English Module Mme BEKKARI N.

Course : GRAMMAR- VERB PATTERNS IGE41 (4th Year)

 Stop to buy bread from the supermarket. Do those two sentences have the same meaning ?

 Stop buying bread from the supermarket. No, but why ?

We are going to know in this lesson : How do verbs patterns effect meaning of sentences in English ?  A verb followed by
Gerund can have a completely different meaning than the same verb followed by an Infinitive verb.

What is a Gerund ?

A Gerund looks like a verb, but it is actually a noun, it is formed by adding « ING » to the end of the base form of the verb.

Gerund : Base form of verb+ing =====> listen+ing ===> Listening to music helps relax.

What is an infinitive ?

The infinitive is the base form of the verb, but there are two types of infinitive in English : « To infinitive » and « Zero
infinitive » :

1. To infinitive : is formed by : to+base form of the verb : To listen, e.g. I prefer to listen to music when I’m working.

2. Zero infinitive : is formed of only the base verb without « To », e.g. Please listen carefully to my instructions.

In this lesson, we shal focus in the « To verb », there are many verbs that can be followed either by a gerund or the « to »
infinitive. This is what can be called : VERB PATTERN, it is when two verbs appear together in one sentence. Some verbs
completely change meaning when either are followed by a gerund or « to » infinitive.

Now, let’s go back to the first examples. What is the difference between : stop buying bread and stop to buy bread ?

 Stop+ a Gerund ===> means to quit an action, in our sentence stop buying bread from the supermarket is an
order, to quit and never buy bread again from the supermarket , in other words : Don’t buy bread there anymore,
for whatever reason : it is expensive, not a good quality, …etc.

Since we are talking abour stop doing an action, this formulation can be used when you’re dealing with dictions or bad
habits : e.g. : I wish you would stop biting your nails, it’s gross !
English Module Mme BEKKARI N.
Course : GRAMMAR- VERB PATTERNS IGE41 (4th Year)
 Stop+ « To » infinitive ===> means to pause or leave one action to do another, in our example stop to buy bread
from the supermarket, this sentence is about a context of an order or instruction, but it is to stop at the
supermarket as you go and get some bread, so you stop the action of walking, for instance, or driving by the
supermarket and you interrupt that action, to go and buy some bread from the supermarket, and then you would
continue back your journey : e.g. Make sure you stop to talk to Sara before you leave work today, she has got
something important to tell you.

Q : Do all verbs change meaning when followed by a gerund or « to » infinitive form ?  NON, Some verbs keep the same
meaning : e.g. : verb START

 We start eating dinner at 07 p.m. The meaning of both sentences is the same.

 We start to eat dinner at 07 p.m.

Q : How do we know which verbs change meaning when followed by the gerund or « To » infinitive ?  You actually need
to learn them, by practising the English Language. Here are the most common used verb patterns.

 FORGET :

 Forget+a Gerund  ===> to look back on the past memories, e.g. : I’ll never forget watching my first horror movie.
Which means that I was so scared that I couldn’t sleep for weeks !

 Forget+ « to » infinitive ===> to give a reminder to someone, to make sure that they do something that they don’t
forget, e.g. : Don’t forget to watch the news tonight ! which means I was interviewed on the main street today, so I
don’t want you to miss it.

 REMEMBER :

 Remember+ a Gerund ===> to talk about a memory. What do you remember about your first day ? e.g. : I
remember eating ribs covered in sticky sauce with my hands !

 Remember+ « to » infinitive ===> to talk about something someone needs to do, to remind them to do something,
e.g. : Remember to whisk the eggs before adding the suger.

 REGRET :

 Regret+ a Gerund ===> to talk about something you did in the past that you aren’t happy about anymore ; it can
be a decision that you made in the past and you wish you didin’t make, e.g. : He woke up with a pounding
headache and immediately regretted staying awake so much the night before.
English Module Mme BEKKARI N.
Course : GRAMMAR- VERB PATTERNS IGE41 (4th Year)
 Regret+ « to » infinitive : to tell someone bad news or something they will not want to hear, this verb pattern in
English is very formal and it is always followed by bad news, e.g. : We regret to inform you that you have ten days
left to pay the account, otherwise, we will close it.

 MEAN :

 Mean+ a Gerund : to talk about what the response or result of something is, e.g. : Make sure you bring your jacket,
or i twill mean getting eally wet and cold.

 Mean+ « to » infinitive : To intend or to plan to do something, when it is used in the past form, it is mostly used for
excuses, e.g. : I meant to call you last night, but I totally forgot !

 Application Exercise : Put the verb patterns in the correct form :

1. I wish I could forget (fall) down the stairs in front of the whole school.

2. Stop (smoke) cigarettes, it is bad for your health !

3. He regretted (yell) at her as soon as she walked away.

4. Visiting my sister in Paris means (spend) 02hours on a plane.

5. Remember (turn) at the intersection, otherwise, you’ll get stuck on one-way road.

6. Don’t forget (bring) your tickets, they won’t let you in to the show !

7. Remember (take) lots of pictures on your trip !

8. I worked all day, I didn’t even stop (eat) lunch.

9. I regret (say) that I wasn’t impressed by the performance.

10. She meant (put) sugar in your coffee, but she accidently added salt.