After a gerund or infinitive. Gerund and infinitive in English: usage, verb combinations. Verbs with to-Infinitive and -ing forms without changing the meaning in sentences

In a sentence, the gerund and the infinitive can often serve the same function, so it can sometimes be difficult to decide where to use the gerund and where to use the infinitive. In this section we will try to explain this as simply and clearly as possible.

1. Both the gerund and the infinitive can perform the functions of subject and predicate in a sentence. However, in most such cases it is much preferable to use the gerund; the infinitive in the functions of subject and predicate is used extremely rarely, especially in modern English. In the following examples, sentences that use a gerund will sound more natural and variants with the gerund will be more likely to be used in everyday speech. The infinitive emphasizes the possibility of something and has a philosophical connotation.

For example:
Learning is important.
Teaching important.

To learn is important.
Teaching important. ( Less likely option.)

learning.
The most important thing is study.

The most important thing is to learn.
The most important thing is to study. ( Less likely option.)

2. It is somewhat more difficult to choose between a gerund and an infinitive as an object in a sentence. In such cases, the gerund and infinitive are usually not interchangeable. Typically, whether a gerund or infinitive is used depends on the semantic verb of the sentence.

For example:
He enjoys swimming.
He likes to swim. ( Verb enjoy requires a gerund after itself.)

He wants to swim.
He wants to swim. ( Verb want requires an infinitive after itself.)

3. Some verbs require a gerund after them (a list of verbs that require a gerund after them).

For example:
She suggested going to a movie.
She suggested we go see a movie.

Mary keeps talking about her problems.
Mary continues to talk about her problems.

4. Some verbs require an infinitive after themselves (a list of verbs that require an infinitive after themselves).

For example:
She wants to go to a movie.
She wants to go see a movie.

Mary needs to talk about her problems.
Mary needs to talk about her problems.

5. The gerund is often used with possessive pronouns, such as his, her, its, your, their, our, John"s, Mary"s, the machine"s, etc., thus indicating who or what performs the action.

For example:
I enjoyed their singing.
I like it their singing. ( Pronoun their shows to whom the action expressed by the gerund refers singing. )

She understood his saying no to the offer.
She understood why He refused the offer.

Sam resented Debbie's coming late to the dinner.
Sam was unhappy that Debbie I was late for dinner.

We discussed the machine"s being broken.
We discussed what car was broken.

6. After some verbs, a noun with an infinitive is used. In some cases the use of a noun is required, and in some cases the noun may not be used (a list of verbs followed by a noun with an infinitive).

For example:
The police ordered the man to stop.
The police ordered the man to stop. ( )

She asked to leave.
She asked to leave. ( No noun is used.)

She asked him to leave.
She asked him to leave. ( The noun is used.)

7. After some verbs, a gerund is usually used, But after them a noun with an infinitive can also be used. When using an infinitive noun, the doer of the action usually changes (a list of verbs followed by a gerund or an infinitive noun).

For example:
I taking advice the train.
I advised going by train. ( This means in general, without contacting anyone.)

I advised him to take the train.
I advised him to go by train. ( It was for him, and not for anyone else.)

8. There are many designs like " go + gerund", which describe outdoor sports and some other activities (list of the construction "go + gerund").

For example:
I go swimming every weekend.
I go swimming at the end of every week.

Would you ever go skydiving?
Would you ever dare to jump from a parachute?

9. Gerund can be used after prepositions, in constructions like " verb + preposition". There is no need to memorize all such constructions, you just need to remember that gerunds can be used after prepositions!

For example:
Leslie made up for forgetting my birthday.
Leslie apologized for forgetting my birthday.

He is thinking about studying abroad.
He is thinking about studying abroad.

10. Keep in mind that English also has many constructions like " adjective + preposition" And " noun + preposition"; a gerund can also be used after them (a list of “adjective + preposition” constructions, followed by a gerund and a list of “noun + preposition” constructions, followed by a gerund). And, once again, you don’t need to memorize all such constructions, you just need remember that gerunds can be used after prepositions!

