Lesson 25 of 46

Gerunds and infinitives

Know when a verb is followed by -ing or to + verb.

The rules

  1. 1.Some verbs take -ing: enjoy, avoid, finish, suggest, consider, mind, keep, practise. "I enjoy reading."
  2. 2.Some take to + verb: want, need, decide, plan, hope, agree, promise, manage. "I decided to leave."
  3. 3.A few change meaning: stop doing (quit) vs stop to do (pause in order to); remember doing vs remember to do.
  4. 4.After let, make, and help (someone), use the base verb without to: "She let me go."

Common mistakes and fixes

Incorrect: I suggest to meet tomorrow.

Correct: I suggest meeting tomorrow.

Suggest + -ing.

Incorrect: He avoided to answer.

Correct: He avoided answering.

Avoid + -ing.

Incorrect: She made me to wait.

Correct: She made me wait.

Make + object + base verb.

Watch out: Learn each verb together with what follows it.

Quick quiz

1. I enjoy ___ with the team.
2. We decided ___ the project.
3. Please let me ___ you.

← Previous: Meanings of modal verbs

Practice on your own writing

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