One of the biggest challenges for B1–C1 learners is knowing whether to use a to-infinitive or a gerund after a verb. There is no single logical rule — as the Cambridge Grammar reference explains, you must learn which category each verb belongs to. However, the categories are finite and manageable, and recognising the patterns makes them much easier to remember.
Verbs Followed Only by To-Infinitive
want, hope, decide, plan, choose, manage, fail, afford, agree, refuse, promise, offer, expect, need, learn, arrange, attempt, tend, appear, seem, wish, prepare, threaten, deserve, long, dare, ask
She decided to leave early. He refused to apologise. They managed to solve the problem.
Verbs Followed Only by Gerund (-ing)
enjoy, avoid, deny, admit, suggest, consider, mind, risk, miss, finish, practise, keep, imagine, dislike, fancy, involve, delay, postpone, give up, put off, carry on, feel like, look forward to, be used to, be worth, can't help, can't stand
I enjoy reading. She avoids eating sugar. He suggested going by train.
The ‘look forward to’ trap: Because 'to' looks like the infinitive marker, learners write ‘I look forward to see you’. But 'to' here is a preposition, so it must be followed by a gerund: I look forward to seeing you.
Verbs Followed by Both — Same Meaning
These verbs take either a to-infinitive or a gerund with no change in meaning: begin, start, continue, intend, like, love, hate, prefer, attempt, can't bear.
She began to cry / She began crying. He likes to swim / He likes swimming.
Note: with would like / would love / would prefer, always use a to-infinitive: I would like to go (not going).
Verbs Followed by Both — Different Meaning
- stop + -ing = cease doing: She stopped smoking. | stop + to-inf = pause in order to do: She stopped to smoke.
- remember + -ing = recall a past event: I remember meeting him. | remember + to-inf = not forget to do: Remember to lock up.
- forget + -ing = have a memory (often negative): I'll never forget visiting Rome. | forget + to-inf = fail to do: I forgot to call.
- try + -ing = experiment with: Try adding salt. | try + to-inf = make an effort: Try to be on time.
- regret + -ing = feel sorry about past action: I regret saying that. | regret + to-inf = sorry to (formal announcement): I regret to inform you that…
- mean + -ing = involve: Success means working hard. | mean + to-inf = intend: I meant to call you.
- go on + -ing = continue same action: She went on talking. | go on + to-inf = move to next action: He went on to become famous.
Common Mistakes
- Wrong: He suggested to go to the cinema. Correct: He suggested going to the cinema.
- Wrong: I look forward to see you. Correct: I look forward to seeing you.
- Wrong: The teacher made him to wait. Correct: The teacher made him wait. (bare infinitive after make)
Practice Exercises
Grammar Quiz
Test your knowledge of verb patterns with multiple-choice questions.
Cloze Dropdown
Select infinitive or gerund form to complete each sentence.
Unjumble
Put words in order to build correct verb pattern sentences.
Flash Cards
Memorise verb lists for infinitive-only, gerund-only and both groups.
Practice What You've Learned
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is a verb pattern in English grammar?
A verb pattern describes what grammatical structure follows a main verb. The two most important patterns for ESL learners are: verb + to-infinitive (want to go, decide to stay) and verb + gerund (enjoy going, avoid eating). Some verbs take either with no change in meaning (like to swim / like swimming). Others change meaning depending on the form used (stop to smoke vs stop smoking). Learning which category each verb belongs to is one of the keys to accuracy at B2 and above.
Is there a rule for whether a verb takes an infinitive or gerund?
There is no universal rule that covers all cases. Broadly: infinitives often follow verbs about the future, intention, hope or incomplete actions (want, decide, hope, refuse). Gerunds often follow verbs about general activities, past events, or emotions (enjoy, avoid, practise, deny). But this is a tendency, not a rule. The safest approach is to learn the most frequent verbs in each category and pay attention to the meaning-change pairs.
What does 'look forward to' take: an infinitive or a gerund?
A gerund: I look forward to seeing you. This is a very common mistake because 'to' looks like the infinitive marker. In 'look forward to', however, 'to' is a preposition, and prepositions in English must be followed by a noun or a gerund (the -ing form of a verb acting as a noun): I look forward to the weekend / I look forward to meeting you. Never write 'look forward to see'.
What is the difference between 'stop to smoke' and 'stop smoking'?
Stop smoking = cease the habit. (He stopped smoking last year.) Stop to smoke = pause an activity in order to smoke. (He stopped walking to smoke a cigarette.) The -ing form names the activity that ends. The to-infinitive names the purpose of the pause. The same pattern applies to 'remember': remember doing = recall a past memory; remember to do = not forget a task.
Which verbs can take both a gerund and an infinitive with the same meaning?
begin, start, continue, intend, like, love, hate, prefer, attempt, can't bear. She began to cry / She began crying. He likes to swim / He likes swimming. With modal+would (would like, would love, would prefer), always use the to-infinitive only: I would like to go (not going). 'Can't bear' and 'can't stand' also take a gerund: I can't stand waiting. 'Can't stand' + to-infinitive is rare and more formal.
What is the 'look forward to' trap and how do I avoid it?
The trap is writing 'I look forward to see you' instead of 'I look forward to seeing you'. The word 'to' in 'look forward to' is a preposition, not an infinitive marker. Other prepositional traps: be used to doing (not to do), be accustomed to doing, in addition to doing, thanks to doing, with a view to doing, object to doing, resort to doing. A preposition must be followed by a gerund, never a bare infinitive.
What verbs of suggestion take a gerund?
suggest, recommend, propose, advocate, advise (in certain constructions). Crucially, these verbs do NOT take object + to-infinitive in standard British English: NOT She suggested us to go. Use: She suggested going. She suggested we go. She recommended leaving early. 'Advise' CAN take object + infinitive: She advised us to leave early. This is a frequent error in Cambridge writing tasks.
How do try + gerund and try + infinitive differ in meaning?
Try + gerund = experiment with something as a solution: My back hurts. Try doing some yoga. (= experiment with yoga as a remedy). Try + infinitive = make an effort to do something difficult: I tried to lift the box but it was too heavy. (= made an effort but may or may not have succeeded). The test: can you replace 'try' with 'experiment with'? If yes, use the gerund. If you mean 'make an effort', use the infinitive.
What do 'regret + gerund' and 'regret + infinitive' mean?
Regret + gerund = feel sorry about a past action: I regret saying that. I regret not studying harder. (The regret is about something already done.) Regret + to-infinitive = a formal, polite way of expressing sorry in the present for bad news you are about to give: I regret to inform you that your application has been unsuccessful. This is a fixed phrase used in formal letters and announcements, not in everyday speech.
How are verb patterns tested in FCE and CAE exams?
FCE (B2) and CAE (C1) test verb patterns in sentence transformation (Part 4), open cloze (Part 2) and error correction tasks. Common transformations involve replacing 'She advised me: go earlier' with 'She advised me to go earlier', or changing 'stop doing' to 'give up doing'. Meaning-change pairs (stop, remember, try, regret, mean, go on, forget) are especially popular because a wrong choice produces a grammatically possible but semantically wrong sentence.