Verb + -ing

Here are some verbs that are followed by -ing

admit give up (=stop)

avoid imagine
put off (=postpone) involve
carry on/go on (=continue) keep/keep on (=do something
can’t stand repeatedly)
consider mind
delay miss
dislike postpone
deny practise
enjoy risk
fancy stop
finish suggest

Examples:

• I enjoy dancing (not “I enjoy to dance”)

• Would you mind closing the door? (not “ mind to close”)
• Tim suggested going to the cinema (not “suggesed to go”)
• Stop shouting at me!
• When I finish cleaning, I´ll start cooking.
• I always avoid answering that question
• Have you ever considered living in another country?
• Paul gave up smoking
• Don’t keep interrupting me while I’m speaking
• She admitted stealing the money
• I now regret saying what I said
• Why do you dislike living here?

Note the negative form not -ing:

• I enjoy not having to get up early

With some verbs you can use the structure verb + somebody + -ing

• I can’t imagine George riding a motorbike

• You can’t stop me doing what I want
• “Sorry to keep you waiting so long”
There are two possible structures after these verbs:
Advise recommend encourage allow permit forbid

Compare:
Verb + -ing (without an object)
I wouldn’t recommend staying in that hotel
She doesn’t allow smoking in the house

Verb + object + to…

I wouldn’t recommend anybody to stay in that hotel
She doesn’t allow us to smoke in the house

These verbs can be followed by –ing or to with little or no difference in meaning.

begin continue hate

start bother like
prefer love
intend can’t bear

You can say:

• It has started raining. or It has started to rain.
• Jhon intends buying a house. or John intends to buy a house
• Don’t bother locking the door. or Don’t bother to lock the door.
• Anne hates flying. or Anne hates to fly. (It’s more common to use –ing)
• I like playing tennis. or I like to play tennis. (=I enjoy it in general)
• I love meeting new people. or I love to meet new people
• She can’t bear being alone. or She can’t bear to be alone.

Like
You can say “I like doing something” or “I like to do something”. Often it doesn’t matter
which you use, so you can say:
• I like getting up early. or I like to get up early.

In British English, there is sometimes a difference between “I like doing”and “I like to do”.

“I like doing something” means “I enjoy it”:

• Do you like cooking? (=do you enjoy it?)
• I like linving here. (=I enjoy it)

“I like to do something” means “I think it is good or right to do it”:

• I like to clean the kitchen as often as possible. (This doesn’t mean that I enjoy it; it
means that I think it is a good thing to do. )
• Mary likes people to be on time.

Normally, we do not use –ing after –ing:

• It’s starting to rain (not It’s starting raining)
Stative / State Verbs

Some English verbs, which we call state, non-continuous or stative verbs, aren’t used in
continuous tenses (i.e. present or past continuous). These verbs often describe states that
last for some time. A verb which isn’t stative is called a dynamic verb, and is usually an
action.

Here is a list of some common stative / state verbs

agree have prefer

appear hear promise
astonish imagine realise
be impress recognise
believe include refuse
belong involve remember
concern know satisfy
consist lack see
contain like seem
deny look (=seem) smell
depend love sound
deserve matter suggest
disagree mean suppose
dislike measure (=have length) surprise
doubt mind taste
enjoy need think (=have an opinion)
feel (=have an opinion) owe understand
fit own want
forget please weigh (=have weight)
hate possess wish

Some verbs can be both stative and dynamic:

Be
Be is usually a state verb, but when it is used in the continuous it means ‘behaving’ or
‘acting’
• you are stupid = it’s part of your personality
• you are being stupid = only now, not usually

Think
think (stative) = have an opinion
- I think that coffee is great

think (dynamic) = consider, have in my head

- What are you thinking about? I’m thinking about my next holiday
Have
have (stative) = own
- I have a car

have (dynamic) = part of an expression

- I’m having a party / a picnic / a bath / a good time / a break

See
see (stative) = see with your eyes / understand
- I see what you mean
- I see her now, she’s just coming along the road

see (dynamic) = meet / have a relationship with

- I’ve been seeing my boyfriend for three years
- I’m seeing Robert tomorrow

Taste
taste (stative) = has a certain taste
- This soup tastes great
- The coffee tastes really bitter
taste (dynamic) = the action of tasting
- The chef is tasting the soup

'Taste' is the same as other similar verbs such as 'smell'