Gerund or Infinitive?

Verb + TO-infinitive

Verbs followed by the to-infinitive
afford agree aim appear arrange ask attempt be be dying beg begin can't bear can't stand can't wait	care cease choose claim come continue dare decide demand deserve dread expect fail forget	grow guarantee happen hate have hesitate hope intend learn like long love manage need	neglect offer omit plan prefer prepare pretend promise propose refuse regret remember seek seem	start swear tend threaten train try turn out used vow wait want wish would like yearn

I can't afford to own a car.
We all agreed to cancel next week's meeting.
He will attempt to break the national record for the 1,500 metres.
Why did you choose to study arts?
In a recent poll, 31% of the female workers claimed to have been harassed at work.
She decided to set out at once.
I demand to know the truth.
Tony has failed to show up at work on time again.
I hope to see you soon.
We managed to cross the valley.
Ben offered to take me home.
Preparing to die is present in most spiritual paths and traditions.
He promised to change his behaviour, but I knew he wouldn't.
Jack refused to fight in such an immoral war.
The owner threatened to sue us for trespassing.
I can't wait to be with you again.

Verb + object + TO-infinitive

Verbs followed by an object and the to-infinitive
advise allow ask beg cause choose	command convince enable encourage expect force	hire instruct invite need order permit	persuade prepare promise remind require tell	threaten urge want warn wish would like

My GP advised me to see a specialist.
Could you ask her to copy this letter for me?
She begged him not to leave her.
The colonel commanded his men to charge.
How can we encourage a baby to use the toilet rather than his potty?
Do you expect me to believe you?
The teacher instructed the students to line up in pairs.
I've invited Jill to come to dinner on Saturday.
After days of pointless fighting, the general ordered the marines to withdraw.
I tried to persuade them to stay, but they said they were too tired.
I reminded Andy to bring a bottle of wine and some snacks.
The doctor told me to give up smoking.
The opposition urged the government to take action immediately.
The professor warned us to be diligent with our weekly assignments.

Verbs followed by an object and a to-infinitive can also be passive:

The students were instructed to line up in pairs.
After days of pointless fighting, the marines were ordered to withdraw.

I was told to give up smoking.

HAVE, GET, LET, MAKE + object + infinitive

Have, let and make are followed by an object + bare infinitive:

I'll have her copy the document right away. (I'll ask/tell her to copy the document right away.)
In the end, the terrorists let the hostages go. (The terrorists allowed the hostages to go.)
The teacher made Jack rewrite the composition. (The teacher forced Jack to rewrite the composition.)

Get is followed by a to-infinitive:

Finally, we got a mechanic to repair the elevator.

In the passive, make takes a to-infinitive:

Jack was made to rewrite the composition.

But let takes a bare infinitive:

In the end, the hostages were let go.

APPEAR, HAPPEN, PROVE, SEEM, TEND, TURN OUT + TO-infinitive

These verbs are followed by a to-infinitive:

I appear to have lost my keys.I happened to be passing your house, and I saw that the door was open.
Our predictions proved to be accurate.She seems to understand most of what we say.
The library tends to be crowded during the exam period.
The concert turned out to be much better than we had expected.

SEE, WATCH, HEAR, LISTEN, FEEL, SMELL, NOTICE, OBSERVE + object + bare infinitive

After verbs of perception (see, watch, hear, listen, feel, smell, notice, observe etc.), the infinitive expresses a completed action:

I felt the ground shake once. (I felt it as the ground shook once.)
I saw the burglar climb over the fence and break into the house. (I saw that the burglar climbed over the fence and broke into the house.)
I have never heard them play that song before. (I have never heard that song played by them before.)

In the passive voice, we use a to-infinitive:

The burglar was seen to climb over the fence.

A present participle after these verbs refers to an action continuing over a period of time:

I felt the ground shaking for about half a minute. (I felt that the ground was shaking.)

DO, DOES, DID + bare infinitive

The auxiliary verbs do, does and did are followed by the bare infinitive to form negative and interrogative sentences in the past simple and present simple tenses:

Do you take any vitamins?
He doesn't live here any more.
Did you ask the shop assistant?