For example:
Sandy is scared of flying.
Sandy is afraid of flying. ( )

Nick is anxious about taking the examination.
Nick is worried about the upcoming exam. ( Construction "adjective + preposition".)

His interest in becoming a professional snowboarder was well known.
His ambition to become a professional snowboarder was well known. ( )

Thoma's story about seeing a grizzly bear war is really exciting.
Toma's story about how she saw a grizzly bear is very moving. ( Construction "noun + preposition".)

11. After some verbs, a gerund or infinitive can be used, but with a difference in meaning (a list of verbs followed by a gerund or infinitive with a difference in meaning).

For example:
Nancy remembered getting married
Nancy remembered how she got married. ( Nancy has memories of getting married.)

Fred remembered to bring sunblock to the beach.
Fred didn't forget to take sunscreen to the beach. ( Fred remembered that he needed to take sunblock if he went to the beach, so he took it.)

12. Some verbs may be followed by a gerund or infinitive with a slight difference in meaning (a list of verbs followed by a gerund or infinitive with the same meaning).

For example:
She likes swimming.
She likes to swim.
She likes to swim.

Although the difference in meaning when using the gerund and the infinitive in the above verbs is very slight, and in such cases the gerund and the infinitive can often be interchanged, there is still a difference. The use of a gerund implies that we are talking about a present activity, and the use of an infinitive implies that we are talking about a possible activity. Because of this slight difference, the gerund and the infinitive may not always be equivalent, as in the following sentences.

For example:
The British reporter likes living in New York.
The British reporter loves living in New York. ( He lives in New York and loves it.)

The British reporter likes to live in New York whenever he works in the United States.
A British reporter enjoys living in New York while working in the United States. ( He likes the option or possibility of living in New York while working in the United States.)

I like speaking French because it's such a beautiful language.
I like to speak French because it is such a beautiful language. ( When I speak French, I enjoy the process itself and the feeling I get from it.)

I like to speak French when I"m in France.
I like to speak French when I'm in France. ( I prefer to speak French when I'm in France.)

13. There are many designs like " to be + adjective", usually followed by an infinitive (a list of "to be + adjective" constructions followed by an infinitive).

For example:
They were anxious to begin.
They couldn't wait to get started.

She was delighted to receive such good feedback.
She was very happy to receive such good feedback.

He is lucky to have such good friends.
He's lucky to have such good friends.

14. There are also many nouns that are usually followed by an infinitive (a list of nouns that are followed by an infinitive).

For example:
It was a good decision to move to San Francisco.
Moving to San Francisco was a good decision.

His wish to become an actor was well known.
His desire to become an actor was well known.

Laura's desire to improve impressed me.
Laura's desire to improve impressed me.

15. Sometimes the infinitive is used to mean “in order to.”

For example:
He bought the English dictionary to look up difficult words.
He bought an English dictionary to look for difficult words.

Janine sold her car to get the money that she needed.
Janine sold her car to get the money she needed.

The meaning “in order to” is carried by many constructions in the English language:

too + adjective/adverb + infinitive

For example:
The box is too heavy to carry.
The box is too heavy to carry it.

The television is too expensive to buy.
TV is too expensive to buy it.

Fiona ran too slowly to win the race.
Fiona ran too slow to win the competition.

We arrived too late to see the beginning of the movie.
We arrived too late to watch the beginning of the film.

adjective/adverb + enough + infinitive

For example:
She is tall enough to reach the book on the shelf.
She's tall enough to reach the shelf.

Brian was smart enough to enter the college at the age of 12. Brian was smart enough to go to college at age 12.

Linda runs quickly enough to win the race.
Linda runs fast enough to win the competition.

enough + noun + infinitive

For example:
He has enough money to buy his own car.
He has enough money to buy your own car.

Cheryl owns enough books to start her own library.
Cheryl has enough books to open your own library.

Diane needs enough time to finish writing her book.
Diane needs enough time to write your book.

16. After some constructions follows "-ing" form- present participle (list of constructions followed by the “ing” form).

For example:
He had fun fishing.
He had fun while fishing.

They had difficulty finding a parking place.
They had difficulty finding parking.

