Wh ich verbs are followed by the 'to infinitive' OR the 'ing form' in English?

– 

So you know how to talk about the past in English. (He met a giraffe yesterday.) You know the
difference between talking about general actions (I take my giraffe for a walk every day) and
actions happening right now (I’m feeding the giraffe right now — I’ll call you back). You can
talk about plans in the future (I’m going to visit a giraffe house tomorrow) and predictions in the
future (There won’t be many giraffes in the pub at 10 o’clock).

So you can use most of the tenses.

But only the “main” verb (usually the first verb) in a sentence changes because of the tense.
What if there are two verbs in the sentence?

If a verb isn’t the first verb in a sentence, then it’s probably* an “-ing” verb (I
love eating chocolate), a “to verb” (I forgot to send that letter) or verb 3 (I haven’t ridden a
camel).

I want to share a simple trick with you that will help you decide whether to use “-ing” or “to
verb.”

 Verb + “to verb” is pushing to the future. This means that it’s abstract (not “real”) and
that means it can feel “philosophical.” It’s usually a goal (not a process).
 Verb + “-ing” is more “real,” based on experience and is usually a process (not a goal).

 Words are just like people, so let’s imagine what they look like:
 The “to man” is always thinking about goals. He plans and
considers the future. He’s a thinker, not so much a doer.
But we like him. Before we do something, it’s good to have
a plan, right?

The “-ing
lady” is all
about doing
things. She
also thinks,
like the “to
man,” but
when she
thinks, she’s
thinking
about the
experience,
not the result.

OK. Let’s see these guys in action!

“-ing” and “to” after verbs

When you learned about “-ing” and “to” for the first time, it was probably in a situation
something like this:

He wants to make a massive cake.

He enjoys making massive cakes.

We use “to verb” after “want” and  “-ing” after “enjoy.” Some verbs take “to” (want to do),
some verbs take “-ing” (enjoy doing).

I often get the question, “How do we know which verbs take ‘-ing’ and which verbs take ‘to’?”
and for many years, I told my students “you just have to learn it.”

I was wrong (it happens!). There is actually a system. We just need to ask ourselves, “Is this a
‘to man’ verb or an ‘ing lady’ verb?”

This works with most verbs.

Pushing to the future:

He hoped to buy a box for his massive cake.

I’m planning to visit Mongolia next spring.

Do you need to meet him soon?

Feeling the experience:

Imagine travelling the world in a hot air balloon! Awesome!

I miss being a kid. I had so much fun.

Have you ever dreamt of flying?

Tricky bit #1:

As I’m sure you know, some verbs (e.g. like, love, hate and prefer) can be followed by either “-
ing” or “to.”

What’s the difference?

When we say “Alper likes watching people skiing,” we’re focusing on Alper’s enjoyment when
he watches people skiing. It’s about the experience. It’s more human.

When we say “Alper likes to watch people skiing,” we’re focusing on describing Alper’s habits
and routines. It’s not a feeling. It’s more scientific

Have a look at these examples. Why is the first example “-ing” and the second “to”?

I like walking along the beach in summer.

I like to go to the dentist twice a year.

Tricky bit #2:
Some other verbs can take either “-ing” or “to,” but the meaning changes.