VERB PATTERNS

1. VERB PATTERNS1: Gerund, Infinitive with "to" and Bare

Infinitive
+ING Form +TO Infinitive sb/ sth TO +sb/sth + Bare
Infinitive Infinitive
 LOVE*, ADORE*,  WANT  LET
ENJOY*, LIKE*,  NEED  WANT MODALS: CAN, COULD,
 HATE*, DISLIKE*,  AGREE  ALLOW MAY, MIGHT, SHOULD,
MIND*  DECIDE  WOULD LIKE MUST
 STOP*  TRY  TELL
 FINISH*  START, BEGIN  ENCOURAGE
 START*, BEGIN*  FORGET  ASK
 SPEND TIME  REMEMBER  INVITE
 GO (+ACTIVITY:
swimming, fishing,
shopping)

(*) + NOUN (This verb can also be followed by a NOUN). This has to do with the fact that the GERUND (or -ING verbs)
and NOUNS function in a very SIMILAR way. // () This verb appears on more than one list.

2.VERB PATTERNS 2: VERB + PREPOSITIONS

2.1 ZERO ( ) PREPOSITION

Some verbs, which ARE followed by a preposition in Spanish, ARE NOT followed by a preposition in ENGLISH.

In English, you...

Susan phoned Philip last night and told him she

 TELEPHONE/PHONE/CALL sb/a place. was pregnant.

VISIT sb/a place. Paul visited Mary when she was in hospital.
Many people say they were lovers.
 ENTER  a place When I entered the bathroom, I found Mary
lying unconscious on the floor.

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 LEAVE  a place

(See other patterns below ) She left the party at around 6 a.m.

 HEAR  sth/sb
I think I heard Peter singing. Is that possible?

 FIND  sb/sth When I entered the bathroom, I found Mary

lying unconscious on the floor.
 INVITE  sb
Did Paul invite Mary to the party?

 HIT  sb
Paul hit the dog.

 ATTEND  a lesson, mass, the church,

Did you attend yesterday's lesson? I need your
university, a meeting, an appointment, a
notes because I was absent.
party, a funeral, a seminar, etc.
 RESCUE  sb
The firemen rescued us.

 SAVE  sb
Superman saved her.

 JOIN  sb, a group, a team, an

I’d like to join the swimming club.
organisation.

 KISS  sb
Susan kissed Peter on the cheek.

2.2 ZERO ( ) PREPOSITION + HOME

With the words HOME, verbs of movement NEVER take a preposition

GO

WALK
TO A PLACE
RUN

DRIVE
HOME
RIDE

FLY

RETURN (=come back)

COME BACK

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 2.3. VERB (+ "TO") + RECEIVER: "TO" or NO "TO"
(That is the question :P)

GIVE sb sth She gave me a t-shirt as a present.

sth TO sb She gave a t-shirt to me as a present.
RETURN sb sth Did he return you the books you lent him?
(=give back) He returned the hairdryer to the store.
sth TO sb
TELL sb sth She told me the truth/her name/the time/a lie/a story/a joke
sth TO sb He told the news to everyone.
ASK sb sth He asked me too many questions.
May I ask you a favour? The time?

2.4. VERB + OTHER PREPOSITIONS

Notice that some verbs in Spanish which Do NOT take a preposition DO take one in English.

LIVE IN + a geographical place, a building, a She lives in a flat in London.

street She lives in Tucumán St-

ON+ an island, a farm, the university Our teacher lives on a farm.

campus.
AT+ address She lives at 234 Tucumán St.

ARRIVE AT a place (home, school, university, the Susan arrived at the cinema at 1.
park)
IN a city, country or continent We arrived in London at 3.
ON an island, farm or coast Susan saw the thieves when she
Never "TO"!! arrived on the farm.

KNOCK ON/ AT the door/ the window. I knocked on the door three times but
there was no answer.
LOOK AT sth sb/sth He looked at me and smiled.
LISTEN TO sb/sth Listen to me, please!
WORRY ABOUT Sth Where have you been all this time? We
were all worried about you!

3. VERB PATTERNS 3: VERB + (That) Clause

 NOTICE: Have you noticed that he hasn't stopped looking at you?
 SEE: I saw that a man was trying to break into the house.
 HEAR: I heard that you are moving to York
 DECIDE: She decided that she would not talk to him anymore.
 SAY: The doctors say that it will take her a few weeks to recover.
 TELL sb: She told us that our dog had die

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 4. VERB BY VERB – Examples

 ALLOW sb TO do sth Did your dad allow you to go to the concert?

 BEGIN sth I began this novel last month and I haven't finished it yet.
-ING Everyone began talking when she fell on stage.

TO At last the guests began to arrive.

 CONTINUE -ING Even though the police told them to stop, they continued running.