She spent her time practicing the piano.
He spent the time practicing the piano.

17. Verbs denoting place can often be followed by "-ing" form.
Such structures look like this:
verb of place + object of place + "-ing" form
(a list of place verbs followed by the "-ing" form).

For example:
Sarah stood at the corner waiting for Tom.
Sarah stood on the corner and waited for Tom.

Melissa lay in bed thinking about her future.
Melissa lay in bed and thought about her future.

Don clung to the side of the cliff looking down.
Don clung to the edge of the cliff and looked down.

18. In addition to the simple forms of gerund and infinitive, there are also continuous form gerund and infinitive, passive form gerund and infinitive and perfect form gerund and infinitive, and combinations of these forms. The continuous form is used to indicate that an action is happening right now; The passive form is used to show that the subject of the sentence is being affected by another person or thing; The perfect form is used to indicate that an action has already been completed, either in the past tense or in the future. Study the examples below to get a better understanding of these concepts. Also, in order to better understand the difference between the listed forms of gerund and infinitive, you need to have a good understanding of and in English.

	Gerund forms	Infinitive forms
Simple (Simple)	The teacher enjoys teaching. The teacher enjoys teaching.	The teacher wants to teach. The teacher wants to teach.
Long-term (Continuous)	Mr. Smith is really enjoying teaching his class. Mr. Smith really enjoys teaching his class. (Looks the same as the Simple form.)	Mr. Smith would like to be teaching his class. Mr. Smith would like to teach his class.
Passive (Passive)	The students enjoy being taught. Students enjoy being taught.	The students want to be taught. Students want to be taught.
Perfect (Perfect)	The retired teacher having taught. A retired teacher remembered how he once taught.	The teacher was expecting to have taught that already. The teacher expected that he had already taught it.
Long-term passive (Passive + continuous)	The students are enjoying being taught by such an exciting new teacher. The students love having such a great new teacher teach them. (Looks the same as the Passive form.)	The students would like to be taught by Mr Smith. Students would love to have Mr. Smith teach them.
Perfect passive (Passive + Perfect)	The older students reflected having been taught that already. The older students remembered that they had already been taught this.	The students were expecting to have been taught that by now. The students expected that this had already been taught.

One of the difficulties of the English language is that some verbs are used with a gerund ( gerund ), and the other part is a synfinitive ( infinitive ). But first, a little about what a gerund is and how it is formed. There is no such part of speech in Russian. A gerund is a verb form that functions like a noun. He expresses action as an object, sometimes called a verbal noun.

In English this form is formed by adding -ing endings to verbs, for example play - playing, sleep - sleeping, think - thinking. An infinitive is a verb with a particle to: to play, to sleep, to think. This particle to sometimes it may go down.

When is the gerund used? (verb+ing)

After verbs:

I like living in London (I like living in London)
I love going out with my friends (I like to go out with friends)
She enjoys singing (she enjoys singing)
I don't like washing dishes (I do not like Wash the dishes)
I hate studying economics (I hate studying economics)
I don't mind opening the window (I don't mind opening the window)
I can’t stand getting up early in the morning (I hate getting up early in the morning)

After certain verbs such as:

I imagine seeing a new planet (I imagine that I see a new planet)
They denied going out that evening (they denied going out that evening)
He tried to avoid doing anything wrong (he was trying not to do anything wrong)
You keep on waiting for me (you keep waiting for me)
Do you consider studying more grammar? (are you thinking of studying more grammar?)

After prepositions:

After having read the letter she felt sad (after reading the letter, she felt sad)
Before going out, please wash your face (before you go out, wash your face)
Are you interested in listening to English podcasts? (are you interested in listening to English podcasts?)
Mia went to work instead of staying home and taking the medicine (Mia went to work instead of staying home and taking medication)
Their uncle is looking forward to seeing us for dinner tonight (their uncle is looking forward to having us for dinner today)
Our mom is good at cooking turky. (Our mom cooks turkey well)

After certain expressions:

It is no use arguing, everyone has his own opinion. (It's no use arguing; everyone has their own opinion.)
i t’s no good gossiping about people who are not present here (it's not good to gossip about people who are not here)
There is no point in reading these dull books (no point in reading these boring books)

When is the infinitive used? (to + verb)

After verbs that refer to future events. They can be followed by a verb+to/verb+object+to object:

We expect anybody to come (we are waiting for someone to come)
They asked us to give them that book (they asked us to give them that book)
I intend to study history tonight (I intend to study history tonight)
Would you prefer to stay home? (do you prefer to stay at home?)
Do you want me to play the piano? (do you want me to play the piano?)

