Gerunds, Infinitives, and Verb Patterns

Overview

One of the most difficult areas of English grammar is knowing what form follows a verb:

• enjoy reading
• decide to read
• let me read
• make me read
• remember reading
• remember to read

These are not random combinations. They belong to a system of verb patterns. Some verbs take a gerund, some take an infinitive, some take either with little change in meaning, and some change meaning depending on the pattern.

This chapter gives you a full map of that system.

Chapter Map

1. First, you will learn what gerunds and infinitives are.
2. Then, you will study the most common verb patterns.
3. After that, you will learn verbs that change meaning with different patterns.
4. Finally, you will study object patterns, bare infinitives, and common learner traps.

Full Definitions

Gerund

A gerund is the -ing form of a verb used as a noun-like unit.

Example:

• Reading helps me relax.

Infinitive

An infinitive is the base form of the verb, usually with to.

Example:

• I want to read.

Bare infinitive

A bare infinitive is the base verb without to.

Example:

• Let me read.

Verb pattern

A verb pattern is the grammatical structure that typically follows a certain verb.

Learning Objectives

• Distinguish gerunds, to-infinitives, and bare infinitives.
• Choose common verb patterns more accurately.
• Recognize verbs that allow more than one pattern.
• Understand when a pattern change causes a meaning change.
• Avoid the most frequent gerund/infinitive errors.

The Big Idea

Do not ask only, “Which form sounds right?” Ask:

1. What pattern does this main verb usually take?
2. Is the following verb functioning like an action, a plan, a memory, or a completed experience?
3. Does this verb change meaning with a different pattern?

Section 1: Gerunds as Noun-Like Forms

Gerunds can act like nouns:

• as subjects
• as objects
• after prepositions

Example 1

• Sentence: Reading improves concentration.
• Role: gerund as subject

Example 2

• Sentence: She enjoys reading.
• Role: gerund as object of the verb

Example 3

• Sentence: He left without saying goodbye.
• Role: gerund after a preposition

Section 2: To-Infinitives

To-infinitives often express:

• intention
• plan
• purpose
• willingness
• decision

Example 4

• Sentence: I hope to travel next year.

Example 5

• Sentence: They decided to postpone the launch.

Example 6

• Sentence: She came early to prepare the room.

In Example 6, the infinitive expresses purpose.

Section 3: Verbs Commonly Followed by Gerunds

Common examples:

• enjoy
• avoid
• finish
• consider
• keep
• suggest
• mind
• admit
• deny
• recommend

Example 7

• Sentence: We enjoyed walking through the old market.

Example 8

• Sentence: She avoided answering the question directly.

Example 9

• Sentence: They finished writing the report at midnight.

Example 10

• Sentence: He suggested taking a shorter route.

Section 4: Verbs Commonly Followed by To-Infinitives

Common examples:

• want
• need
• plan
• decide
• hope
• refuse
• promise
• expect
• learn
• agree

Example 11

• Sentence: I plan to revise this weekend.

Example 12

• Sentence: She refused to sign the document.

Example 13

• Sentence: We hope to finish by Friday.

Example 14

• Sentence: He promised to call after the meeting.

Section 5: Verbs That Can Take Either Form with Little Change in Meaning

Some verbs allow both patterns with little or no major meaning change in everyday usage.

Examples:

• begin
• start
• continue
• like
• love
• hate
• prefer

Example 15

• Sentence: It started raining.
• Sentence: It started to rain.

Example 16

• Sentence: She likes reading before bed.
• Sentence: She likes to read before bed.

Sometimes the difference is slight, stylistic, or contextual rather than major.

Section 6: Verbs That Change Meaning

This section is crucial.

Remember

• remember doing = remember a past experience
• remember to do = not forget a future duty

Example 17

• Sentence: I remember meeting her in 2022.

Example 18

• Sentence: Remember to lock the door.

Forget

• forget doing = fail to remember a past action
• forget to do = fail to perform an action

Example 19

• Sentence: I will never forget seeing the Himalayas.

Example 20

• Sentence: She forgot to attach the file.

Stop

• stop doing = end an activity
• stop to do = pause one activity in order to do another

Example 21

• Sentence: He stopped smoking last year.

Example 22

• Sentence: He stopped to smoke.

Try

• try doing = experiment with a possible solution
• try to do = make an effort

Example 23

• Sentence: Try restarting the router.

