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Using Gerunds and Infinitives: Following A Verb (Gerund or Infinitive)
Using Gerunds and Infinitives: Following A Verb (Gerund or Infinitive)
Gerunds and infinitives are verb forms that can take the place of a noun in a sentence. The
following guidelines and lists will help you figure out whether a gerund or infinitive is
needed.
[INFINITIVE]
[GERUND]
2. VERB + TO (infinitive)
+afford
+agree
+arrange
beg
care
+claim
+decide
+demand
deserve
+expect
+fail
hesitate
+hope
+learn
+manage
neglect
+need
+offer
+plan
prepare
+pretend
+promise
+refuse
seem
struggle
+swear
+threaten
+volunteer
wait
+want
+wish
4. SPECIAL USES:
A. make in the active and let (active and passive) take the infinitive without to:
He made me move my car ( but I was made to move my car).
She let us use her phone. (In the passive let is frequently replaced by allow:
After they had looked at our passposrt, we were allowed to go).
B. Verbs of the senses: feel, hear, see, can be used with object+infinitive without to,
but see and hear in the passive require the full infinitive:
I felt the house shake.
I heard her shout, Stop!.
I saw her take the money (but She was seen to take the money).
But these verbs are more often used with object + -ing:
I heard her shouting.
I saw her taking the money.
C. ask, decide, discover, find out, know, learn, remember, want to know,
wonder, understand + question word + to infinitive:
He found out how to open the safe. I dont know what to do with this rubbish.
D. Adjectives + to infinitive:
I am too tired to see a film now. (Purpose infinitive).
E. would rather + infinitive without to:
Would you like to go today? Id rather wait till tomorrow.
F. had better + infinitive without to:
You had better start at once, he said. (= He advised me to start at once).
G. Some verbs ( forget, remember, regret, stop) can be followed by gerund or
infinitive (diff. meaning).