In Verb Valency you saw that verbs have needs: some take an object, some take two. Here is a special need: when one verb is followed by another verb. Should the second be the -ing form (swimming) or the to form (to swim)? Why I enjoy swimming but I want to swim? This trips learners up constantly, and getting it wrong can even change the meaning. We'll make it clear, with reliable rules and many examples.
1. The everyday problem
You'll often want to put two verbs together. For example, you want to combine enjoy + swim, or want + swim. But you can't just stick them together as enjoy swim or want swim, that's wrong. The second verb has to change its form. And here's the puzzle:
- I enjoy swimming. ✓ (the second verb takes -ing)
- I want to swim. ✓ (the second verb takes to)
But NOT:
- I enjoy to swim. ✗
- I want swimming. ✗
So sometimes the second verb takes -ing, and sometimes it takes to. How do you know which? That's what this post solves.
Quick recap: When one verb is followed by another, the second verb takes either the -ing form (swimming) or the to form (to swim). I enjoy swimming but I want to swim. This post teaches you which to use.
2. Meet the two forms
First, let's name the two forms clearly. You've met both before (in When a Whole Clause Acts Like a "Thing": Nominal Structures).
The gerund: the -ing form acting as a "thing."
- swimming, reading, waiting, making
The infinitive: the to + base verb form.
- to swim, to read, to wait, to make
Both forms let a verb act like a "thing", and that's exactly why they can follow another verb: they fill the object slot (the NP2 slot from How Verbs Choose What Comes After Them (Verb Valency)). When you say I enjoy swimming, the word swimming is the thing you enjoy; it's the object of enjoy.
So the structure is: first verb + (a verb-as-thing). The only question is whether that "verb-as-thing" should be a gerund (-ing) or an infinitive (to).
Worth repeating: The gerund is the -ing form (swimming). The infinitive is the to + verb form (to swim). Both act as a "thing" and fill the object slot after the first verb. The question is just: which one does the first verb want?
3. The key truth: the FIRST verb decides
Here's the most important idea in this whole post:
The first verb decides whether the second verb is a gerund or an infinitive. It's not your choice; it's the verb's rule.
Each verb in English has a built-in preference, like a personal habit:
- enjoy always wants a gerund (-ing). It refuses to.
- want always wants an infinitive (to). It refuses -ing.
So you can't choose based on what feels right; you have to learn each verb's preference. The bad news: this means some memorization. The good news: there are clear groups, and a couple of memory hooks that help a lot. Let's learn the groups.
Lock this in: The FIRST verb decides which form the second verb takes. Each verb has a fixed preference. enjoy always wants -ing; want always wants to. You learn the verb's preference, not guess.
4. Group 1: verbs that want a GERUND (-ing)
These verbs always take the -ing form after them:
enjoy, avoid, finish, consider, admit, deny, suggest, recommend, practise, mind, miss, keep, delay, risk, involve, appreciate
Examples:
- She enjoys reading.
- He avoids making mistakes.
- They finished writing the report.
- She considered applying for the job.
- He admitted taking the documents.
- Do you mind waiting a moment?
- The process involves heating the mixture.
A memory hook: Many of these verbs describe an action you're experiencing, doing, continuing, or imagining as real: the action feels ongoing or already happening. The -ing form captures that "live, in-progress" feeling. (enjoy reading; you picture the reading actually happening.)
A quick reminder: Gerund verbs (always + -ing): enjoy, avoid, finish, consider, admit, deny, suggest, recommend, practise, mind, miss, keep, delay, risk, involve. Memory hook: these feel like real, ongoing, experienced actions.
5. Group 2: verbs that want an INFINITIVE (to)
These verbs always take the to + verb form after them:
want, decide, agree, refuse, plan, hope, seem, appear, manage, fail, learn, offer, tend, pretend, promise, expect, need, choose
Examples:
- She wants to leave.
- He decided to apply.
- They agreed to postpone the meeting.
- She refused to sign the document.
- He hopes to receive a response.
- She managed to finish on time.
- The system needs to be recalibrated.
A memory hook: Many of these verbs describe an action that is future, planned, intended, hoped-for, or not yet done: the action is ahead, looked toward. The to form (which points forward, like an arrow) captures that "aiming at the future" feeling. (want to swim, the swimming hasn't happened yet; you're aiming at it.)
