5. Verb Patterns After Common Verbs
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Certain verbs are conventionally followed by a gerund (verb-ing used as a noun), others by a to-infinitive, and a handful by either — sometimes with no real change in meaning, and sometimes with a sharp change in meaning that examiners specifically test. Unlike tense rules, this distinction cannot be derived logically from any general principle of English grammar; it has to be learned verb by verb, which is exactly why it is tested so heavily in fill-in-the-blank and error-spotting questions across every one of these exams. This section organizes more than sixty verbs into three reference tables, each with its own original example sentence.
5.1 Verbs Followed Only by a Gerund
| Verb | Example Sentence |
|---|---|
| avoid | He avoided answering the question directly. |
| admit | She admitted making a mistake in the calculation. |
| appreciate | We appreciate you informing us in advance. |
| consider | They are considering relocating the office to Pune. |
| delay | The airline delayed announcing the new schedule. |
| deny | He denied taking the file without permission. |
| detest | She detests waiting in long queues. |
| discuss | They discussed changing the vendor. |
| dislike | He dislikes travelling by night bus. |
| enjoy | She enjoys reading historical novels. |
| escape | He narrowly escaped losing his job during the layoffs. |
| finish | They finished loading the truck before noon. |
| imagine | I can't imagine living without electricity for a week. |
| involve | The role involves managing a small team. |
| justify | He couldn't justify spending so much on a single event. |
| keep (on) | She kept on revising the draft until midnight. |
| mention | He mentioned resigning at some point next year. |
| mind | Would you mind closing the window? |
| miss | She missed attending her own graduation ceremony. |
| postpone | The board postponed announcing the results. |
| practice | He practices speaking English every morning. |
| quit | She quit working there after just six months. |
| recall | I don't recall signing that document. |
| recommend | The doctor recommended reducing his salt intake. |
| resent | She resents being told what to do without explanation. |
| resist | He couldn't resist checking his phone during the meeting. |
| resume | They resumed negotiating after a short break. |
| risk | He risked losing his savings on that investment. |
| suggest | The manager suggested revising the proposal. |
| tolerate | She can't tolerate being interrupted while working. |
Exam trap: Wrong: He suggested to postpone the meeting. Fix: He suggested postponing the meeting. ("suggest" is followed by a gerund, not a to-infinitive)
5.2 Verbs Followed Only by a To-Infinitive
| Verb | Example Sentence |
|---|---|
| afford | We can't afford to lose another client this quarter. |
| agree | They agreed to extend the deadline. |
| appear | The plan appears to be working so far. |
| arrange | She arranged to meet the vendor on Thursday. |
| ask | He asked to leave the room for a moment. |
| choose | They chose to remain silent during the inquiry. |
| decide | He decided to withdraw his application. |
| demand | The union demanded to see the revised contract. |
| deserve | She deserves to be promoted after this project. |
| expect | We expect to receive the results by Friday. |
| fail | He failed to submit the assignment on time. |
| hesitate | Don't hesitate to contact us if you have doubts. |
| hope | She hopes to join the training program next month. |
| learn | He learned to operate the new machinery quickly. |
| manage | They managed to finish the project before the deadline. |
| offer | She offered to help with the arrangements. |
| plan | The committee plans to review the policy next quarter. |
| pretend | He pretended not to notice the mistake. |
| promise | They promised to deliver the goods by Monday. |
| refuse | She refused to sign the agreement. |
| seem | The instructions seem to be missing a step. |
| struggle | He struggled to keep up with the pace of the course. |
| tend | Small businesses tend to struggle in the first year. |
| threaten | The workers threatened to go on strike. |
| wait | We are waiting to hear back from the client. |
| want | She wants to join the training program. |
| wish | He wishes to withdraw from the competition. |
Exam trap: Wrong: She refused signing the agreement. Fix: She refused to sign the agreement. ("refuse" is followed by a to-infinitive, not a gerund)
5.3 Verbs Followed by Either, With No Real Change in Meaning
| Verb | Example (gerund) | Example (infinitive) |
|---|---|---|
| begin | It began raining just as we left. | It began to rain just as we left. |
| start | He started shouting the moment he saw the result. | He started to shout the moment he saw the result. |
| continue | She continued working despite the noise. | She continued to work despite the noise. |
| like | I like reading before bed. | I like to read before bed. |
| love | She loves travelling to new places. | She loves to travel to new places. |
| hate | He hates waiting for late trains. | He hates to wait for late trains. |
| prefer | He prefers cycling to driving in the city. | He prefers to cycle rather than drive in the city. |
| bother | Don't bother explaining — I already know. | Don't bother to explain — I already know. |
5.4 Verbs That Change Meaning Depending on Gerund or Infinitive
This short list is the highest-yield part of Section 5, because these are precisely the verbs exam-setters reach for when they want to construct a genuinely tricky question rather than a purely mechanical one — the sentence is grammatically valid either way, but only one choice matches the intended meaning.
remember + gerund = recall having done something already: I remember locking the door. (I have a memory of doing it) remember + infinitive = not forget to do something still pending: Remember to lock the door. (a reminder for the future)
forget + gerund = not recall having done something: I forget meeting him at the conference last year. forget + infinitive = fail to do something that needed doing: Don't forget to submit the form.
stop + gerund = cease doing something: He stopped smoking last year. stop + infinitive = pause an activity in order to do something else: He stopped to smoke a cigarette. (he paused what he was doing in order to smoke)
try + gerund = experiment with something as a possible solution: Try restarting the computer. try + infinitive = make an effort to do something difficult: He tried to lift the heavy box.
regret + gerund = feel sorry about something already done: She regrets saying that to her colleague. regret + infinitive = used in formal announcements of unwelcome news, often "regret to inform/say": We regret to inform you that your application was not successful.
mean + gerund = involve as a necessary consequence: Missing the flight would mean waiting six more hours. mean + infinitive = intend to do something: I meant to call you yesterday, but I forgot.
go on + gerund = continue the same activity: She went on talking as if nothing had happened. go on + infinitive = move to a new, different activity or stage: He finished his degree and went on to start his own company.
need + gerund (passive sense) = something requires an action to be done to it: This bag needs washing. (= needs to be washed) need + infinitive (active sense) = the subject itself must perform the action: He needs to wash the bag.
Exam trap — using the wrong pattern and inadvertently reversing the intended meaning: Wrong (intended meaning: a reminder for a future action): Remember locking the gate before you leave. Fix: Remember to lock the gate before you leave.
Wrong (intended meaning: he paused work in order to smoke): He stopped smoking a cigarette and went back to his desk. (as written, this says he quit the habit of smoking, which contradicts "went back to his desk" mid-task) Fix: He stopped to smoke a cigarette and went back to his desk.
5.5 Preposition + Gerund
When a verb (or an adjective) is followed by a preposition and then another verb, the second verb must be a gerund, never an infinitive — this is one of the most consistent rules in this entire section, with almost no exceptions.
Wrong: She is interested in to learn French. Fix: She is interested in learning French.
Wrong: He is good at to solve puzzles. Fix: He is good at solving puzzles.
Wrong: They succeeded in to complete the project ahead of schedule. Fix: They succeeded in completing the project ahead of schedule.
Wrong: She is capable of to handle this on her own. Fix: She is capable of handling this on her own.
Wrong: He apologized for to being late. Fix: He apologized for being late.