 DECIDE TO do sth In the end, we decided to go to the theatre.

THAT She decided she would travel to India.

Wh-word I can't decide what to do.

 ENJOY -ING He enjoys reading fashion magazines.

sth I enjoy holidays so much!

 EXPLAIN sth (to sb) Susan explained everything (to me).

That She explained that she had not slept during the night.

Wh-word Did she explain why she arrived late?

 FINISH sth As soon as he finished his assignment, he handed it in.

-ING When you finish cleaning your bedroom, you can start playing.

 HATE -ING He hates getting up early in the morning.

sth Susan hates cats.

Notice that all verbs expressing likes and dislikes have the same pattern (like, love, enjoy, hate,
not mind, prefer, dislike, etc.)

 HELP sb (TO) do sth She helped me to start my own business.

 INVITE sb to a place/ event He invited me to a party.

sb TO do sth Peter invited me to go on holiday with him.

 LEAVE a place She left home at around 5.(=to abandon a place)

FOR a place She left FOR the cinema at around 5 (=to go to a place)

 LET sb DO sth Nowadays parents let kids do whatever they want.

 NEED sth The doctor said she needed an operation.

TO do sth I need to talk to Ms Stuart.

sb TO do sth Do you need me to help you choose an outfit?

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 SAY (to sb) THAT + clause She said to me that she would come at 6.
Wh-word + clause Did she say where she was heading for?

sth ABOUT Did she say anything about tomorrow's meeting?

Compare it with "TELL"

 SEE/HEAR sth Mary saw a shadow and I heard strange noises.

sb doiING sth I saw her sleeping in the bathroom.

 START sth She started the car and drove away.

-ING Mary started dancing with another man, so Paul left the party.

TO As I was leaving for university, it started to rain.

 STOP sth Susan stopped the car, because it was running short of fuel.
-ING Stop making that horrible noise, please!

After hearing his comments, Mary stopped eating, stood up and left.

 TELL sb sth/ABOUT sth Can you please tell me the time?

When she arrived, she told us about the accident.

THAT Susan told me that she would marry Peter.

Wh- word. + clause She didn't tell me where shoe would go.

Wh- word+ TO Inf. He told us what to say.

TO do sth He told me hide and so I did.

 WANT sth I want another sandwich.

TO do sth She wants to make a chocolate cake.

sb TO do sth Susan wants me to find a new job.

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 PRACTICE ON VERB PATTERNS

1. Put these words into the correct order to make sentences with verb patterns. Add punctuation where
necessary.
1. both / at / we / galleries /art / to / enjoy / see / going / exhibitions
2. unless / like / really / necessary / don’t / going / to / the / it’s / dentist / I
3. should / job / an / take / your / new / that / girlfriend / accountant / as
4. you / mother / next / here / back / year / hopes / see / my / to
5. letters / she / home / finished / went / and / the / typing / then
6. can / o’clock / we / morning / the / in / hotel / leave / at / the / 9
7. the / in / I / brother / might / with / my / go / mountains / skiing
8. London / house / in / decided / they / the / buy / not / to

2. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb in brackets.
1. If you don’t enjoy _________________ (study), why are you doing it?
2. I’m learning _________________ (cook) Japanese food, but it’s very difficult.
3. We can’t leave until Jeremy finishes _________________(pack) all his suitcases.
4. I don’t mind _________________ (go) on the bus, but I hate _________________(travel) by car.
5. Can you let me _________________(watch) the TV for an hour? There’s a film on.
6. Stop _________________(make) so much noise. I’m studying!
7. His mother promised _________________(buy) him a computer if he was good.
8. You shouldn’t _________________ (smoke) because you are too young.

3. Are the following patterns correct or incorrect?

1. She wants you to go and pay for it.
2. I hope seeing you next time you come to the city!
3. It stopped to rain an hour ago.
4. My sister convinced me to give up smoking.
5. Would you like dancing to the next song?
6. Your aunt should eat less sugary foods.
7. The president decided explaining his decision on TV.

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4. Use the correct pattern of the verbs in brackets. Add any necessary words but do not change the
tenses.
Some Annoying Events that may happen during the World Cup
1) People from your country .................................................. (enter / the stadium) by force, breaking down
walls in order to find a way into it, without paying.
2) You ..................................................... (want / watch) the most important match but you do not
....................................................... (arrive / home) on time.
3) Your mother-in-law may................................................................ (explain / the match / you) as if she was
a football expert!
4) Your girlfriend............................................................. (call / you) at the exact time in which Messi is about
to score a goal!
5) You .............................................................. (give / your Argentinian flag / your mum), for her to put it
away for the next match, but she washes it!
6) You ..................................................... (hate / miss) a second of the match, so you ask someone to do
things for you and they unplug the TV wire by mistake!
7) Your boss arranges to have a business meeting the day and time of the football match, so you miss the
match but your boss does not ...................................................... (attend / the meeting).
8) Your team is winning the game, the players are exhausted, the opponents threaten to score a goal and
the referee ........................................................................................ (say / one of the other referees /
the match has been extended). Even worse than that, the opponents score during those last minutes.
9) Your girlfriend paints her face in the colours of your country flag, she asks you what she looks like and
you ................................................................. (tell / the truth / her)!

