Gerunds and Infinitives

Choosing between gerunds (the -ing form) and infinitives (to + verb) is one of the most challenging decisions in English grammar. This essential A2–B2 lesson teaches you exactly when to use each form. Master 3 Decision Zones + 1 Golden Rule:

• Zone 1: Verbs taking only one form — some verbs always take gerunds (enjoy, suggest), others always take infinitives (want, decide)
• Zone 2: Both forms allowed, same meaning — verbs like like, love, begin, start accept both, BUT watch out for the would exception
• Zone 3: Both forms allowed, different meanings — verbs like stop, remember, forget, try change meaning depending on the form
• The Golden Rule: After ALL prepositions → always use gerund (no exceptions)

This lesson focuses on making the right choice. For detailed patterns of gerunds alone (prepositions, fixed expressions, advanced forms), see Gerunds. For infinitive-only patterns (bare infinitive, purpose infinitives, advanced forms), see Infinitives.

The core challenge: Most verbs in English are followed by one specific form, but learners must memorize which verbs take which form. There's no universal rule — it's about learning verb patterns. The biggest traps? The suggest/recommend trap (always gerund, never infinitive), the would exception (would like requires to-infinitive), and meaning-change verbs (stop doing vs stop to do have completely different meanings).

Zone 1: Verbs That Take Only One Form

Some verbs are always followed by a gerund, never an infinitive. Others are always followed by an infinitive, never a gerund. There's no choice — you must use the correct form for each verb.

Verbs Followed by Gerund Only

These common verbs must be followed by a gerund (-ing form), NOT an infinitive:

Examples:

• She avoids eating junk food. (NOT avoids to eat)
• I don't mind waiting for you. (NOT mind to wait)
• They finished cooking at 8 PM. (NOT finished to cook)
• He denied stealing the money. (NOT denied to steal)
• We considered moving to a bigger house. (NOT considered to move)

Verbs Followed by Infinitive Only

These common verbs must be followed by a to-infinitive, NOT a gerund:

Examples:

• They agreed to lend us the money. (NOT agreed lending)
• We expect to arrive there by noon. (NOT expect arriving)
• She chose to study medicine. (NOT chose studying)
• I plan to start my own business one day. (NOT plan starting)
• He refused to tell the truth. (NOT refused telling)

⚠️ The Suggest/Recommend Trap

This is Error Zone #1. Verbs like suggest, recommend, consider, and advise cause massive confusion because learners assume they follow the same pattern as similar verbs. They don't.

The Trap:

Don't confuse with: advise, tell, ask, want

These verbs can be followed by "object + to-infinitive":

• The doctor advised her to drink more water. ✓ (advise + object + to-infinitive)
• She told me to wait here. ✓ (tell + object + to-infinitive)

But suggest/recommend cannot:

• ❌ She suggested me to study harder. (WRONG)
• ✅ She suggested studying harder. (RIGHT)
• ✅ She suggested that I study harder. (RIGHT — that-clause alternative)

For more on the suggest/advise distinction, see Infinitives: The Suggest/Advise Trap.

👉 Practice Zone 1: Gerund or Infinitive? Basic Choice →

Zone 2: Both Forms Allowed, Same Meaning

Some verbs can be followed by either a gerund OR an infinitive with little or no change in meaning. Both forms are correct and interchangeable.

Verbs Taking Both Forms

Examples:

• She loves spending her weekends at the beach. = She loves to spend her weekends at the beach.
• I hate saying goodbye to my friends. = I hate to say goodbye to my friends.
• They prefer taking the bus to work. = They prefer to take the bus to work.
• I began learning French when I was twelve. = I began to learn French when I was twelve.

⚠️ The Would Exception: Would + Infinitive ONLY

This is Error Zone #2. After would like, would love, would prefer, and would hate, you MUST use the to-infinitive. The gerund is NOT allowed.

The Rule:

Examples:

• Would you like to come for lunch with us? (NOT would like coming)
• I would prefer to stay at home tonight. (NOT would prefer staying)
• She would hate to disappoint her best friend. (NOT would hate disappointing)
• He would love to live abroad for a year. (NOT would love living)

Why this exception exists: "Would like/love/prefer/hate" are conditional/polite forms that behave differently from their base verbs. Always use the to-infinitive after "would."

Special Note: Continuous Form Preference

When begin or start is in a continuous form (is beginning, was starting), we prefer the to-infinitive to avoid having two -ing forms together:

Also, with mental state verbs like understand, know, realize, believe, the to-infinitive is preferred:

• He was beginning to understand the answer. (Preferred)

👉 Practice Zone 2: Both Forms, Same Meaning →

Zone 3: Both Forms Allowed, Different Meanings

This is Error Zone #3 — the most challenging zone. Some verbs can be followed by either a gerund OR an infinitive, but the meaning changes completely depending on which form you use. You must choose based on what you want to say.

