-ing vs infinitive
Full infinitive
• After nouns:
It’s my purpose to make you happy.
• After adjectives:
It’s essential to be punctual.
• After some verbs:
I hope to meet her one day...
Verbs + full infinitive
• Afford, agree, appear, arrange, ask,
attempt, be pleased / able, choose,
decide, expect, fail, happen, help, hope,
intend, learn, manage, need, offer, plan,
prepare, pretend, promise, refuse, seem,
tend, want, wish, would like
-ing form
• After prepositions:
He’s very keen on collecting stamps.
• After some verbs:
He denied stealing the money.
• When the verb is the subject of a
sentence:
Smoking is bad for your health.
Vebs + ing
• Admit, appreciate, avoid, be capable of, be
good/bad at, be interested in, can’t help,
can’t stand, consider, delay, deny,
discuss, dislike, enjoy, feel like, finish, give
up, imagine, involve, look forward to,
mention, mind, miss, practise, succeed in,
suggest, talk about, think of
Bare infinitive
• After modal verbs.
I may come later today.
• After make and let:
My parents make me tell them where I’m
going when I go out at weekends.
My parents let me go to parties once in a
while.
-ing or inf: NO change
• Some verbs can be followed by either –ing
or infinitive, and there’s no change in
meaning:
begin, continue, intend, prefer, start
Change in meaning
• Remember
I remember going on holiday with my
parents when I was a child.
(1: go on holiday, 2: remember)
I remembered to tell her about our
appointment.
(1: remember, 2: tell)
• Forget
I’ll never forget travelling by train for the
first time. (=always remember)
(1: travel, 2: never forget)
I forgot to take my pen drive!!!
(1: forget, 2: don’t take it)
• Try
If you don’t know how to study
prepositions, try writing them on post-its all
over your room. (as an EXPERIMENT)
I’m going to try to run a marathon next
year. (make an EFFORT; try something
difficult)
• Stop
Can you stop whistling? You’re making me
crazy! (stop an action)
She was driving back home, and she
stopped to buy some food. (stop literally,
to do something different)
• Go on
She went on talking for hours and hours...
(continue doing an action)
When she finished reading the book, she
went on to do some homework before
going to bed. (stop an action and start
another)
• Like
I like listening to heavy metal (enjoy)
I like to go to the dentist once a year
(do something because you think it’s good
or useful...)
• Regret
I regret insulting my brother last night.
(be sorry, feel guilty, repent)
We regret to inform you that you are fired.
(be sorry about giving someone bad news)
• need
This room needs painting. (Passive
meaning)
I need to go to the dentist.
• mean
• If you move to London it will mean not
seeing each other. (what it involves)
• Sorry I meant to tell you the truth as soon
as possible. (intend)
Prefer
• Prefer + NOUN /-ing form + to +NOUN /-
ing form (general preference)
I prefer adventure films to romantic
comedies.
I prefer watching adventure films to / rather
than (watching) romantic comedies.
.
Would prefer
• Would prefer + full infinitive + rather than
(specific preference, on this occasion)
I would prefer to watch an adventure film
rather than a romantic comedy.
Would rather
Would rather + bare inf + than + bare inf
I would rather paint than draw with a
pencil.
Would rather + person + verb (in the past)
I would rather you didn’t tell everyone my
secrets.
Had better
• Had better + bare infinitive (=should +)
You had better ask Colin what time the
meeting is.
Other uses of infinitives
• To talk about our intention or purpose:
I’m here to help you.
• After a question word in an indirect
question:
I want you to tell me what to do.
• As the object of a verb:
I don’t know what to say.