Do, does and did can also be used in affirmative sentences to express emphasis:

I do know what you mean.
He does travel a lot.
I did want to write, but I forgot.

The infinitive of purpose

A to-infinitive can be used to express purpose:

I'm calling to place an order for delivery.
Diya went to the door to open it.
To pass this test, you need to achieve a score of 60% or more.

In order and so as can be used before a to-infinitive for emphasis in more formal styles:

He took a book with him in order to have something to read on the train.
The parties started negotiations so as to reach an agreement as soon as possible.
In order to attract a wider audience, we need to rethink our marketing strategy.

The negative is always in order not + to-infinitive or so as not + to-infinitive:

He tiptoed through the hall so as not to be heard.
In order not to lose time, we must act at once.

The infinitive of purpose can only be used if the doer of the action expressed by the infinitive is the same as the subject of the main clause. If the subjects are different, we can use so + that-clause with the present simple tense or with the modal verbs may, can, will, might, could or would:

Jerry works hard so that his family has everything they need.
I'll leave the door open so that you can come in.
Tina gave me a shopping list so that I wouldn't forget anything.

In order + that-clause is also possible in this case; however, it is more formal and less common. In the that-clause, we can use the modal verbs may, shall, might or should:

Our company does everything in order that all complaints may be dealt with fairly and effectively.

With the verbs come and go, we can use the infinitive of purpose in any present or past tense or if these verbs are used as gerunds:

I'm just coming to help.
We went to talk to a lawyer.
Have you thought of going to see a doctor?

But if come and go are used as infinitives or as imperatives, we use and instead of to:

I must go and check the heater.
He will come and dance with you.
Go and fetch a glass.

The infinitive of result

A to-infinitive can be used to express result, however, this use is more common in literary styles:

Do you want to live to be a hundred?
She arrived home to receive a letter from her bank.

Only + to-infinitive can express a disappointing result of an action:

I went back to the shop only to find that it had closed for good.
He got his car fixed only to damage it again.

Verb + gerund

Verbs followed by a gerund
admit advise allow anticipate appreciate avoid begin can't bear can't help can't stand cease consider continue defend	delay deny despise discuss dislike don't mind dread encourage enjoy escape excuse fancy finish forget	forgive hate imagine involve justify keep like love mean mention mind miss need neglect	permit postpone practice prefer prevent propose quit recall recollect recommend regret remember report require	resent resist risk save start stop suggest tolerate try understand urge

After being stopped by the police, George admitted having drunk two pints of beer.
We anticipated having difficulty in finding candidates with the right qualifications.
We do appreciate your taking time from your busy schedule to come to Berlin.
He tried to avoid meeting her eyes.How can you stand living so far away from your home country?
The next morning I was really tired, so I delayed getting up as long as possible.
The man denied stealing the camera.
We have already discussed moving to the countryside.
I dislike being treated like a child.
The two sons left the country to escape being conscripted into the army.
What do you fancy eating?
Finish washing up and then you can use the computer.
Forgive my saying so, but your attitude to work has changed for the worse.
Leadership involves setting an example that others want to follow.
Why do you keep teasing me?
You mentioned going to Italy last summer. How was it?
Take your time, I don't mind waiting.
I really miss taking photos with an analogue camera.
We had to postpone flying to Thailand.
In this course, we will practise writing formal letters, among other things.
I wanted to prevent ending up in the same situation again.
Why did she quit working as a nurse?
The witness said he couldn't recall seeing that car before.
Do you recollect borrowing money from her?
One in five workers in the country reported being very or extremely stressed by their work.
Tim resented having been taken advantage of.
I couldn't resist eating another cinnamon bun.
So as not to risk being fired, the workers ended the strike.
Register your profile in our customer database to save filling out your shipping information each time you order.
The guide suggested visiting the Royal Palace.
Could you tolerate being alone for an entire week?
I can't understand people behaving like that.

As a gerund clause serves as a noun, it can be used after prepositions:

After watching the movie, I wanted to read the book.
Andrey's parents were against his joining the water polo team.
He stayed at home instead of going to school.
What about going out tonight?
He rushed out of the room without saying a word.