After verbs such as:

We decided to give more information (we decided to give more information)
My father needs to give up smoking (my father needs to quit smoking)
It helped to prevent more damages (this helped prevent more damage)
My son chose to go to Spain for holidays (my son chose to go to Spain for the holidays)

After adjectives:

After the words:

The subject was too difficult to uncover its meaning (the topic was too complex to reveal its meaning)
It was too difficult to understand what they said (it was too hard to understand what they said)
It was interesting enough to see that movie (it was quite interesting to watch this movie)

After dare you can use the infinitive with or without the particle to

I wouldn’t dare disturb you read your newspaper/ I wouldn’t dare to disturb you read the newspaper (I wouldn't dare to stop you from reading the newspaper)

Some verbs can be accompanied by both a gerund and an infinitive. In this case, two options are possible: without changing the meaning of the expression and with a change.

Gerund or infinitive after

After these verbs, you can use both a gerund and an infinitive, the meaning of the expression does not change. The only thing you need to take into account is that usually a gerund is not used after a verb with an ing ending, for example: It is starting to rain (they don’t say: it is starting raining)

Gerund or infinitive after

These verbs form a special group because they radically change the meaning of the entire expression depending on whether they are followed by a gerund or an infinitive.

Remember, forget

If a verb is followed by a gerund, then the action described by the gerund was performed first.
If a verb is followed by an infinitive, then it is a consequence.
This can best be understood with examples:

John forgot sending an email to his lawyer, so he was surprised when the lawyer called him - John forgot that he sent an email to his lawyer, so he was surprised when the lawyer called him.
(Here, first John sent an email to his lawyer, and then he forgot that he did it, so he was surprised by the lawyer's call. The most important thing to understand here is email was sent lawyer)

John forgot to send an email to his lawyer, so the lawyer did not know the latest facts - John forgot to send an email to his lawyer, so the lawyer did not know the latest facts.

(From this expression it follows that email was not sent lawyer)

Sarah remembers telling her husband to buy some milk, but he did not buy it, so she was angry - Sarah remembers that she told her husband to buy some milk, but he didn’t buy it, and she got angry.

Sarah remembers to tell her husband to buy some milk, because he likes adding it to his coffee - Sarah remembers that she needs to tell her husband to buy some milk, because he likes adding milk to his coffee.

We regret to inform you that your essay has been unsuccessful - we regret to inform you that your essay was not successful.

Do they regret not renting a car in Spain? — Do they regret not renting a car in Spain?

Good luck to everyone in learning English!

In the process of studying non-finite verb constructions in English, a rather difficult topic, many students are faced with a rather logical problem: which construction to use Infinitive form or ing form? In other words, when to use regular verbs in their base form, and when to use gerunds or participles? Answers to these and other similar questions, for example, when it is acceptable to use two forms to choose from, will be presented below.

Similarities and differences between the infinitive and the –ing form

When choosing which verb nucleus to use – verb -ing or Infinitive verb – it is important to remember that in addition to their differences, they also have similar features.

Temporary forms

For example, an infinitive can have several tense and passive structures; Gerunds and participles also have them, albeit in smaller quantities. A special table will help you study all the main time frames of these grammatical units, which displays all possible variants of constructions of the infinitive or –ing verb.

