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The to infinitive and the -ing form - Easy Learning Grammar

The to infinitive and the -ing form (the present participle) can each be used after certain verbs.Verbs followed by the to infinitive include: agree, arrange, attempt, choose, decide, fail, hope, learn, manage, offer, plan, seem.
  • I agreed to help Shona with her homework.
  • The driver attempted to remove the flat tyre.
  • I hope to see you again at the next meeting.
Verbs followed by an object + the to infinitive include: advise, allow, command, forbid, force, invite, order, persuade, remind, teach, tell.
  • Peter advised Ron to call the police.
  • Esther reminded her teacher to set some revision.
Verbs that can be followed either directly by the to infinitive or by an object + the to infinitive include: ask, expect, help, intend, like, love, hate, mean, prefer, want, wish.
  • I certainly intended to go to the party.
  • We really expected Sally to pass the exam.
  • Note this difference:
  • I want to have a cat = It will be my cat.
  • I want her to have a cat = It will be her cat.
  • Dad likes to wash the car = Dad washes the car.
  • Dad likes John to wash the car = John washes the car.
Verbs followed by the -ing form include: avoid, be used to, delay, dislike, escape, finish, forgive, give up, go on, imagine.
  • I usually avoid going into town late at night.
  • Miriam hates peeling potatoes.
  • Have you finished reading that book yet?
  • Some verbs may be followed either by the to infinitive or by the -ing form with little or no change in meaning. These verbs include: begin, start, cease, continue, intend, like, love, hate, prefer.
  • He began to run around shouting.
  • He began running around shouting.
  • She likes to swim in the sea.
  • She likes swimming in the sea.
  • I can’t bear to see violence.
  • I can’t bear seeing violence.
  • Some verbs may be followed either by the to infinitive or by the -ing form but the meaning of the sentence changes depending on the form that is used. These verbs include: try, forget, remember.
  • I remembered to switch the lights off before we went out.
  • I remember switching the lights off before we went out.
  • She tried to talk to him, but his secretary wouldn’t put the call through.
  • She tried talking to him, but he wouldn’t listen.
Particularly after verbs such as go and come, the to infinitive is understood to express purpose.
  • She has gone to do the shopping.
  • They came here to learn English.
Use of the verb followed by the -ing form concentrates on what happens. The second verb is really the object of the first one. These verbs include: remember, forget, try.
  • I definitely remember switching the lights off before we went out.
  • She tried talking to him, but he wouldn’t listen.
Some set expressions are followed by -ing. These include: it’s not worth, and it’s no fun.
  • It’s no fun going out alone.
  • It’s no use phoning him; he’s gone away.
  • It’s worth trying one more time.
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Table of contents
  • Parts of speech
  • Parts of the sentence
  • Direct and indirect objects
  • Verbs
  • Tense
  • The verb phrase
    • Types of main verb
    • The forms of main verbs
    • Irregular verbs
    • Auxiliary verbs
    • Be
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    • Do
    • Modal verbs
    • Can and could
    • May and might
    • Must
    • Shall and will
    • Should
    • Would
    • Ought to
    • Dare and need
    • Used to
    • Phrasal verbs
    • Tense
    • Aspect
    • Compound tenses
    • The present simple tense
    • The past simple tense
    • The present continuous tense
    • The past continuous tense
    • The present perfect tense
    • The past perfect tense
    • The present perfect continuous tense
    • The past perfect continuous tense
    • Future reference
    • Active and passive
    • Finite and non-finite verbs
    • The non-finite parts of the verb
    • The to infinitive
    • The to infinitive and the -ing form
  • The noun phrase
    • The noun phrase
    • Types of noun
    • Gender of nouns
    • Showing possession through nouns
    • Compound nouns
    • Number in nouns
    • Verbal nouns
  • Determiners and adjectives
    • Determiners
    • The indefinite article
    • The definite article
    • Nouns used without a determiner
    • Demonstratives
    • Possessives
    • Quantifiers
    • Numbers
    • Distributives
    • Exclamatives
    • Noun phrases with several determiners
    • Adjectives
    • Comparison
  • Adverbials
    • Adverbs and adverbials
    • Form of adverbs
  • Pronouns
    • Pronouns
    • Personal pronouns
    • Reflexive pronouns
    • Possessive pronouns
    • The demonstrative pronouns
    • Relative pronouns
    • Interrogative pronouns
    • Indefinite pronouns
  • Prepositions
  • Word order; declarative, interrogative and imperative statements
    • Word order in sentences
    • Declarative, interrogative, and imperative statements
    • The declarative
    • Complements
    • Word order in negative statements
    • The interrogative
    • WH- words
    • Sentence tags
    • The imperative
    • The vocative
    • The subjunctive
    • Exclamations
    • Responses
  • Clauses
    • Sentences and clauses
    • Joining clauses
    • Subordination
    • Adverbial clauses
    • Relative clauses
    • Conditional clauses
    • Reporting speech
    • Reported speech
  • Punctuation
    • The apostrophe ( ’ )
    • The comma ( , )
    • Quotation marks (‘ ’) or (“ ”)
    • Capital letters
    • The full stop ( . )
    • The question mark ( ? )
    • The exclamation mark ( ! )
    • The colon ( : )
    • The semicolon ( ; )
    • Brackets ( )
    • Square brackets [ ]
    • The hyphen ( - )
    • The dash ( – )
    • The slash ( / )
    • Punctuation in numbers
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