A gerund clause can also be the object of a preposition after a verb, adjective or noun:

Would you prefer eating out to staying in?
They charged him with exceeding the speed limit.

I am sorry for being late.
Sarah is very talented at playing the piano. 

Is there any other way of solving this problem?
I had difficulty in understanding her accent.

When to is a preposition, it can be followed by a noun or a gerund:

I'm looking forward to our trip.
I'm looking forward to hearing from you.

I'm used to cold showers.
I'm used to walking long distances.

But when to is part of a to-infinitive, it is followed by an infinitive:

I wish to make a complaint.

He used to smoke.

Verb + preposition + gerund

Verbs followed by a preposition and a gerund
(dis)agree with (dis)approve of admit to agree with aim at apologise for believe in benefit from	boast about care for complain about concentrate on confess to cope with count on decide against	depend on dream about/of feel like get on with get used to give up insist on laugh about	look forward to object to pay for put off put up with rely on resort to specialize in	succeed in talk about/of think about/of vote for worry about

After being stopped by the police, George admitted to having drunk two pints of beer.
She apologised for not introducing herself sooner.
He is always boasting about having met the president.
The students complained about being made to wear a uniform to school.
The suspect never confessed to killing his wife.Could you give up smoking?
Nick insisted on calling an ambulance.
We laughed about having to do such silly things.
I objected to him calling me a liar.Do you put off going to the dentist?
My sister is always talking about having her hair dyed.
Do you ever think about getting married and having children?

The "subject" of the gerund

The doer of the action expressed by the gerund can be:

• the subject of the sentence:

  I like getting up early in summer.
  He apologised for not writing for so long.
  I am looking forward to hearing from you.
  My mom insisted on tidying my room.
  Would you mind opening the window?

• the noun/pronoun or possessive preceding the gerund:

  Irina doesn't like people telling her what to do.
  Sally's constant arguing is getting on my nerves.
  I objected to him/his calling me a liar.
  My mom insisted on me/my tidying my room.
  Would you mind me/my opening the window?

  (The possessive is more formal, and it is less common in everyday conversation.)
• an indefinite or generalised subject (you, one, we, people etc.):

  In those days, being a student meant spending long hours in the library.

• unexpressed and understood only from the context:

  Going home seemed to be the best idea.

The gerund used in compound nouns

In compound structures, a gerund is often used before a noun to modify it:

drinking water (water for drinking) 
a reading lamp (a lamp for reading)
a swimming cap (a cap for swimming)

Other expressions followed by the gerund

It's no use crying over spilt milk.It would be worth giving it a try.There's no point in arguing.

I had problems starting the car this morning.
You will have no problem finding a job.
We all had a good time dancing last night.
She is having a hard/difficult time adapting to her new circumstances.
Mike was so tired that he had difficulty staying awake.
I had no difficulty passing the exam.
The children have a lot of fun playing together.

Verbs followed by a gerund or infinitive with little to no change in meaning:

Example: It started to rain. / It started raining.

• begin
• can’t bear
• can’t stand
• continue
• hate
• like
• love
• prefer
• propose
• start

Verbs followed by a gerund or infinitive with a change in meaning:

forget	I forgot to meet him. (I didn’t meet him because I forgot to do it.)
	I forgot meeting him. (I don’t have the memory of meeting him before.)
go on	He went on to learn English and French. (He ended one period of time before this.)
	He went on learning English and French. (He continued learning the languages.)
quit	She quit to work here. (She quit another job in order to work here.)
	She quit working here. (She quit her job here. She doesn’t work here anymore.)
regret	I regret promising to help you. (I’m sorry that I made the promise.)
	I regret to tell you that we can't hire you. (I’m telling you now, and I’m sorry.)
remember	She remembered to visit her grandmother. (She didn’t forget to visit.)
	She remembered visiting her grandmother. (She had memories of this time.)
stop	I stopped to call you. (I interrupted another action in order to call you.)
	I stopped calling you. (I stopped this activity. Maybe we had a fight.)
try	I tried to open the window. (I attempted this action but didn’t succeed.)
	I tried opening the window. (This was one option I sampled. Maybe the room was hot.)