B1–B2 grammar lesson

Gerunds and Infinitives

Why do we enjoy reading but decide to read? Verb patterns are part grammar and part vocabulary. Learn them in useful families—and notice when the pattern changes the meaning.

About 20 minutes · Guided practice · 10-question mastery test

By the end of this lesson, you can…

UnderstandRecognise common verb + -ing and verb + infinitive patterns.
ChooseUse infinitives after adjectives, purposes and selected objects.
UseExplain meaning changes after stop, remember, try and regret.

The essential rules

Verb + -ing

Common verbs include enjoy, avoid, finish, suggest, mind and consider. Prepositions are also followed by -ing.

She avoids driving. · Thank you for helping.

Verb + to-infinitive

Common verbs include decide, hope, plan, promise, refuse and want. Use it to express purpose.

We decided to wait. · I called to confirm.

Object and bare infinitive

Some verbs take object + to-infinitive. Modals and let/make normally take the bare infinitive.

They asked me to stay. · You must leave. · Let him speak.

See the pattern

Pattern Typical verbs Example
verb + -ing enjoy, avoid, finish, suggest They suggested taking a taxi.
verb + to + base hope, decide, agree, learn She agreed to help.
verb + object + to + base ask, tell, encourage, allow He reminded me to call.
modal + base can, should, must, might You should check.
Teacher tip: Record a new verb together with its pattern—write avoid doing, not simply avoid. This turns grammar into retrievable vocabulary.

Three mistakes to avoid

✕ I suggested to leave.
✓ I suggested leaving.

Suggest takes -ing.

✕ She made me to apologise.
✓ She made me apologise.

Use a bare infinitive after active make + object.

✕ I look forward to meet you.
✓ I look forward to meeting you.

Here to is a preposition.

Guided practice

Try each item before opening the answer.

1. Complete: He promised ___ (call) after work.

to call — promise takes the to-infinitive.

2. Complete: Would you mind ___ (open) the window?

opening — mind takes -ing.

3. Explain: I stopped smoking.

I ended the habit of smoking.

4. Explain: I stopped to smoke.

I stopped another activity in order to smoke.

Final check

Mastery test

Target: 8/10

1. We decided ___ the earlier train.

Why: Decide is followed by the to-infinitive.

2. She avoids ___ during rush hour.

Why: Avoid is followed by -ing.

3. My manager encouraged me ___ for the role.

Why: Encourage takes object + to-infinitive.

4. You must ___ your ID.

Why: Modal verbs take the bare infinitive.

5. I am interested in ___ more.

Why: A preposition is followed by -ing.

6. “Remember to lock the door” means:

Why: Remember + to-infinitive refers to an action that still needs to happen.

7. I regret ___ you that your application was unsuccessful.

Why: Regret to inform introduces bad news now.

8. Try ___ the router off and on; it might work.

Why: Try + -ing means test a possible solution.

9. They let us ___ early.

Why: Let + object takes a bare infinitive.

10. Which is correct?

Why: In this expression, to is a preposition, so use -ing.