Gerund (-ing form) / Infinitive

Gerund (-ing form)

When we put a verb after a preposition, we normally use an -ing form, not an infinitive.
Always brush your teeth after eating.
They’re talking about moving to Spain.
I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Some examples of to as a preposition are: to look forward to, to object to, to be used to,
to prefer to, to get around to, in addition to...
Common verbs that are normally followed by the -ing form are:
to admit, to appreciate, to avoid, to burst out, to consider, to contemplate, to delay, to deny,
to detest, to dislike, to endure, to enjoy, to escape, to excuse, to face, to fancy, to feel like,
to finish, to forgive, to give up, (can’t) help, to imagine, to involve, to keep (on), to leave off,
to mention, to mind, to miss, to postpone, to practise, to put off, to resent, to resist, to risk, (can’t)
stand / bear, to suggest, to understand...
When the action of the -ing clause is done by another we can use:
possessive adjective / -’s + -ing form (formal)
I can’t bear his / John’s joking.
object / noun + -ing form (informal)
I can’t bear him / John joking.
Verb + Infinitive
Common verbs normally followed by the infinitive include:
to afford, to agree, to appear, to ask, to attempt, to decide, to expect, to help, to hope,
to manage, to mean, to offer, to prepare, to promise, to refuse, to seem, to threaten, to want,
to wish...
I promise to call you.
Some verbs can take both the infinitive and -ing form:
to begin, to start, to continue, to attempt, to bother, to try, to fear… can be followed by either form
with no significant difference in meaning.
I have started studying. = I have started to study.
Note!
If they are in a continuous tense, they are followed by the infinitive.
I am beginning to worry.
to begin, to start and to continue are followed by the infinitive of to understand, to know and
to realise.
I started to understand what he was saying.
I began to realise that I didn’t love him any more.
to be sorry for / to regret
+ -ing form for an action in the past
I’m sorry for breaking that vase.
+ infinitive for an action that still has to take place
I regret to inform you that you can’t go on holiday.
to hate, to like, to dislike, to love, to prefer
+ -ing form for habitual habits
I always wear skirts. I hate wearing trousers.
+ infinitive: with the conditional
We would love to see your wedding photos.
to mean
+ -ing form = to involve / to imply
Having a family doesn’t mean leaving your job.
+ infinitive = to want / to intend
I meant to call you but I’ve been very busy.
to remember / to forget
+ -ing form for an action in the past
I remember leaving my keys in the car.
+ infinitive for an action in the future
I promise I’ll never forget to lock the door.
to stop
+ -ing form = to stop doing something
She stopped eating meat last year.
+ infinitive = to stop something to do something else
We stopped to buy some meat.
to need
+ -ing form is used when the subject of the need clause is the object of the -ing clause
This house needs cleaning.
+ infinitive is used when the subject of the need clause is also the subject of the infinitive clause
I need to borrow some money.