One of the difficulties of the English language is that
some verbs are followed by the gerund (ex :
doing)
and others are followed by the infinitive (ex : to do)
Below you will find some guidelines and examples to help
you.
When do we use
the GERUND? (verbs ending in -ing,
ex: doing)
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- After verbs that express likes/dislikes :
- like, love, enjoy, dislike, hate, don't mind, can't stand ...
Example : She likes doing
crossword puzzles.
He enjoys listening to music in the car.
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- After certain other verbs such as :
- admit, appreciate, avoid, consider, delay, deny,
finish,
imagine, involve, keep (on), mention, miss,
postpone, suggest ...
Example : Would you
consider doing
a few extra hours?
Can you image walking such a long distance?.
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- After prepositions :
- worried/nervous/anxious about ...
Example : I'm a bit
worried about driving in the snow.
- interested in ...
Example : Are you
interested in working for us?
- instead of ...
Ex: Would
you like to walk instead of taking the bus?
- fond of ...
Ex: My mother is fond of doing crossword
puzzles.
- keen on ...
Ex: My dad is keen on
watching sports on television.
- look forward to ...
Ex: Our parents are looking forward to seeing
us soon.
- good at ...
Ex: Julie is
good at making cakes.
- before...
Ex:
Before leaving the office, please turn off the lights.
- after ...
Ex:
After tidying the kitchen she went
straight to bed.
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- After certain expressions :
- it's no use ...
Ex:
It's no use pleading - I won't change my mind.
- it's no good ...
Ex:
It's no good shouting at him - he's deaf!
- there's no point in ...
Ex: There's no point in cooking food
- nobody's hungry!
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When do we use the
INFINITIVE? (ex : to do)
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- After verbs that refer to a future event :
- want, hope, intend, would like, promise ...
Ex : I would like to do a course in medieval history.
He promised to return the book after reading it.
She hopes to find a job when she graduates.
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- After certain verbs such as :
- afford, agree, arrange, choose, need, fail,
happen,
help, learn, manage, offer, refuse, seem ...
- Ex :
I agree to pay for the damage.
Harry managed to get tickets for the match.
We arranged to go to the party together.
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- After adjectives:
- glad/happy/relieved ...: (glad to know that ...)
- pleased/delighted... : (pleased to meet
you...)
- disappointed/sorry... : (disappointed to hear
that ..)
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- After 'too' and 'enough'
- it's too difficult...
Ex :
It's too difficult to explain how it
happened.
- it's easy enough...
Ex : It's easy enough to install. You can do it yourself.
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