Infinitives and Gerunds: Verb Patterns
For when you want to sound like you actually know what you're doing with verbs!
🎯 What Are These Mysterious Forms?
Infinitives and gerunds are different ways to use verbs as nouns. Think of them as verbs having an identity crisis - they want to be actions but also want to be things!
The Basic Forms:
Infinitive: to + base verb (to eat, to sleep, to procrastinate)
Gerund: verb + -ing (eating, sleeping, procrastinating)
🔄 Common Verb Patterns
1. Verbs + Infinitive (to do)
These verbs are followed by to + verb:
- want: "I want to eat pizza." (Who doesn't?)
- need: "You need to study more." (Harsh but true)
- hope: "I hope to pass the exam." (Fingers crossed)
- decide: "She decided to quit her job." (Bold move)
- plan: "We plan to travel next year." (If we save money)
2. Verbs + Gerund (-ing)
These verbs are followed by verb + -ing:
- enjoy: "I enjoy reading books." (Nerd alert)
- finish: "She finished cooking dinner." (Finally)
- avoid: "He avoids doing homework." (Typical)
- suggest: "I suggest leaving early." (Good idea)
- mind: "Do you mind waiting?" (Polite question)
| Infinitive Verbs |
Example |
Gerund Verbs |
Example |
| want |
I want to go |
enjoy |
I enjoy going |
| need |
You need to work |
finish |
I finished working |
| hope |
We hope to win |
avoid |
He avoids winning |
| decide |
She decided to stay |
suggest |
I suggest staying |
🤔 Tricky Verbs (Both Forms)
Some verbs can take both forms, but the meaning changes:
- remember: "I remember to call him." (I won't forget) vs "I remember calling him." (I recall doing it)
- stop: "I stopped to smoke." (I paused to have a cigarette) vs "I stopped smoking." (I quit the habit)
- try: "Try to open it." (Make an effort) vs "Try opening it." (Experiment with this method)
📝 After Prepositions
After prepositions, always use the gerund (-ing):
- "I'm interested in learning Spanish." (Not "to learn")
- "She's good at cooking." (Not "to cook")
- "He's tired of working." (Not "to work")
- "We're excited about traveling." (Not "to travel")
🎯 As Subjects
When the verb is the subject of the sentence, use the gerund:
- "Swimming is good exercise." (Not "To swim")
- "Learning English is difficult." (But worth it)
- "Cooking relaxes me." (Therapeutic)
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Practice Exercises (Master Those Patterns)
Well done! You're getting good at understanding verb patterns!