B2 Grammar: To infinitive or -ING

Infitinives and verb + -ing forms

Infinitive

The infinitive is used:

• To say why you do something: I’ve just gone running to get some exercise. He’s taken up tennis to make friends.
• To say why something exists: There’s an example to help you.
• After too and enough: It’s too cold to go swimming today. He isn’t good enough to make the national team.

The infinitive is used after these verb patterns:

• Verb + to infinitive: She agreed to meet him after work.

agree          appear          begin          bother          decide          demand          fail

hope          learn          manage          offer          plan          refuse         seem

be supposed          threaten

• Verb + (somebody/something) + to infinitive:

She expected to win the race. I expect you to play in the match.

ask          choose          expect          help          intend          promise          want

• Verb + somebody/something + to infinitive: the money enabled him to go to university.

advise         allow          enable          encourage          forbid          force          invite

order          permit          persuade          recommend          remind          teach

tell          warn

The following verbs from the lists above can be used to report speech:

advise          agree          allow          ask          decide          encourage          forbid          invite

offer          order          permit          persuade           promise          recommend          refuse

remind          tell          threaten          warn

Verb + -ing

The verb + -ing is used:

• After prepositions: He’s made a lot of friends by joining the tennis club. We watched a film about climbing in the mountains.
• As subjects or objects of a sentence: Climbing is safer than it looks. He decided to take up adventure racing.

The verb + -ing is used after these verbs:

admit          appreciate          avoid          celebrate          consider          delay          deny

dislike          enjoy          finish           imagine          involve          keep          mind

miss          postpone          practise          regret          risk          stop          suggest

I really enjoyed winning that match. 
She suggested playing a game of squash after school.

The following verbs from the list can be used in reported speech:

Admit          deny          regret          suggest

The verb + -ing is used after theses expressions:

it’s no good          it’s not worth          it’s no use          it’s a waste of time          can’t stand

can’t bear          can’t help

It’s not worth joining that sports club.
It’s a waste of time entering the competition unless you’re really fit.
I can’t bear watching my team when they play badly.

Verbs followed by either an infinitive or a verb + -ing with the same meaning:

begin          continue          hate*          like*          love*          prefer*          start

I love playing tennis. I love to play tennis.

It continued raining all day. It continued to rain all day.

*When these verbs are used with would, they are always followed by the infinitive: I wouldn’t like to do an adventure race. I’d prefer to watch it on television.

Verbs followed by either an infinitive or a verb + -ing with a difference in meaning

	verb + infinitive	verb + -ing
remember	Did you remember to bring  your running  shoes? (an action you have to do)	I remember feeling very tired at the end of the race (a memory of something in the past)
forget	Don’t forget to bring your tennis racket (an action you have to do).	I’ll never forget winning my first tennis championship (a memory of something in the past)*
regreat	I regret to tell you the race has been cancelled (regret + to say / to tell / to inform means: I’m sorry to give you this information).	I regret not training harder before the race (I’m sorry I didn’t do this).
try	I’m running every day because I’m trying to get fit (my objective is to get fit).	If you want to get fit, why don’t you try swimming? (swimming is a method to reach your objective)
mean	Nadal means to win the championship (this is his intention).	I wanted to be a swimming champion, but it meant going to the pool every day at 5.30 (it involved).
stop	Halfway through the marathon, he stopped to drink some water (in order to drink some water).	When he realised he couldn’t win, he stopped running (he didn’t continue).

*This form is unusual. It is more normal to use (not) remember:

• I don’t remember riding a bike the first time.
• I forget riding a bike the first time.