1.

The to – infinitive is used:

-- to express purpose;
E.g.: She called to invite them to the party. Mark copied the figures
for the director to have a look at.

-- after adjectives, especially with phrases it + be + adjective (+ of +

noun / pronoun);
E.g.: It was kind of him to help me. It is their dream to reach the
South Pole. It is necessary to leave before dark. I was lucky to have
met him. The car is easy to drive.

-- in the expression for + noun / pronoun + to – inf.

E.g.: For Sandra to spend so much money is unbelievable.

-- to talk about an unexpected (usually also unpleasant) event,

usually with ONLY;
E.g.: He went to buy the suit only to find out that it had been already
sold.

-- after be + first / second / … / last / first / next, etc.

E.g.: She was the last person to leave the building.

-- after too and enough constructions;

E.g.: They aren’t fit enough to win. He was too tired to work. He earns
enough money to afford a new car.

-- after verbs and expressions such as ask, learn, explain, wonder,

want to know, etc. when they are followed by question words (who,
what, etc.);
E.g.: We were wondering where to park the car. We doubted whose
story to believe. She wasn’t sure whether if to ring the doctor.
Note: why is followed by a subject + verb, not by an infinitive. I want
to know why she was crying.

-- after certain nouns and pronouns to show that something is

necessary or possible;
E.g.: There is nothing interesting to talk about. Hurry up, we have got
some more jobs to do. She has got a project to complete.
-- after would love / like / prefer / hate to express specific preference;
E.g.: I would love to have a cat, but my mother is allergic to it.
Note: love, like, hate + V-ing.

-- in the expressions: to tell the truth, to begin/start with, to be

honest, to sum up, etc.
E.g.: To be honest, I don’t like this sweater.

-- after certain verbs.

Agree, aim, appear, arrange, ask, attempt, beg, can’t afford / bear,
care, cause, caution, challenge, choose, claim, condescend,
convince, dare, decide, decline, demand, deserve, desire, determine,
dislike, enable, endeavor, expect, fail, force, get, happen, hate,
hesitate, hope, invite, learn, like, love, manage, mean, motivate,
neglect, offer, order, plan, prepare, pretend, proceed, profess,
promise, prove, refuse, remind, request, require, resolve, seek, seem,
strive, struggle, swear, teach, tell, tend, threaten, undertake, urge,
venture, volunteer, want, warn, wish, etc.

2. The infinitive without to is used after:

-- modal verbs;
E.g.: We can’t go to the party.

-- had better, would rather / sooner;

E.g.: You had better wear a coat. I would rather listen to Elvis than
the Beatles.

-- the sense perception verbs: let, feel, make (+ object), see, hear;
E.g.: My father let me stay out late. This joke makes me laugh every
time I hear it. They saw the lights come on.
BUT: the passive forms (be made, be heard, be seen) is followed by
to – inf. They were made to clean the kitchen.
Note: can / could + see / hear + V-ing. We could hear people
laughing from us.

-- help. It can be followed by either the to – inf. or the infinitive without

to.
E.g.: He helped us (to) fix the computer.
]3. The –ing form (gerund) is used:
-- as a noun;
E.g.: Traveling is a great way to learn about the world.

-- after prepositions and linking words;

E.g.: She apologized for being late. Laura doesn’t feel like cooking
tonight. I am bored with waiting. This cloth is for cleaning the floor. I
had a shower after playing tennis. On hearing the news she burst into
tears. You should lock the door when leaving.

-- after the preposition 'to' with verbs such as look forward to, in
addition to, object to, dedicated to, be / get accustomed to, admit to,
be / get used to*, etc.
E.g.: They aren’t used to walking to work. Her father objected to her
staying out late.

-- after love, like, enjoy, hate, detest, prefer etc. to express general
preference;
E.g.: Alison enjoys gardening very much.
Note: would like / love / hate / prefer + to – inf.

-- after expressions such as: be busy, it’s no use / (no) good / (not)
worth / no point (in), what’s the use of, can’t help / stand, have trouble
/ difficulty (in), have a hard / difficult time, as well as, what/how
about…?, as a result of, without, in favor, despite, instead of, etc.
E.g.: As a result of loosing my passport I was late to the plane. We
can’t have a party without making a noise. It’s no use explaining
gravitation fields to elementary school students.

-- after certain verbs.

Acknowledge, admit, anticipate, appreciate, avoid, consider, delay,
deny, detest, discuss, dread, enjoy, escape, excuse, explain, fancy,
finish, forgive, go (physical activities, e.g. skiing), imagine, involve,
justify, keep (= continue), lose, mention, mind (= object to), miss,
necessitate, pardon, postpone, practice, prevent, quit, recall,
recollect, recommend, report, resent, resist, risk, save, spend, stand,
suggest, tolerate, understand, urge, waste, etc.

4. Verbs taking infinitive or gerund with a change of meaning

-- Advise, allow, encourage, forbid, permit, recommend
+ object + to-inf.;
She doesn’t allow me to smoke in the room.
+ -ing: without an object.
She doesn’t allow smoking in the room.

-- Hear, listen, notice, see, watch, feel, etc. (verbs meaning sense
perception)
+ -ing: to describe incomplete actions (i.e. to say that somebody saw,
heard, etc. only a part of an action);
I heard Lisa talking on the phone, i.e. I heard only that she talked on
the phone, I didn’t hear the talk. I felt an insect crawling up my leg.
+ infinitive without to: to describe complete or very short actions.
She heard someone close the door. I watched Nina light a cigarette. I
heard Lisa talk on the phone, i.e. I heard all the conversation.

-- Forget, remember, regret / be sorry

+ to-inf.: fail to remember to do something / not forget to do
something / to be sorry for something you are doing;
She forgot to buy some milk. He never remembers to water the
plants. I regret to inform you that you have been fired. I am sorry to
hear that you won’t be coming.
+ -ing: to talk about the past.
I will never forget going to my first party. I remember visiting this
place before. John regrets buying such an expensive car; he is in
debts now. I am sorry for being rude last night, you know I was drunk.

-- Mean
+ to-inf.: intend to;
We mean to complete this project by the end of December.
+ -ing: involve, one thing results in another.
I won’t take English lessons if it means sacrificing free time.

-- Prefer
+ to-inf. + rather than + infinitive without to;
I prefer to drive rather than travel by train.
+ -ing: general preferences;
She prefers listening to rock music. I prefer driving to traveling by
train.
would + prefer + to-inf.: specific preference.
I would prefer to stay home tonight.

-- Try
+ to-inf.: to do one’s best, attempt;
They tried to fix the roof.
+ -ing: to do something which might solve the problem.
Why don’t you try using olive oil instead of margarine when cocking?
Try counting sheep, it might help you to fall asleep.

-- Stop
+ to-inf.: pause temporarily, stop briefly to do something else;
The cyclist had to stop to mend a flat tire.
+ -ing: finish, give up doing something.
I stopped smoking five years ago.

-- Need
+ to-inf.: somebody have to do something;
I need to clean my shoes.
+ -ing: something needs to be done.
My shoes need cleaning.

***

-- Begin, bother, continue, intend, propose (= intend), start

With these verbs we can use either to-inf. or –ing form. The meaning
is the same.
People began leaving / to leave the theatre. She didn’t bother doing /
to do the washing-up. Do you intend making / to make a complaint?