Use in special designs

As is known, the infinitive with the particle to (or without it) can be part of some grammatical constructions, in particular, Complex Object, or complex object, Complex Subject (complex subject), as well as for-to-Infinitive construction. However, these structures can also include an –ing form. For example:

· Suddenly I heard him open the door - Suddenly I heard him open the door
· Suddenly I heard him slowly coming downstairs – Suddenly I heard him slowly coming down the stairs

Both of these examples are similar, but, as you can see, the verb structure they use is different. The explanation here is very simple: if in a complex object we are talking about a short-term action that happened once, the infinitive is used. But if duration and process are implied, then the form of the verb will have a specific ending, that is, the use of Participle I will be relevant. The situation looks similar with the participle when it is included in the construction of a compound verbal predicate:

Stone was seen crossing the park in a hurry - Stone was seen hastily crossing the park

In addition, the ending becomes ing in the case when the sentence uses a structure corresponding to the Russian participle or gerund. This Verbal is called Participle I; It is worth mentioning that the English language does not provide for the same division as Russian. Therefore, the –ing form will describe both the participle and the gerund.

Use after various verbs

You can use –ing verb or Infinitive verb after different action words. There are certain verbs that require the use of only an infinitive after themselves. The participle rule does not imply the use of this verb structure after special words; The gerund has this feature.

Using the example of several verbs, we can consider a situation where duality in the use of two Verbals is allowed. So, you can take the verb remember. One of its main features is that in the meaning of “remembering something passed” it is associated with Gerund. In contrast to –ing to with an infinitive after remember is used in the case when this word takes on the meaning “not to forget about something,” i.e., it no longer refers to the past, but to the future tense. For example:

· He remembers meeting her on Monday - He remembers that he met her on Monday
· Don’t forget to meet her on Monday, she is going to come back - Don’t forget to meet her on Monday, she is going to come back

It is extremely important to take these differences and similarities into account, since in the process of speaking and writing, many errors are associated precisely with the use of these two verb forms. Training them in exercises will help you quickly remember all the exceptions and prevent their misuse.

A foreign language is complicated not only by its special phonetic and lexical systems, but also, for the most part, by grammatical categories, especially when they do not have a corresponding analogue in native speech. Today we are waiting for one of the most difficult topics - gerunds and infinitives in English. We will diligently try to understand what role these grammatical structures play, we will figure out where the border of their sphere of use lies, and we will consolidate the assimilation of information by completing the exercise. The material is voluminous and contains many points that require detailed attention and memorization, so be prepared for thorough work. Let's get started!

Gerund vs. Infinitive - differences in application

Let's start by defining the meaning of these categories.

Infinitive – indefinite form of verbs denoting actions; the basic stage for the formation of all other verb constructions. The main question for this grammatical unit: what to do?

Gerund – an impersonal verb form that takes on some of the characteristics of a noun; expresses action processes. Interrogative combination for the following expressions: doing what?

The logical conclusion from these definitions is that the use of the infinitive and gerund is dictated by the desire to indicate some action. In addition, both concepts do not vary in numbers and persons, and do not have a mood category. However, even at first acquaintance you can find differences in their functions:

• Denoting an action with means implies the brevity of the event. The gerund is associated with more general concepts and processes extended over time.
• As a rule, infinitive actions, by their purpose, relate to the future tense, since they are a certain goal. Accordingly, processes most often express the present or the past.
• The infinitive has a neutral meaning, while the use of the gerund is dictated by the fact that the interlocutor perceives the specified actions as a specific case. Therefore, in such sentences one can often find circumstances related to the situation.
• Due to the fact that the English language always strives for simplification, in modern speech there is a tendency to replace complex –ing forms with infinitives.

When solving exercises on infinitives and gerunds, it is important to remember that the tense constructions of these grammatical categories are also different. We give examples of them in a general table.

Tense	Infinitive		Gerund
	Active	Passive	Active	Passive
Simple	to do	to be done	doing	being done
Perfect	to have done	to have been done	having done	having been done
Continuous	to be doing
Perfect Continuous	to have been doing

From the table it follows that the infinitive form has much more possibilities for use. But it seems so only at first glance, because in reality everything is much more complicated.

Unfortunately, English grammar does not have a uniform rule about when it is necessary to use a gerund or an infinitive. But there are a number of exceptional cases in which only one of the forms is used. These can be both syntactic roles in a sentence and stable connections with certain verbs. In order to understand the correct use of these structures, let us compare the norms characteristic of them in another table.

