Gerunds and Infinitives: Full Verb Patterns

Level: B1. You already know the basic split: the first verb decides whether the second takes -ing or to + verb. This lesson gives you the full picture — the longer verb lists, the verb + object + to pattern, the preposition rule, and the small group that accepts either shape.

The rule

When one verb follows another, the second verb is never in its plain form. It becomes a gerund (the -ing form: going, eating) or a to-infinitive (to go, to eat). Which one depends on the first verb, and verbs fall into a few patterns you learn as groups.

There are four patterns worth knowing well. Verb + -ing: I enjoy cooking. Verb + to-infinitive: I want to cook. Verb + object + to-infinitive, where a person comes in the middle: I told him to cook. And the reliable rule that beats all guessing — after a preposition, always -ing: good at cooking, before leaving, interested in learning.

A small set of verbs (start, begin, continue, bother) takes either shape with no real difference: It started raining = It started to rain. These are the easy ones. The feelings verbs like, love, hate, prefer also take both, with only a slight nuance covered in their own lesson.

The hard part is memory, not logic. There is no way to look at a verb and know its pattern, so the trick is to store the pattern with the word: not admit but admit doing, not refuse but refuse to do.

The four main patterns

Longer verb lists

Verbs that need an object + to

advise, allow, ask, encourage, expect, force, invite, order, persuade, remind, teach, tell, want, warn — these put a person before to: She encouraged me to apply. The sign warns drivers to slow down.

Example sentences

Common mistakes

• ❌ She suggested to go out. → ✅ She suggested going out. Suggest takes -ing or a that-clause, never a plain to-infinitive.
• ❌ He avoided to answer. → ✅ He avoided answering. Avoid always takes -ing.
• ❌ I told to him to wait. → ✅ I told him to wait. Tell needs the object right after it, with no to before the person.
• ❌ She advised me resting. → ✅ She advised me to rest. Advise + object takes to + verb.
• ❌ They managed finishing the work. → ✅ They managed to finish the work. Manage takes to + verb.
• ❌ Thank you for to come. → ✅ Thank you for coming. After the preposition for, use -ing.

A short conversation

A: The manager suggested working from home on Fridays. B: Nice. Did she tell everyone to try it this week? A: Yes, and she reminded us to log our hours. I can’t stand filling in forms, though. B: Same. But I’d recommend doing it straight away — avoid leaving it to Monday.

Usage notes

• The preposition rule is your anchor. When you are unsure, check whether a preposition comes first (at, in, of, for, about, before, after, without, by, from). If so, the verb is -ing, no exceptions: interested in learning, tired of waiting, by saving.
• “to” as a preposition. In look forward to, be used to and object to, the to is a preposition, so -ing follows: I look forward to meeting you, She objects to working late.
• make and let. These take an object + bare infinitive (no to): My boss made me stay, Let me help. In the passive, make regains to: I was made to stay.
• help. Help takes to or the bare infinitive, both correct: He helped me (to) carry it.
• -ing as subject. The gerund can head a sentence: Swimming keeps me fit, Learning a language takes time.

Compared with…

• A different set of verbs changes meaning depending on the shape: stop smoking vs stop to smoke, remember locking vs remember to lock. That is its own topic: Verbs Where -ing vs to Changes Meaning.
• If the basic two-list split is still shaky, go back to Verb + -ing or Verb + to (Introduction) first, then return here.

Quick recap before you practise.

Practice

Quiz

Recap cheat-sheet

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