Example 24

• Sentence: I tried to explain, but nobody listened.

Regret

• regret doing = feel sorry about a past action
• regret to do = formal way to announce bad news

Example 25

• Sentence: She regrets leaving the company so suddenly.

Example 26

• Sentence: We regret to inform you that your application was unsuccessful.

Section 7: Verb + Object + To-Infinitive

Some verbs take an object before the infinitive.

Common examples:

• advise
• allow
• ask
• encourage
• invite
• remind
• teach
• tell
• want
• warn

Example 27

• Sentence: The coach advised us to rest.

Example 28

• Sentence: She reminded me to submit the form.

Example 29

• Sentence: They encouraged him to apply.

Section 8: Bare Infinitive Patterns

Some verbs take the base verb without to.

After let

• Let me go.

After make

• They made us wait.

After some perception verbs

• I saw him cross the road.

Example 30

• Sentence: Let her speak.

Example 31

• Sentence: The noise made me jump.

Example 32

• Sentence: We watched the children play in the yard.

With passive forms, to often returns:

• He was made to wait.

Section 9: Gerunds After Prepositions

After a preposition, English normally uses a gerund rather than an infinitive.

Example 33

• Sentence: She is interested in learning data analysis.

Example 34

• Sentence: They left without saying goodbye.

Example 35

• Sentence: He succeeded by working consistently.

This rule solves many errors quickly.

Section 10: Purpose and Result

Infinitives often express purpose.

Example 36

• Sentence: She stayed late to finish the proposal.

Example 37

• Sentence: He opened the window to let in fresh air.

Be careful not to confuse purpose with a gerund object pattern.

Common Mistakes and Why They Happen

Mistake 1

• WRONG: I enjoy to read.
• RIGHT: I enjoy reading.

Why learners make it:

• They overgeneralize the infinitive after every verb.

Mistake 2

• WRONG: She decided going.
• RIGHT: She decided to go.

Why learners make it:

• They overgeneralize the gerund after every verb.

Mistake 3

• WRONG: He suggested to leave early.
• BETTER: He suggested leaving early. / He suggested that we leave early.

Why learners make it:

• They use an infinitive after a verb that normally takes a gerund or clause.

Mistake 4

• WRONG: I look forward to meet you.
• RIGHT: I look forward to meeting you.

Why learners make it:

• They forget that to here is a preposition, not part of an infinitive.

Mistake 5

• WRONG: They made us to wait.
• RIGHT: They made us wait.

Why learners make it:

• They do not know the bare infinitive pattern after make.

Practice Plan

1. Sort forty verbs into gerund, infinitive, either-form, or meaning-change groups.
2. Write ten sentence pairs using verbs like remember, stop, try, and regret.
3. Rewrite ten sentences with incorrect verb patterns.
4. Build ten verb + object + to-infinitive examples.
5. Write a paragraph that uses at least six different verb patterns correctly.

Story Lab

”Story Lab: The Application Workshop”

“At the scholarship workshop, the mentor began by asking everyone to list three universities they hoped to join. She encouraged the students to think carefully about deadlines and warned them not to wait until the last minute. One student admitted forgetting to upload a document, while another remembered meeting the same mentor at a career fair the year before.”

“During the break, a volunteer showed us how to organize recommendation letters. He suggested creating a checklist and keeping all draft files in one folder. Before leaving, he reminded us to review every attachment twice and to stop relying on memory alone.”

What to notice

• hoped to join = infinitive after hope
• encouraged … to think = object + infinitive
• warned … not to wait = negative object + infinitive
• admitted forgetting = gerund after admit
• remembered meeting = remembered past experience
• suggested creating = gerund after suggest
• reminded us to review = object + infinitive
• stop relying = stop doing an activity

Final Summary

Gerunds, infinitives, and bare infinitives are not interchangeable decoration. They are part of each verb’s grammar. Some patterns are stable and must be learned. Others change meaning in useful ways. Strong control comes from learning verbs in patterns, not as isolated words.

Mastery Checklist

You are ready to move on when you can do all of the following:

• distinguish gerunds, to-infinitives, and bare infinitives
• choose common verb patterns accurately
• recognize verbs that allow both forms
• explain meaning changes in verbs like remember, stop, and try
• use object + infinitive and preposition + gerund structures correctly