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.