1. VERB PATTERNS
IN
ENGLISH
THE THE
INFINITIVE GERUND
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2. VERB PATTERNS IN ENGLISH
THE INFINITIVE THE GERUND
PATTERNS PATTERNS
VERB + TO VERB + OBJECT + VERB + OBJECT + VERB + INFINITIVE
VERB + GERUND
INFINITIVE TO INFINITIVE INFINITIVE WITHOUT TO or GERUND
WITH CHANGE WITHOUT CHANGE
OF MEANING OF MEANING
I want to go I want her She makes
to go to It started

to the cinema. me cry. I regret I regret
the cinema. to rain.
telling you to tell you
=
that secret. I won’t I love
It started
help you skating.
raining.
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3. VERB PATTERNS IN ENGLISH
THE INFINITIVE
PATTERNS
VERB + TO VERB + OBJECT + VERB + OBJECT + VERB + TO INFINITIVE
INFINITIVE TO INFINITIVE INFINITIVE WITHOUT TO or GERUND
I want to go I want her She made WITH WITHOUT
to the to go to the me cry. CHANGE CHANGE
cinema. OF MEANING OF MEANING
cinema.
I started to cry.
She stopped
to smoke.  She stopped
smoking.
=
I started crying.
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4. VERB + TO INFINITIVE
AGREE They decided to divide the profits equally.
DECIDE
HOPE I promise to wait.
FORGET
LEARN He forgot to leave the car keys on the table.
PROMISE
PLAN TO DO
REFUSE We would like to visit Japan in 2006.
WANT
WOULD LIKE
She learnt to drive a car.
WOULD PREFER
WOULD HATE She agreed to come with us.
WOULD LOVE
They want to go to the football match.
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5. VERB + OBJECT + TO INFINITIVE
They allowed us to go to the party.
ALLOW
ASK Mary
HELP
We want the students to visit the new museum.
NEED her
INVITE
ORDER She told me to go there.
TO DO
REMIND us
TELL
WANT We would like you to come with us.
the students
WOULD LIKE
WOULD PREFER
WOULD HATE Peter & John I ordered Mary to wait.
WOULD LOVE
He asked us to leave by half past seven.
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6. VERB + OBJECT + (TO) INFINITIVE
HELP
Mary We helped Mary dust the living-room.
her
She makes me cry.
DO
us
LET
the students
She doesn’t let me go to the cinema.
Peter & John
MAKE
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7. VERB PATTERNS IN ENGLISH
THE GERUND
PATTERNS
VERB + GERUND
or TO INFINITIVE VERB + GERUND
WITH WITHOUT
CHANGE CHANGE
OF MEANING OF MEANING

I started crying.
She stopped She stopped = I love singing.
smoking. to smoke. I started to cry.
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8. VERB + GERUND
We like driving cars.
ADORE * She loves ice-skating.
CAN’T STAND
CARRY ON They hated studying English.
DON’T MIND
ENJOY
FINISH I can’t stand listening to hip-hop.
GIVE UP DOING
GO ON
HATE * We are looking forward to meeting Paul.
KEEP ON
LIKE *
They kept on interrupting us.
LOOK FORWARD TO
LOVE *
They gave up smoking last week.
PREFER *
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* These verbs can also take the TO INFINITIVE, but with a slight difference in meaning.
- With the GERUND, they show a general activity: I like cooking.
- With the TO INFINITIVE, they show a specific activity: I like to cook paella on Sundays.

9. VERB + TO INFINITIVE or GERUND
(WITH CHANGE OF MEANING)
REMEMBER I remembered to post the letter.  I remembered posting the letter.
= I reminded myself to post the letter. = I have a memory now of a past
action: posting the letter.
STOP I stopped to smoke.

= I didn’t go on in order to have a cigarette.
I stopped smoking.
= I gave up the habit.
TRY I tried to sleep. 
= I wanted to sleep but it was difficult.
I tried counting sheep.
= It was a possible way of
getting to sleep.
REGRET I regret to inform you that we
cannot offer you the job.
 I regret telling him that secret.
= I know that you will be = I told him; now I realise
unhappy when I tell you. that it was a bad idea.
GO ON I went on to talk about the exams.  I went on talking for two hours.
= I changed subjects. ICI
= I continued doing the same thing.

10. VERB + TO INFINITIVE or GERUND
(WITHOUT CHANGE OF MEANING)
BEGIN She began to read the book. = She began reading the book.
CONTINUE We’ll continue to study hard. = We’ll continue studying hard.
START I started to cook the meal. = I started cooking the meal.
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