Say it again: Infinitive verbs (always + to): want, decide, agree, refuse, plan, hope, seem, appear, manage, fail, learn, offer, promise, expect, need, choose. Memory hook: these feel future-aimed, planned, or not-yet-done.
6. Group 3: verbs that accept BOTH (same meaning)
Some verbs are relaxed: they accept either form, with no real change in meaning:
begin, start, continue, like, love, hate, prefer
- She began reading = She began to read. (same meaning)
- He started writing = He started to write.
- She likes reading = She likes to read.
- He loves swimming = He loves to swim.
With these, you can't go wrong, both forms work. (A small note: in British English, the -ing form is a bit more common with like/love/hate; in American English, both are equally fine; in formal writing, the to form often sounds a touch more formal. But all are correct.)
Hold onto this: Some verbs accept BOTH forms with the same meaning: begin, start, continue, like, love, hate, prefer. She began reading = She began to read. You can't go wrong with these.
7. Group 4: verbs where the choice CHANGES the meaning (important!)
This is the most important group, so read carefully. With a few verbs, choosing -ing vs. to gives two completely different meanings. Mixing them up doesn't just sound wrong; it says something you didn't mean!
stop
- He stopped smoking. → he quit the activity of smoking. (the -ing is the thing he stopped doing)
- He stopped to smoke. → he paused (stopped walking/working) in order to smoke. (the to tells us why he stopped)
Big difference! One quit smoking forever; the other paused to have a cigarette.
remember
- She remembered locking the door. → she has a memory of having locked it (a past action she recalls).
- She remembered to lock the door. → she didn't forget to do it (she successfully did the duty).
forget
- He forgot writing the email. → he has no memory of having written it.
- He forgot to write the email. → he failed to write it (he neglected the task).
try
- She tried using a different formula. → she experimented with it (as a test).
- She tried to finish on time. → she made an effort (and maybe failed).
regret
- He regrets telling her. → he's sorry about a past action (telling her).
- We regret to inform you... → a formal, polite way to introduce bad news now.
Why this happens (the structural insight)
Look at the stop pair through the structural lens you've built:
- In He stopped smoking, the -ing word smoking is the object of stop, the thing he stopped. (stop + gerund = the activity that ceased)
- In He stopped to smoke, the to smoke is not the object; it's a "purpose" phrase telling us why he stopped (an adverbial). (He stopped [in order] to smoke.)
So it's not random! The -ing version makes the second verb the object (the thing affected), while the to version makes it a purpose (why the first action happened). Understanding this makes the meanings logical rather than something to blindly memorize.
One more time: With stop, remember, forget, try, regret, the choice CHANGES the meaning. stopped smoking (quit) vs. stopped to smoke (paused in order to). remembered locking (recalls doing it) vs. remembered to lock (didn't forget). These are different situations, not just different grammar!
8. The "verb + object + second verb" frame
One more useful pattern. Some verbs take an object AND then a second verb. Most of these use the to form:
want, ask, tell, encourage, advise, remind, allow, force, expect, invite, help
- She told him to leave. (object = him; second verb = to leave)
- They asked her to reconsider. (object = her; second verb = to reconsider)
- He encouraged us to apply.
A smaller group uses the -ing form (often verbs of seeing/catching/preventing):
see, hear, watch, notice, catch, find, keep, prevent, stop
- She found him working at midnight.
- They caught him copying the data.
- The cover prevents the sample from degrading.
Don't worry about memorizing these perfectly now, just notice the pattern: first verb + object + second verb, usually with to.
Check yourself: Some verbs take an object + a second verb. Most use to (told him to leave, asked her to reconsider). A few (see, hear, catch, find) use -ing (caught him copying).
9. What to do with a verb you're unsure about
Since each verb has its own preference, what do you do when you meet a new verb and don't know which form it wants? Three tips:
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Learn verbs in small batches. Don't try to memorize both big lists at once. Learn five gerund-verbs this week, five infinitive-verbs next week: always with an example sentence (enjoy reading, decide to apply). The example sentence locks in the pattern.
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Use a learner's dictionary. Good learner dictionaries (like Cambridge or Oxford) always show whether a verb takes -ing or to, look for the example sentences in the entry.
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For the meaning-changing verbs (stop, remember, forget, try, regret), be extra careful: getting these wrong changes your meaning, not just your grammar.
Keep this close: Learn verbs in small batches, always with an example sentence. Use a learner's dictionary to check a verb's preference. Be extra careful with the meaning-changing verbs.