5. Fill in the blanks with the correct verb patterns.

London is one of the world's leading tourism destinations, and the city is home to an array of
famous tourist attractions. Here are some suggestions for people on a tight budget:
You can 1)____________(enter) many museums and art galleries for free. Many of them are
popular places for tourism. You can go on a walking tour for free. During the walking tour, you can
2)__________________________(ask / some questions / the tour guide). Tour guides are always willing
to 3)______________________________(explain / tourists / any doubt about the city). After the tour,
you can 4)_________________(give / a tip / tour guide). If you would like a more comprehensive tour,
you can 5)___________(call) any travel agency in London and they will organize a tour which suits your
needs.
Buckingham Palace is by far the most popular tourist attraction in London. Many people travel to
Buckingham Palace to watch the world famous event known as the 'changing of the guard'. Visitors who
want to get a good view of this exciting event will need to 6)_____________(arrive) the palace just
before 11:15 or even earlier if possible. If you like visiting churches, you can visit St. Paul’s Cathedral
where Lady Di 7)_____________ (marry) Prince Charles. If you are interested in getting to know the
Anglican rite, you can 8)______________(attend) a mass for free. London is a great place with a lot of
history. Once you 9)______________(return /home), you will have the opportunity to
10)_________________tell / a lot of stories / your family).
Have a good trip!

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6. Complete the blanks with the corresponding verb pattern where necessary.
The Cool School
If you want fame…When people ask you what you want ______________ (1. be) in the future, they seem
to enjoy ____________ (2. hear) 'a doctor' or 'a financial consultant'. But if you say 'an actor' or 'a
dancer' or 'a DJ' they often laugh and tell ______________ (3) you it’s not a good idea. The Brit School
takes such ambitions seriously: everything is done to make sure talented kids fully explore their
passion for the creative arts.
What you study there. The Brit School centres its studies on the performing arts. Singing, dancing, acting,
music, theatre, TV and film production are all on the curriculum, as well as academic subjects like
Maths and English. The staff stresses the importance of continuing academic studies. Students enter
______________ (4) the school when they are 14 and 16. There is a strict selection process because
there is a lot of competition for each place. Entrants at 14 have _____________ (5. go through) an
interview, and at 16 there is also an audition. They must _____________ (6. undergo) such tough
procedure because the school is Britain's only non fee-paying entertainment school.
How the kids feel about it. Everyone who goes there is incredibly enthusiastic about it. Even though the
school's curriculum and hours make _______________ (7. students/work) hard, they don't mind
______________ (8. make) sacrifices. Monique, 18, said she loves ______________ (9. attend) this
school because it is so different from her old school. "Everyone seems so creative here so I don't stand
out much. Everyone's an individual, independent and single-minded and we are allowed
________________ (10. wear) the sort of clothes we like." Most of the students are outgoing, and shy
students say that being there makes them more confident.

7. Use the correct pattern of the verbs in brackets. Add any necessary words but do not change the
tenses.
Are Social Networking Sites Good for Our Society?
74% of American adults online use social networking sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter,
LinkedIn, and Pinterest. When deciding ___________ (1. use) social media sites like these, users may
develop biographical profiles, communicate with friends and strangers, do research, and share thoughts,
photos, music, links, and more.
Promoters of social networking sites _______________ (2. say) the online communities encourage
increased interaction with friends and family; and offer teachers, librarians, and students valuable access
to educational support and materials. Those in favour also report that they started ______________ (3.
access) these social websites because they facilitate social and political change. Another advantage is that
social networking sites help ___________ (4. students/ do) better at school. 59% of students with access
to the Internet report that they use social networking sites to discuss educational topics and 50% use the
sites to talk about school assignments. A study published in the Journal of Applied Developmental
Psychology _______________ (5.explained) first year college students that they should ______________
(6. use) social networking sites to build networks of new friends, feel socially integrated at their new
schools, and reduce their risk of dropping out. Another benefit is that social networking sites allow
__________ (7. people/ improve) their relationships and make new friends.
Opponents of social networking don’t want ______________ (8. the sites/prevent) face-to-face
communication and make ________________ (9. you/ waste) time on unnecessary activities. Moreover,
those who are against have stated that they dislike __________________ (10. publish) personal
information on social networks because there is very little privacy.