The use of gerunds and infinitives in English
№	Infinitive	Gerund
1.	As a direct object, revealing the reason or purpose of an action. They came to congratulate me. They came to congratulate me.	In the role of the subject, denoting the process as a generalized concept of action. Teaching is a stressful job. Teaching is hard work.
2.	In constructions of a complex (objective) complement (objective case of a noun or place + infinitive of a verb). She knows Jack to be a cool guy. She knows Jack is a great guy.	As an object following a preposition or phrasal verb. Excuse me for breaking your Chinese decanter. Forgive me for breaking your Chinese decanter.
3.	As an action verb for “for+noun/pronoun” combinations. For her to talk with foreigners is difficult. She finds it difficult to communicate with foreigners.	The circumstance of time in combination with prepositions. Instead of cooking a cake, she is watching a soap opera on television. Instead of making a cake, she watches some soap series on TV.
4.	Predicate after adjectives. It is difficult to listen to such things about parents. It's hard to hear things like that about parents.	As a definition after nouns with prepositions. Her way of driving is very dangerous. Her driving style is very dangerous.
5.	Predicate after verbal nouns. Your decision to sell our house is unreasonable. Yoursolutionsellourhouseunreasonably.	Predicate after words and expressions worth, don'tmind, can'thelp and etc. The film is worth seeing. This movie worth watching.

This information is extremely important, so the table must be, if not memorized, then at least printed out and carried with you during the practical exercise.

It is no secret that both the gerund and the infinitive have stable connections with some verbs. There are so many such examples that they will require a separate table.

Verb combinations
№	Infinitive	Gerund
1.	Verbs of thinking and feeling processes: watch, expect, hear, hope, choose, notice, decide etc. Moreover, with some verbs the infinitive used without the particle to. We heard Nick say that. We heard Nick say it. I hope to pass the exam. IHopepassthisexam.	Expressing emotional feelings that are constantly felt: hate, dislike (like), can’t bear, detest, can’t stand . I detest cleaning and cutting fish. I hate cleaning and cutting fish. My father likes smoking these cigars. My father loves to smoke these cigars.
2.	Verbs of planning, desires, preferences : intend, wish, manage, want, desire, plan, mean, prepare, would like . They wanted to become actresses They wanted to become actresses. You managed to learn English. To youmanagedlearnEnglish.	Verbs of gratitude, forgiveness, acceptance, recognition: thank you forgive , admit , excuse . Forgive my talking about this case. Forgive my chatter about this incident. My daughter admitted writing that letter. My daughter admitted that she wrote that letter.
3.	Modal and auxiliary verbs: do, will, shall, can, may, have to, would, should, must, keep etc. What should I do ? What should I do? He can't play a guitar. He can play on guitar.	Suggestions, opportunities, necessity: recommend , advise , permit , propose , allow . She recommends swimming for two hours. They proposed celebrating my birthday in their house. They offered to celebrate my birthday at their house.
4.	Transmission of direct speech: agree, propose, offer, arrange, promise. She agreed to leave Moscow. She agreed to leave Moscow. They promise to call me tomorrow. Theypromisecallto meTomorrow.	Lengthy processes: begin, finish, get up, resume, stop, cease . It began snowing again. Againbeganfallsnow. She ceased singing a year and a half ago. She stopped singing about a year and a half ago.

We learned how modern English distinguishes between gerunds and infinitives. But it’s still too early to do the exercises, since we have not considered one important point - the interaction of both forms with the same verbs. Sometimes, this is a positive fact that allows you to use both categories without changing the meaning. But there are cases when the meaning of a phrase is radically different. Let's consider them.

Gerund and infinitive in English with common verbs

In order to clearly show the dependence of the context on the grammatical structure used, we will also present examples of such situations in the form of a summary table.

