Verbs Where -ing vs to Changes Meaning

Level: B1. Most verbs lock to one pattern. A small group — stop, remember, forget, try, regret, go on, mean, need — accepts both -ing and to, but the two shapes mean different things. Choosing the wrong one does not sound odd; it says something you did not intend.

The rule

With these verbs, -ing and to + verb are not interchangeable. One useful way to feel the difference: the -ing form usually looks backward — to an action already happening or already done — while the to-infinitive looks forward — to a purpose, an intention, or a task not yet done.

Take stop. I stopped eating means I finished the activity of eating. I stopped to eat means I paused (stopped something else) in order to eat — the to gives the reason for stopping. Same verb, opposite picture.

The same split runs through the others. Remember / forget + -ing is about a memory of the past; remember / forget + to is about a duty for the future. Try + -ing is an experiment; try + to is an effort. Go on + -ing is to continue the same thing; go on + to is to move on to the next thing. Learn each pair as a matched set, with one example for each side.

The verb pairs and their meanings

Example sentences

Common mistakes

• ❌ I stopped to smoke two years ago (meaning “I quit”). → ✅ I stopped smoking two years ago. Stop + -ing = quit the activity.
• ❌ Remember calling the office tomorrow. → ✅ Remember to call the office tomorrow. A future task takes remember + to.
• ❌ He forgot locking the door and burglars got in. → ✅ He forgot to lock the door. Failing a task is forget + to.
• ❌ I tried to add salt, and it tasted much better. → ✅ I tried adding salt, and it tasted much better. An experiment that worked is try + -ing.
• ❌ We regret informing you that… → ✅ We regret to inform you that… Formal bad news uses regret + to.
• ❌ After the war he went on fighting in politics (meaning “moved into politics”). → ✅ He went on to fight in politics. Moving to a new stage is go on + to.

A short conversation

A: Did you remember to send the report? B: Yes — I remember clicking “send” this morning. Why? A: The boss stopped by to ask about it. She went on to say it was urgent. B: I’ll try calling her now. If that fails, I’ll try emailing again.

Usage notes

• The backward/forward hint is a guide, not a law. It fits stop, remember, forget, go on very well. For regret and need it is safer to learn the fixed uses directly (regret to inform, needs washing).
• need + -ing is passive in meaning. The shirt needs ironing = the shirt needs to be ironed. You can also say needs to be ironed; both are correct. The -ing version is more common in speech.
• mean has two unrelated senses. Mean + -ing = “involve/result in” (Success means working hard). Mean + to = “intend” (I didn’t mean to hurt you).
• like + to vs like + -ing. Not a true meaning change, but a nuance: I like swimming = I enjoy it; I like to swim before work = I choose to, as a habit/for a reason. See the feelings lesson for more.

Compared with…

• Most verbs follow a single fixed pattern rather than changing meaning. For the full lists — -ing verbs, to verbs, object + to verbs, and the preposition rule — see Gerunds and Infinitives: Full Verb Patterns, the prerequisite for this lesson.

Quick recap before you practise.

Practice

Quiz

Recap cheat-sheet

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