Gerunds and infinitives
Learn which verbs take -ing and which take to + verb: enjoy doing, decide to do — plus -ing after prepositions and as a subject.
In this lesson you will
- Use common verbs + -ing
- Use common verbs + to-infinitive
- Use -ing after prepositions and as a subject
Learn
verb + -ing: enjoy, finish, avoid, mind, suggest, practise, keep, consider, miss, can’t stand, don’t mind, admit, deny, imagine: I enjoy reading.
verb + to + verb: want, need, decide, hope, plan, agree, refuse, promise, learn, manage, afford, offer, expect, seem, would like: We decided to leave.
-ing after prepositions: interested in learning, good at cooking, before leaving, instead of driving, look forward to seeing you (to is a preposition here).
-ing as a subject: Swimming is great exercise. Learning a language takes time. to-infinitive for purpose: I went to the shop to buy* milk.*
| + -ing | + to + verb |
|---|---|
| enjoy, finish, avoid | want, decide, hope |
| mind, suggest, keep | agree, refuse, promise |
| can’t stand, miss, consider | manage, afford, learn |
Examples
- Would you mind waiting a moment?
- I can’t afford to buy a new car.
- She’s thinking about changing jobs.
- I’m looking forward to meeting you.
Vocabulary
can’t stand
really dislike
afford
have enough money for
manage to
succeed in doing something difficult
look forward to
feel happy about something in the future
avoid
stay away from
Practice
I enjoy ___ in the mountains.
Speaking
Talk about things you enjoy doing, can’t stand doing, want to do this year and are looking forward to.
Writing
Write a paragraph about your hobbies and ambitions (80–100 words) using at least eight verb patterns from this lesson.
Lesson quiz
He refused ___ the question.
Review
Key points
- enjoy/avoid/finish/mind/suggest + -ing.
- want/decide/hope/agree/refuse + to.
- Prepositions + -ing (look forward to + -ing).
- -ing as subject; to for purpose.
What you learned
- ✓ I know common verb patterns.
- ✓ I use -ing after prepositions.
- ✓ I can express purpose.
Grammar reference: Gerunds and infinitives