Touchstone 2nd Edition • Language summary • Level 4

Unit 1 • Lesson B: It's a long story!

Vocabulary
Verb + to + verb
agree to do
decide to do
expect to do
happen to do
intend to do
offer to do
seem to do

Verb + verb + -ing

consider doing
finish doing
imagine doing
miss doing
(not) mind doing
spend (time) doing

Verb + particle + -ing

end up doing
keep on doing

Verb + preposition + -ing

plan on doing
think about doing

© Cambridge University Press 2014 Unit 1, Lesson B, Page 1

Touchstone 2nd Edition • Language summary • Level 4

Verb + -ing / verb + to + verb with the same meaning

begin doing / to do
bother doing / to do
continue doing / to do
hate doing / to do
like doing / to do
love doing / to do

Verb + -ing / verb + to + verb with different meaning

remember doing (= remember you did)
remember to do (= not forget to do)
stop doing (= end an action or habit)
stop to do (= stop in order to do)
try doing (= experiment)
try to do (= make an effort)

Other words
anywhere else
lean over and say something
surf
take (long weekends) off
transfer an employee to another city

© Cambridge University Press 2014 Unit 1, Lesson B, Page 2

Touchstone 2nd Edition • Language summary • Level 4

Grammar
Verb complements: verb + -ing or to + verb
Sometimes you need another verb after the main verb in a sentence. The second verb may be
verb + -ing or to + verb.

• verb + verb + -ing

Use verb + -ing after consider, finish, imagine, mind, miss, and spend (time):
I finished doing my master's in business.

• verb + particle / preposition + verb + -ing

Use verb + -ing after end up, keep on, think about, and plan on:
I wasn't planning on leaving Japan.

• verb + to + verb
Use to + verb after agree, decide, happen, offer, seem, intend, and expect:
They agreed to pay for Korean lessons.

• verb + -ing or to + verb with the same meaning

You can use verb + -ing or to + verb after begin, bother, continue, like, love, hate, and
start. The meaning is the same:
Should I bother applying?
Should I bother to apply?

• verb + -ing or to + verb with a different meaning

You can use verb + -ing or to + verb after remember, stop, and try. The meaning is not
the same:
I stopped talking to him. (We don't talk now.)
I stopped to talk to him. (I stopped walking in order to talk.)

© Cambridge University Press 2014 Unit 1, Lesson B, Page 3