VERBS FOLLOWED BY INFINITIVE OR GERUND

   

   

   ˙        VERBS FOLLOWED BY --ING:  admit, adjust, avoid, be worth, can´t help, can´t stand,
   consider, deny, dislike, enjoy, fancy, finish, help, imagine, involve, keep, mind, miss,
   postpone, practise, recollect, report, risk, suggest

   

   ˙        VERBS FOLLOWED BY INFINITIVE WITH TO: afford, agree, appear, arrange, ask, choose,
   decide, demand, desire, expect, fail, guarantee, happen, help, hope, intend, learn, long,
   manage, offer, plan, prepare, pretend, promise, refuse, seem, tend, threaten, wait, want, wish

   

   ˙        VERBS FOLLOWED BY EITHER INFINITIVE WITH TO OR --ING WITH LITTLE OR NO CHANGE IN
   MEANING: attempt, begin, continue, dread, not bear, hate, intend, like, love, prefer, start

   

   ˙        VERBS FOLLOWED BY EITHER INFINITIVE WITH TO OR --ING WITH CHANGE IN MEANING:

   

   

   §         Forget:

   I forgot to buy any coffee.      (I didn´t remember)

   I won´t forget meeting you.     (it will stay in my memory)

   

   §         Go on:

   Diana went on working all night.                  (continue)

   The director went on to say that the strike was over.

                                                                                           (add)

   

   §         Mean

   I meant to phone you but I forgot.                 (intend)

   This means leaving at 6 am!                         (involve)

   

   §         Regret

   I regret to tell you that you have failed.

                                                                               (a formal
   statement)

   I regret not buying the house.

                                                                   (be sorry about the past)

   

   §         Remember

   Please remember to lock the door.

                                                       (don´t forget a future action)

   I remember locking the door.

                                                       (remember a past action)

   

   §         Stop

   I stopped going to evening classes.  (give up)

   I stopped to buy some coffee.                      (in order to do st. else)

   

   §         Try

   I tried to get up early, but I couldn´t   (try and fail)

   Why don´t you try getting up early?

                                                                   (suggesting an action)

   

   

   ˙        VERBS FOLLOWED BY EITHER INFINITIVE WITHOUT TO OR --ING WITH CHANGE IN MEANING:

   §         Feel

   I felt the train moving.              (continuing action)

   I felt the train move.                  (completed action)

   

   §         See

   §         Hear

   

   If we see or hear only a part of the action, or it continues, we use the --ing form. If we see
   or hear the whole action from beginning to end, we use the bare infinitive without to.
   Compare:

   

   I saw her giving her presentation.

   I saw her give her presentation.

   I heard the machine making a strange noise.

   I heard the machine make a strange noise.