Different contexts
Verbs	Infinitive	Gerund
stop	We stopped to talk . We stopped to talk. Direct object indicating the reason: why did you stop? (to do what?) – talk.	We stopped talking . We stopped communicating. Ending the process. Stopped what? - communication. (doing what? – communication)
remember	Remember to send this postcard to Granny. Remember to send this postcard to grandma. Action is related to the present or future.	I remember talking with her for the first time. I remember talking to her for the first time. Action is connected to the past.
forget	Don't forget to call your father! Don't forget to call your father! Present or future tense.	She will never forget taking her first exam. She will never forget passing her first exam. Event of the past.
regret	I regret to say that he isn’t your brother. I'm sorry to say, but he is not your brother. Regret about the present/future.	We regret not saying it. We're sorry we didn't say that. Regret about the past.
need	We want to wash our car. We want to wash our car. It's about the action, not the condition of the machine. It is not known whether it is really dirty or clean, but it is clear that they want to wash it.	This car needs washing . The car needs washing. The emphasis is on the state of the object, while it is not known whether the action will be performed. The expression has a passive meaning, despite the construction of the active voice.

Now you can confidently perform exercises on gerunds and infinitives used in English. Good luck in practicing the acquired knowledge!

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After some verbs, both the infinitive with the particle to and the -ing form of the verb can be used. In this case, the verbs will have different meanings.

• forget + infinitive with particle to- forget, don't remember.

I forgot to buy a present for Ann’s birthday. I forgot to buy present for Ann's birthday.

• forget + -ing verb form - not to remember events in the past.

She'll never forget visiting London. She never won't forget his trip to London.

• remember + infinitive with particle to- remember, don't forget.

Do you remember to call Ashley? You remember what should call Ashley?

• remember + -ing verb form - to remember something in the past.

He remembers lending me his book. He remembers what he borrowed me your book.

• mean + infinitive with particle to- intend, intend to do something.

Our teacher meant to check your test but he was in a hurry. Our teacher was going to check your test, but he was in a hurry.

• mean +-ing verb form - to imply, to assume.

Growing up means having new problems. Growing up implies new problems.

• regret + infinitive with particle to- regret about the need for something unpleasant (usually used in the Present Simple (present simple tense) with verbs such as say(speak), tell(say), inform(inform), announce(announce, report)).

I regret to tell you haven't passed the test. To me it's a pity, but you failed the test.

• regret +-ing verb form - to regret something.

I regret telling you lie. I regret that he lied to you.

• try + infinitive with particle to- try, try to do your best.

I tried to do my best. I tried with all my might.

• try +-ing verb form - to try something as an experiment.

If you want to lose your weight, try exercising more. If you want to lose weight, try to study more physical exercise.

• stop + infinitive with particle to- to stop temporarily in order to do something.

As she was driving home, she stopped to buy some food. She stopped to buy groceries on the way home.

• stop + -ing verb form - to stop doing something.

If you want to be slim you should stop eating sweets. If you want to be slim, you should stop eating so much sweet.

• go on + infinitive with particle to- finish an action and start a new one.

We did the washing up, then went on to tidy up the kitchen. We finished washing the dishes and started cleaning kitchens.

• go on + -ing verb form - to continue to do something.

He went on talking about his new job for an hour. He continued to talk about your new job within an hour.

• want + infinitive with particle to- to desire, to want something.

I want to travel to Japan. I I want to go on a trip in Japan.

• want + -ing verb form - something that requires some action.

My flat wants cleaning. My apartment needs cleaning.

• hate + infinitive with particle to- to feel displeasure about a previous action.

I hate to tell you this, but you are not in our team anymore. I don't want to tell you this (it's very hard for me to say this), but you are no longer on our team.

• hate + -ing verb form - not to like what you have to do.

My sister hates waking up up early. My sister hates waking up early.

I hate troubling you, but could you give me a hand? I hate to ask you this, but could you help me?

• be afraid+ infinitive with particle to- be afraid to do something, hesitate, doubt.

He was to afraid to go there on his own. He's too I was afraid to go one there.

• be afraid of + -ing verb form - to be afraid of something that means -ing verb form.

When exercising together, I'm afraid of injuring you. During joint training I'm afraid accidentally hurt you.

Infinitive verbs with to or -ing form, no difference in meaning Using the infinitive with and without the particle to in English