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Verb Patterns

This document discusses different verb patterns in English, specifically verbs followed by infinitives or -ing forms. It provides examples of verbs that can be followed by a to-infinitive, verbs that are normally followed by -ing, and some verbs that can take either. A few verbs are discussed that have a change in meaning depending on whether they are followed by a to-infinitive or -ing. The document also covers verbs that take an infinitive without "to" and verbs that can be used with either -ing or an infinitive without "to".

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135 views

Verb Patterns

This document discusses different verb patterns in English, specifically verbs followed by infinitives or -ing forms. It provides examples of verbs that can be followed by a to-infinitive, verbs that are normally followed by -ing, and some verbs that can take either. A few verbs are discussed that have a change in meaning depending on whether they are followed by a to-infinitive or -ing. The document also covers verbs that take an infinitive without "to" and verbs that can be used with either -ing or an infinitive without "to".

Uploaded by

Леся Шак
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Verb patterns

verb + infinitive or verb + -ing?

Verbs followed by a to-infinitive

Some verbs can be followed immediately by a to-infinitive:

afford demand like pretend


agree fail love promise
arrange forget manage refuse
ask hate mean (= intend) remember
begin help need start
choose hope offer try
continue intend plan want
decide learn Prefer

I can’t afford to go on holiday.


It began to rain.
She hopes to go to university next year.
My mother never learnt to swim.
Did you remember to ring Nigel?

Verbs followed by -ing

Some verbs are normally followed by the -ing form:

admit deny finish mind


avoid dislike give up miss
(can’t) help enjoy imagine practise
(can’t) stand fancy involve put off
consider feel like keep (on) risk

I always enjoy cooking.
Not: I always enjoy to cook.
We haven’t finished eating yet.
Not: We haven’t finished to eat.
She keeps changing her mind about the wedding.
New subject before –ing

Some of these verbs (e.g. can’t stand, dislike, imagine, involve, mind, miss,
put off and risk) can be used with a new subject before the -ing form
(underlined in the examples below). If the new subject is a pronoun, it is in
the object form (me, him, her, us, them):

We just couldn’t imagine Gerry singing in public.


Do you mind me being here while you’re working?
I don’t want to risk him losing his job.

Verbs followed by a to-infinitive or -ing

Hate, like, love, prefer
Hate, like, love and prefer can be followed either by -ing or a to-infinitive.
The difference in meaning is often small. The -ing form emphasises the
verb itself. The to-infinitive puts the emphasis more on the preference for,
or the results of, the action.

Compare
-ing form to-infinitive
I love cooking Indian I like to drink juice in the
food. (emphasis on the morning, and tea at
process itself and lunchtime. (emphasis more
enjoyment of it) on the preference or habit)

She hates cleaning her I hate to be the only


room. (emphasis on the person to disagree.
process itself and no (emphasis more on the
enjoyment of it) result: I would prefer not to
be in that situation.)

We prefer to drive during
Most people prefer the day whenever we
watching a film at the can. (emphasis more on
cinema rather than on TV. the result and on the habit
(emphasis on the process or preference. The speaker
itself and enjoyment of it) doesn’t necessarily enjoy
the process of driving at
any time of day.)
Hate, like, love, prefer with would or should

When hate, like, love and prefer are used with would or should, only the to-


infinitive is used, not the -ing form:

She’d love to get a job nearer home.


Not: She’d love getting a job nearer home.
Would you like to have dinner with us on Friday?

To-infinitive or -ing form with a change in meaning

Some verbs can be followed by a to-infinitive or the -ing form, but with a


change in meaning:

go on need remember try


mean regret stop want
Compare
-ing form to-infinitive
Working in
London means
leaving home at
I didn’t mean to make you cry. (I
6.30. (Because I
didn’t intend to make you cry.)
work in London, this
is the result or
consequence.)
He went on
singing after She recited a poem, then went
everyone else had on tosing a lovely folk
finished. (He song. (She recited the poem first,
continued singing then she sang the song.)
without stopping.)
I tried searching the
web and finally found I tried to email Simon but it
an address for him.(I bounced back. (I tried/attempted
searched the web to to email him but I did not
see what information succeed.)
I could find.)
She stopped
We stopped to buy some water
crying as soon as
at the motorway service
she saw her
area. (We were travelling and we
mother. (She was
stopped for a short time in order
crying, and then she
to buy some water.)
didn’t cry anymore.)
Verbs followed by an infinitive without to

Let, make
Let and make are followed by an infinitive without to in active voice
sentences. They always have an object (underlined) before the infinitive:

Let me show you this DVD I’ve got.


They made us wait while they checked our documents.
Not: They made us to wait …

Help
Help can be followed by an infinitive without to or a to-infinitive:

She helped me find a direction in life.


Everyone can help to reduce carbon emissions by using public transport.

Verbs followed by -ing or an infinitive without to

A group of verbs connected with feeling, hearing and seeing can be used
with -ing or with an infinitive without to:

feel notice see


hear overhear watch

When they are used with -ing, these verbs emphasise the action or event in
progress. When they are used with an infinitive without to, they emphasise
the action or event seen as a whole, or as completed.

Compare
-ing infinitive without to
She heard people shouting in
I heard someone shout ‘Help!’,
the street below and looked
so I ran to the river.
out of the
(emphasises the whole event:
window. (emphasises that the
the person probably shouted
shouting probably continued
only once)
or was repeated)
A police Emily saw Philip run out of
officer saw him runningalong Sandra’s office. (emphasises
the street. (emphasises the the whole event from start to
running as it was happening) finish)
Verbs followed by a direct object and a to-infinitive

Some verbs are used with a direct object (underlined) followed by a to-
infinitive. These verbs include:

advise hate like persuade request


ask help love prefer teach
challenge instruct need recommend tell
choose intend order remind want
forbid invite

I advised him to get a job as soon as possible.


Did Martin teach Gary to play squash?
They want me to go to Germany with them.

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