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Verb Patterns

Verbs followed by -ing

Verbs followed by -ing

Followed by -ing

In some phrases, a verb can be followed by another verb that is in the gerund form.

It is used after certain verbs - I enjoy singing.

It is used after prepositions - I drank a cup of coffee before leaving.

And it can be used as a subject or an object of a sentence - swimming is good exercise.

Verbs followed by -ing

enjoy: I enjoyed living in France.

fancy: I fancy seeing a film tonight.

discuss: We discussed going on holiday together.

dislike: I dislike waiting for buses.

finish

mind: I don't mind coming early.

suggest

recommend

keep

avoid

Verbs followed by the infinitive

Verbs that can be followed by the infinitive

Infinitive and 'to'

Infinitive and 'to'

Sometimes a verb can be followed by 'to' and then an infinitive. We can use this structure:

After certain verbs - we decided to leave.

After many adjectives - It's difficult to get up early in the morning.

And to show purpose - I came to London to study English.

Verbs following this form

ask*: I asked to leave early / I asked him to leave early.

decide: We decided to go out for dinner.

help*: He helped to clean the kitchen / he helped his flatmate to clean the kitchen.

plan: She plans to buy a new flat next year.

hope/learn

want*: I want to come to the party / I want him to come to the party.

would like*: I would like to see her tonight / I would like you to see her tonight.

promise/agree

*We can use an object before the infinitive with these verbs.

Bare infinitive

Bare infinitive

In some pharses, the verb is followed by the infinitive without the 'to'. The reasons that we use this struture are :

After modal verbs - I can meet you at six o'clock.

After let, make, and sometimes help - The teacher let us leave early.

After some verbs of perception - I watched her walk away.

And after expressions with why - why go out the night before an exam?

Verbs that can be followed by both

Verbs that can be followed by both

There are some verbs which can either be followed by the gerund or a form of the infinitive; each different ending brings a different meaning to the phrase.

Remember

Remember + gerund

This is when you have a memory of something in the past that you remember doing. e.g. he remembers closing the door

Remember + to + infinitive

This is when you think of something that you need to do e.g. I remembered to send her a card

Other examples include:

Stop and regret

Forget

Forget + gerund

This is when you forget about a memory, something that you've done in the past. For example, I'd forgotten going there.

Forget + to + infinitive

This is when you want to do something, but you forget about it. e.g. I forgot to call my mother.

Try

Try + gerund

This is when you do something as an experiment. e.g. I tried using nicotine to quit smoking.

Try + to + infinitive

This is when the thing you do itself is difficult. e.g. I'll try to carry the suitcase, but it looks heavy.

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