Stop: Doing vs To Do

Context matters:

• I stopped drinking so much coffee because the doctor told me to. (I quit drinking coffee)
• She stopped to take a rest because she was tired. (She paused her activity to take a rest)
• He stopped to buy some milk on his way home. (He paused his journey to buy milk)

Common mistake: Using "stop to do" when you mean "quit":

• ❌ I stopped to smoke two years ago. (This sounds like you paused to smoke)
• ✅ I stopped smoking two years ago. (You quit smoking)

Remember / Forget: Doing vs To Do

Examples:

• I remember riding my first bicycle when I was six. (I recall the memory)
• Please remember to call me when you arrive at the airport. (Don't forget to do it)
• She forgot to lock the door when she left. (She didn't do it — she forgot)
• I'll never forget meeting you at that party. (I'll always remember that experience)

Pattern:

• remember/forget doing = looking backward in time (past memory)
• remember/forget to do = looking forward in time (future task or something you should have done)

Try: Doing vs To Do

Examples:

• If you're cold, try wearing a sweater. (Experiment — maybe it will help)
• She tried to open the door, but it was locked. (She made an effort but couldn't do it)
• Try adding more salt to the soup. Maybe it will taste better. (Experiment with a solution)
• He tried to pass the exam three times, but he failed every time. (He made efforts but didn't succeed)

Pattern:

• try doing = experiment/test (and see if it works)
• try to do = make an effort (often with the implication of difficulty or failure)

Regret: Doing vs To Do

Examples:

• He regrets not studying harder in college. (He feels sorry about the past)
• We regret to say that we can no longer accept returns after 30 days. (Formal bad news announcement)

Pattern:

• regret doing = feel sorry about something you did (or didn't do) in the past
• regret to do = formal way to introduce bad news (regret to say, regret to inform, regret to tell)

Go On: Doing vs To Do

Examples:

• The speaker went on talking for another 30 minutes. (He continued the same activity — talking)
• After the speech, the president went on to answer questions from the press. (He moved to a new activity — answering questions)

Pattern:

• go on doing = continue the same thing
• go on to do = move to the next thing

Mean: Doing vs To Do

Examples:

• Moving to a new city means making new friends. (It involves/results in making new friends)
• Taking this course means spending three evenings a week at school. (It involves spending time)
• I didn't mean to offend you. I'm sorry. (I didn't intend to offend you)
• He didn't mean to break your phone. It was an accident. (He didn't intend to break it)

Pattern:

• mean doing = involve/result in (subject is usually a thing or situation)
• mean to do = intend (subject is usually a person)

Need: Doing vs To Do

Examples:

• The walls need painting. (The walls need to be painted — passive)
• My phone needs replacing. (My phone needs to be replaced — passive)
• I need to weed the garden this weekend. (I must do it — active)
• I need to go to the bank. (I must go — active)

Pattern:

• need doing = needs to be done (passive meaning, subject receives action)
• need to do = must do (active meaning, subject performs action)

👉 Practice Zone 3: Both Forms, Different Meanings →

The Golden Rule: Prepositions + Gerund

Here's the single most reliable rule in this entire lesson: After ALL prepositions, use a gerund — no exceptions.

This Golden Rule applies universally:

• ✓ It works for every preposition (at, in, on, for, about, of, to*, by, without...)
• ✓ It has no exceptions (unlike most grammar rules)
• ✓ It solves dozens of errors instantly

(*Note: "to" can be a preposition OR part of an infinitive. See The "To" Trap below.)

Common Preposition + Gerund Patterns

Examples:

• Thank you for helping me with this project.
• He's interested in learning Spanish.
• I'm tired of doing the same thing every day.
• She's responsible for training new staff.
• We succeeded in solving the problem.
• He insisted on paying for dinner.

Never use an infinitive after a preposition:

• ❌ Thank you for to help me.
• ✅ Thank you for helping me.

⚠️ The "To" Trap: Preposition vs Infinitive

The word "to" has two different jobs in English:

1. "to" as part of an infinitive: to work, to eat, to go (followed by base verb)
2. "to" as a preposition: followed by a gerund

When "to" is a preposition, you must use a gerund after it. Here are the most common cases:

How to tell if "to" is a preposition: If you can replace "to" + verb with "to" + noun, it's a preposition:

• "I look forward to the meeting" → "I look forward to meeting you" ✓

Don't confuse "be used to" with "used to":

Examples:

• I look forward to meeting you at the conference next week. (NOT to meet)
• She is used to getting up early every morning. (She's accustomed to it)
• She used to get up late when she was a student. (Past habit, no longer true)

For more detailed patterns with prepositions + gerund, see Gerunds: The Golden Rule.

