English 3

Verbs followed by GER/INF

A. Verbs and verb phrases followed by the gerund:
admit, appreciate, avoid, be keen on, cant help/stand/bear, consider, delay,
deny, enjoy, insist on, feel like, finish, give up, imagine, involve, its no
use/good, its (not) worth, keep on, look forward to, mind, miss, practise,
recommend, regret, risk, succeed in, suggest, theres no point in
I admit having said it.
If you do that, you risk losing your job.
He insisted on being punctual.
I simply couldnt help buying it; isnt it beautiful?
Theres no point in arguing any longer. Lets leave it there.

B. Verbs followed by the infinitive with to:

advise, afford, agree, appear, arrange, dare, decide, expect, fail, forbid,
force, forget, hope, learn, long, manage, offer, plan, pretend, promise,
refuse, seem, threaten, want, would like, would love, would hate
He agreed to meet us at the airport.
I meant to ring you last night but I forgot.
He offered to give her a lift.
I promise to tell you all about it when I get home.
I expect to go to the match. I hope to finish it before that
date. ( only one subject)
She expects him to help her. ( two subjects involved)

C. Verbs followed by the infinitive without to:

had better, let, would rather
Youd better see a doctor.
Id rather (not) go on the AVE.

D. Verbs followed by either the infinitive or the gerund without

much change in meaning:
allow, begin, cant stand/bear, continue, hate, intend, like, love, need,
prefer, start
I need to speak to the director.
His hair needs cutting.(=His hair needs to be cut.)
Id prefer to stay home tonight.
I prefer swimming to cycling.

E. Verbs followed by either the infinitive or the gerund but with a

different meaning:
mean, regret, remember, stop, try, forget
Remember to post my letter on your way to work (= dont forget).
I remember paying 21 euros for that book (= a past memory).
I stopped to look (= I stopped in order to look).
I stopped looking (= I shut my eyes).

I meant to ring you, but I completely forgot.

That would mean repainting the whole kitchen.