10. Linking to the method
This post connects to two earlier ideas.
From How Verbs Choose What Comes After Them (Verb Valency) (valency): a gerund or infinitive after a verb is just filling the object slot (NP2); it's the "thing" the first verb acts on. So this whole topic is really about what kind of thing can fill the object slot after a particular verb.
From When a Whole Clause Acts Like a "Thing": Nominal Structures (nominal structures): gerunds and infinitives are both "verbs acting as things." Here we see them doing that job as the object of another verb.
And there's a lovely structural payoff in the stop pair: the difference between stopped smoking (object) and stopped to smoke (purpose) is a structural difference: one fills the object slot, the other is an adverbial of purpose. This previews the two functions of to that we'll study fully in The Word "to" Has Two Completely Different Jobs. Everything connects.
11. Try these
Try each yourself first, then check the answers.
Exercise A: Gerund or infinitive?
Choose the correct form.
- She avoided (saying / to say) anything controversial.
- He decided (leaving / to leave) early.
- They enjoy (playing / to play) chess.
- We hope (seeing / to see) you soon.
- The method involves (heating / to heat) the compound.
- She refused (signing / to sign) the form.
Exercise B, The meaning-changing verbs
Choose the form that matches the intended meaning.
- They stopped (checking / to check) the equipment. (meaning: they paused in order to check it)
- She remembered (locking / to lock) the door. (meaning: she did not forget to do it)
- He forgot (writing / to write) the email. (meaning: he neglected the task)
- She tried (using / to use) a new formula. (meaning: she experimented with it)
Exercise C, Which group? (gerund-only, infinitive-only, or both)
- enjoy
- want
- like
- decide
- avoid
- begin
Exercise D, Verb + object + second verb
Complete with the correct form.
- She told him (leave / to leave).
- They caught him (copying / to copy) the answers.
Answers (try first, then check!)
Exercise A: Gerund or infinitive?
- saying (avoid → gerund)
- to leave (decide → infinitive)
- playing (enjoy → gerund)
- to see (hope → infinitive)
- heating (involve → gerund)
- to sign (refuse → infinitive)
Exercise B, The meaning-changing verbs:
- to check (stop + to = paused in order to check)
- to lock (remember + to = did not forget the duty)
- to write (forget + to = neglected the task)
- using (try + -ing = experimented with it)
Exercise C, Which group?
- enjoy → gerund-only
- want → infinitive-only
- like → both
- decide → infinitive-only
- avoid → gerund-only
- begin → both
Exercise D, Verb + object + second verb:
- She told him to leave.
- They caught him copying the answers.
How did you do? Exercise B is the crucial one, if you matched the forms to the meanings, you understand the deepest part of this topic, which trips up even advanced learners.
12. The short version
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When one verb follows another, the second takes either the gerund (-ing) or the infinitive (to + verb). Both fill the object slot.
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The first verb decides which form: it's a fixed rule, not a choice.
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Gerund-only verbs (+ -ing): enjoy, avoid, finish, consider, admit, deny, suggest, recommend, practise, mind, miss, keep, involve. (Hook: real, ongoing, experienced actions.)
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Infinitive-only verbs (+ to): want, decide, agree, refuse, plan, hope, manage, fail, learn, offer, promise, expect, need, choose. (Hook: future-aimed, planned actions.)
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Both, same meaning: begin, start, continue, like, love, hate, prefer.
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Both, DIFFERENT meaning: stop, remember, forget, try, regret. (stopped smoking = quit; stopped to smoke = paused in order to.) Getting these wrong changes your meaning!
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Some verbs take an object + second verb, usually with to (told him to leave); a few use -ing (caught him copying).
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Learn verbs in small batches with example sentences; use a learner's dictionary to check.
13. On to the next
You've now tamed one of the most common everyday English puzzles, when to use -ing and when to use to after a verb. The trickiest part (the meaning-changing verbs) you now understand not as random rules but as a logical structural difference. That's real mastery.
In Multi-Word Verbs: turn off, give up, look after, put up with, we'll look at another everyday verb topic: phrasal verbs: those verb + little-word combinations like turn off, give up, look after, put up with. You'll learn what they mean, and a crucial rule about where to put the object (why we say turn it off but not turn off it). It's very practical, conversational English.
When you're ready, Multi-Word Verbs: turn off, give up, look after, put up with tackles verbs that come in pieces. First, notice a few two-verb combinations around you and check whether they use -ing or to.