Other Important Patterns

Beyond the 3 Zones and the Golden Rule, here are other essential gerund and infinitive patterns you need to know.

Infinitive of Purpose

Use the to-infinitive to express why someone does something (= in order to):

Examples:

• He went to the library to study for his exam.
• She saved money in order to buy a new car.
• They arrived early so as to get good seats.

Negative purpose: Use in order not to or so as not to (NOT simple "to not"):

• She put on a warm coat in order not to catch a cold. ✓ (NOT to not catch)
• She took a taxi so as not to be late. ✓ (NOT to not be)

Fixed Expressions and Common Patterns

👉 Practice Mixed Review: All Patterns →

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Quick Summary

The 3 Decision Zones + 1 Golden Rule

Zone 1: Only One Form Allowed

• Gerund-only verbs: enjoy, avoid, suggest, recommend, finish, mind, consider, deny, admit, keep, imagine, miss, risk, practice
• Infinitive-only verbs: decide, want, hope, promise, plan, agree, expect, refuse, choose, manage, offer, afford

Zone 2: Both Forms, Same Meaning

• Verbs: like, love, hate, prefer, begin, start, continue, can't stand
• Exception: would like/love/prefer/hate → to-infinitive ONLY

Zone 3: Both Forms, Different Meanings

• stop doing (quit) vs stop to do (pause for purpose)
• remember/forget doing (recall past) vs remember/forget to do (future task)
• try doing (experiment) vs try to do (make effort)
• regret doing (sorry about past) vs regret to do (formal bad news)
• go on doing (continue same) vs go on to do (proceed to next)
• mean doing (involve) vs mean to do (intend)
• need doing (passive: needs to be done) vs need to do (active: must do)

The Golden Rule: After ALL prepositions → gerund

• at/in/on/for/about/of/by/without + gerund
• Special cases: look forward to, be used to, object to (preposition "to" + gerund)

How to Choose: 4-Step Decision Process

Step 1: Check for Preposition → Is there a preposition right before the verb? (at, in, on, for, about, to as preposition...) → YES → Use gerund (The Golden Rule) → NO → Go to Step 2

Step 2: Check for "Would" → Is the verb "would like/love/prefer/hate"? → YES → Use to-infinitive (The Would Exception) → NO → Go to Step 3

Step 3: Check the Main Verb Zone → Look up the verb:

• Zone 1 verbs: Only one form allowed
  • Gerund-only: enjoy, suggest, avoid, finish, mind, consider, deny, admit, keep, imagine
  • Infinitive-only: decide, want, hope, promise, plan, agree, expect, refuse, choose, manage, offer
• Zone 2 verbs: Both forms OK, same meaning (like, love, hate, prefer, begin, start, continue)
• Zone 3 verbs: Both forms OK, but check meaning → Go to Step 4

Step 4: If Zone 3 Verb, Choose Based on Meaning → stop doing (quit) vs stop to do (pause) → remember/forget doing (past memory) vs remember/forget to do (future task) → try doing (experiment) vs try to do (effort) → regret doing (sorry for past) vs regret to do (formal bad news) → go on doing (continue) vs go on to do (next activity) → mean doing (involve) vs mean to do (intend) → need doing (passive) vs need to do (active)

Quick Verb Lists

Practice Tips

1. Master the Suggest Trap first: This is the #1 error. Memorize that suggest/recommend/consider always take gerunds, NEVER infinitives. Repeat: "She suggested going" (NOT "suggested to go") until it becomes automatic.

2. Create Zone 1 flashcards: Make flashcards for gerund-only and infinitive-only verbs. Test yourself daily. Focus on the ones you get wrong (suggest, recommend, avoid, mind, decide, hope, manage, refuse).

3. Practice the Would Exception: Every time you see "would like/love/prefer/hate", remind yourself: to-infinitive ONLY. Write 5 sentences using each pattern correctly.

4. Memorize Zone 3 pairs with meaning: Don't just memorize "stop + gerund/infinitive" — memorize the meaning difference. Use memory tricks like "stop doing = done with it (quit)" vs "stop to do = do something else (pause)."

5. Test the preposition "to": When you see "to" + verb, ask: "Is this a preposition or an infinitive?" Try replacing it with a noun. If "look forward to the party" works, then "look forward to meeting" (gerund) is correct.

Practice All Exercises

Ready to master gerund and infinitive choice? These comprehensive gerund and infinitive exercises include multiple choice and worksheet practice with answers. Available online for free, these exercises progress from basic A2 patterns (verbs taking only one form) to advanced B2 mixed review. Work through the sets below in order:

👉 Start with Set 4: Mixed Practice for a comprehensive challenge covering all gerund and infinitive patterns and decision zones!