbs marked with two asterisks (**) can only
be followed by a that-clause when the subject of the primary verb is it.

afford agree* aim appear** arrange* bother care

claim* condescend consent decide* demand* determine* endeavour
fail guarantee* happen* hasten have (= be hesitate hope*
obliged)
learn long manage offer prepare pretend* proceed
promise* propose prove (= turn refuse resolve* seek seem**
out)
strive swear* tend threaten* trouble undertake volunteer
vow*

Verbs followed by a noun + the infinitive

accustom aid appoint assist cause challenge command*

defy direct* drive empower enable encourage entice
entitle entreat force get implore* incite induce
inspire instruct* invite lead leave (= oblige order*
make
someone
responsible)
persuade* press prompt provoke remind* require* stimulate
summon teach tell tempt trust* warn*

Verbs without a noun before a -that clause

When certain verbs are followed by a -that clause, there is no noun before the -that clause. Even though, there
is a noun before the infinitive. This is the case for the verbs command, direct, entreat, implore, order,
require and trust.

Verbs with a noun before a -that clause

Other verbs, when followed by a -that clause require a noun before the -that clause, just as before the
infinitive. This is the case for the verbs persuade and remind.

Verbs with an optional noun before a -that clause

A final group of verbs when followed by a -that clause take an optional noun before the that clause. This is
the case for the verbs instruct, teach and warn.

Verbs followed by the infinitive or a noun + the infinitive

ask* beg* choose dare desire* elect expect*

help mean* request* want wish*
(=intend)

VERBS FOLLOWED BY THE GERUND

The gerund is commonly used after quite a few different verbs. The most important of these verbs are shown
below. All of these verbs can be followed by nouns instead of the gerund. Remember, the gerund always
functions as a noun in sentences. Some of these verbs can also be followed by a -that clause.

Verbs which can be followed by the gerund or noun

avoid celebrate consider contemplate defer delay detest

dislike dread enjoy entail escape excuse finish
forgive involve keep loathe mind miss pardon
postpone prevent resent resist risk save stop

Verbs which can be followed by the gerund, noun or -that clause

acknowledge admit anticipate appreciate deny imagine mean

mention propose recall recollect report suggest understand