GRAMMAR IN CONTEXT:

VERB PATTERNS
Use of verb+ infinitive
Use of verbs + gerunds (ing)
Mr. Andrés Torres and Mrs.
Marleny Montes
Read the following sentences and think: Do they mean the same or not?
Can you use both ways for the words in bold for each one of the sentences?

1. She stopped to help/helping him with the homework.

2. I enjoy to work / working with you.
3. He misses to go / going with you to the movies.
4. I can´t stand to wait / waiting for the bus.
5. We should stop to talk / talking so much in class.
6. He agrees to go / going to the bank with me.
7. I can´t help to eat / eating all the chocolate in my fridge.

8. I remember to turn off/ turning off the oven before leaving the house.
VERB PATTERNS: Use of verb+ gerund
(ing)
• After a preposition such as (on, in, for…):
The boy had a snack after finishing his homework.
adapt to, apologize for, argue about, care about, depend on, disapprove of, engage in, give up, insist on…

• There are some verbs that always use verb+ ing such as: admit,
anticipate, appreciate, avoid, consider, defend, defer (for other
verbs refer to the list in files).
I appreciate receiving feedback from my students.
 VERB PATTERNS: Use of verb+ infinitive
• There are some verbs that always use verb+ infinitive such as: agree, afford, appear, arrange, care,
choose, claim, dare, decide, decline, deserve, expect, guarantee, fail (for other verbs refer to the list
in files).
I agree to feed my neighbor’s cat during their vacations.
We chose to pay by cash for the desk.

V + Object + inf V + Object + bare inf

want, ask, invite, order, tell, teach, advise, allow, beg, let, make, (help)
cause, command, encourage, expect, force, need,    
order, recommend, remind .... • Please, let me go.
• She made me do it.
• I want you to go. • I’ll help you move the table (also: I'll help you to
• She invited me to have dinner. move the table)
• I told you not to do it.
• She taught him to do it the right way.
 Verbs + infinitive and Gerund
There are some verbs that can be used with both pattern (verb+
gerund or verb + infinitive) and not changing in meaning:

attempt, begin, can/can’t stand, cease, continue, forget, hate, like,

love, neglect, prefer
• I can’t stand to listen to that music! / I can’t stand listening to that
music!
• We loved to play soccer in that park. / We loved playing soccer in
that park.
• We prefer to come to the gym at night. We prefer coming to the
gym at night.
Some verbs change meaning, depending on weather they
are followed by a gerund or an infinitive.
Remember + infinitive= remember to do something
Ex: Remember to call your mother after School.
Remember + gerund= remember something that happened
in the past.
Ex: I remember having more time for myself.
Forget+ infinitive= forget to do something
Forget + gerund = forget something that happened in the
past.
Stop + infinitive= stop in order to do something
Stop+ gerund= stop an ongoing action
Verb + Gerund
Admit, anticpate, appreciate,
avoid, consider, defend,
defer, deny, discuss, dislike,
enjoy, feels like, finish,
imagine, keep, mention,
mind, miss, understand,
excuse, practice, prevent,
quit, recall, recollect,
recommend, report, resent,
resist, reume, risk, suggest,
tolerate, urge…
Verb+ preposition+ gerund
Adapt to, apologize for, argue about,
care about, depend on, disapprove
of, engage in, give up, insist on, keep
on, looking forward to, participate
in…
BOTH
Attempt, begin, can’t bear, can/can’t
stand, cease, continue, forget, go on
hate, love, like, mean, neglet, prefer,
propose, remember, start, stop, try,
see, …
Verb + infinitive
Aim, ask, agree, afford,
appear, arrange, care,
choose, claim, dare, decide,
deserve, expect, garantee,
fall, hope, know, learn, need,
offer, plan, seem, tend,
threaten, want, wait, refuse,
pretend, request, prepare,
struggle, sonsent, wish,
demand, grow, hesitate,
hurry, intend, manage, pay…
Links to Practice:

https://www.weloveteachingenglish.com/en/free-lessons/intermediate/verb-patterns/verb-ing-or-infinitive.html  
https://elt.oup.com/student/solutions/int/grammar/grammar_01_022e?cc=co&selLanguage=en 
https://multimedia-english.com/grammar/verb-verb-patterns-54  

Video links:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2_Qic03XFI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWhtHcKaNNg

Image Reference :
http://clipart-library.com/thinking-images.html
EXAMPLES in context:

• I choose to recognize the different historical events that build us as the

society we are, in order to understand the world, we live in.
• I recommend you not to wait until the last minute to recognize that we
are a society surrounded by a lot of violence.
• Repeating our violence History is the result of not being aware of our
society’s structural violence.