Infinitive and Gerund After Verbs: English ЕГЭ 2025 Preparation

Understanding when to use the infinitive or gerund after verbs is a crucial aspect of English grammar. This topic is frequently tested in the ЕГЭ English exam, as it demonstrates your ability to construct grammatically correct sentences and express nuanced meanings. Mastering these structures will help you achieve a higher score in both the grammar and writing sections of the exam.

Theory for Exam Preparation

In English, certain verbs are followed by specific verb forms. Some verbs are followed by the infinitive (to + base form), others by the gerund (-ing form), and some can be followed by either form, sometimes with a change in meaning. Knowing which form to use after specific verbs is essential for constructing grammatically correct sentences.

The choice between infinitive and gerund can sometimes change the meaning of the sentence entirely, so it's important to understand the rules and patterns.

Basic Forms

Infinitive

The infinitive in English has two forms:

Full infinitive: to + base form of the verb (to work, to study, to play)
Bare infinitive: base form of the verb without "to" (work, study, play)

In this topic, we will focus primarily on the full infinitive, as it is more commonly used after verbs.

Gerund

The gerund is formed by adding -ing to the base form of the verb:

working, studying, playing

The gerund functions as a noun in the sentence but retains some properties of a verb.

Verbs Followed by the Infinitive

Many verbs in English are followed by the infinitive (to + base form). Here are some common ones:

Verb	Example
agree	She agreed to help us with the project.
appear	He appears to be tired.
arrange	They arranged to meet at the café.
ask	She asked to leave early.
decide	We decided to go to the beach.
expect	I expect to finish by 5 PM.
fail	He failed to complete the assignment.
hope	They hope to win the competition.
learn	She is learning to play the piano.
manage	We managed to solve the problem.
need	You need to study harder.
offer	He offered to drive us home.
plan	They are planning to travel next summer.
pretend	She pretended to be asleep.
promise	I promise to call you tomorrow.
refuse	He refused to answer the question.
seem	It seems to be raining.
want	They want to leave early.
wish	I wish to speak to the manager.

Verbs Followed by the Gerund

Some verbs in English are followed by the gerund (-ing form). Here are some common ones:

Verb	Example
admit	He admitted stealing the money.
appreciate	I appreciate having your support.
avoid	She avoids driving in heavy traffic.
consider	They are considering moving to another city.
delay	We delayed leaving until the rain stopped.
deny	He denied breaking the window.
dislike	I dislike waiting in long lines.
enjoy	She enjoys swimming in the ocean.
finish	They finished preparing dinner.
imagine	Can you imagine living without electricity?
involve	The job involves traveling abroad.
keep	He keeps asking the same question.
mind	Would you mind closing the window?
miss	I miss seeing my friends.
postpone	They postponed making a decision.
practice	She practices playing the violin every day.
quit	He quit smoking last year.
risk	You risk losing your job if you're late again.
suggest	I suggest taking a taxi.

Verbs Followed by Either Infinitive or Gerund (No Change in Meaning)

Some verbs can be followed by either the infinitive or the gerund with little or no change in meaning:

Verb	With Infinitive	With Gerund
begin	It began to rain.	It began raining.
continue	She continued to work despite the noise.	She continued working despite the noise.
hate	I hate to disturb you.	I hate disturbing you.
intend	They intend to stay for a week.	They intend staying for a week.
like	I like to read before bed.	I like reading before bed.
love	She loves to dance.	She loves dancing.
prefer	He prefers to walk rather than drive.	He prefers walking rather than driving.
start	They started to build a new house.	They started building a new house.

Note!

With verbs of perception (see, hear, feel, etc.) and some other verbs (let, make, help), we use the bare infinitive (without "to") when the object is mentioned:

I saw him leave the building. (not "to leave")

She made me laugh. (not "to laugh")

They helped us move the furniture. (both "move" and "to move" are acceptable)

Verbs Followed by Either Infinitive or Gerund (With Change in Meaning)

Some verbs can be followed by either the infinitive or the gerund, but with a significant change in meaning:

Verb	With Infinitive	With Gerund
forget	I forgot to call her. (I didn't remember to do it.)	I forgot calling her. (I don't remember that I did it.)
remember	Remember to lock the door. (Don't forget to do it.)	I remember locking the door. (I recall that I did it.)
regret	I regret to inform you that you failed the exam. (I'm sorry to tell you now.)	I regret telling her the secret. (I'm sorry that I told her in the past.)
stop	She stopped to talk to me. (She stopped what she was doing in order to talk.)	She stopped talking to me. (She no longer talks to me.)
try	Try to solve this problem. (Make an effort to solve it.)	Try solving this problem. (Experiment with this method.)
mean	I didn't mean to hurt you. (That wasn't my intention.)	Being a teacher means working hard. (It involves or requires.)
go on	After discussing the budget, he went on to talk about future plans. (He continued with a different activity.)	He went on talking for hours. (He continued the same activity.)

Verbs Followed by Object + Infinitive

Some verbs are followed by an object and then the infinitive:

Verb	Example
advise	She advised me to wait.
allow	They don't allow us to smoke here.
ask	I asked him to help me.
convince	She convinced me to try again.
encourage	They encouraged us to apply for the job.
expect	I expect you to be on time.
forbid	My parents forbid me to go to the party.
invite	They invited us to join them for dinner.
order	The doctor ordered him to rest.
persuade	She persuaded me to change my mind.
remind	Please remind me to call my mother.
teach	He taught me to swim.
tell	She told me to wait outside.
warn	I warned him not to touch the wire.

Verbs Followed by Object + Gerund

Some verbs are followed by an object and then the gerund:

Verb	Example
admit	He admitted stealing the money.
appreciate	I appreciate your helping me.
can't stand	I can't stand people smoking in restaurants.
catch	She caught him cheating on the test.
discuss	We discussed going to Italy for our vacation.
dislike	She dislikes people interrupting her.
enjoy	I enjoy my friends visiting me.
imagine	I can't imagine him doing that.
involve	The project involves students working in groups.
keep	I can't keep you waiting any longer.
mind	Would you mind me opening the window?
miss	I miss my family being around.
recall	I don't recall him mentioning that.
resent	She resents people telling her what to do.

Special Cases and Patterns

Prepositions + Gerund

After prepositions, we always use the gerund, not the infinitive:

I'm interested in learning Spanish.
She's good at playing the piano.
He left without saying goodbye.
They're thinking about buying a new car.

Important!

This rule also applies to phrasal verbs that end with a preposition:

I'm looking forward to seeing you. (not "to see")

She's thinking of moving to London. (not "of move")

Verb + Preposition + Gerund

Some verbs are followed by a preposition and then the gerund:

Verb + Preposition	Example
apologize for	He apologized for being late.
believe in	I believe in working hard.
complain about	She's always complaining about working too much.
concentrate on	You need to concentrate on studying.
dream about/of	I dream of visiting Paris someday.
insist on	He insists on paying for dinner.
look forward to	We're looking forward to seeing you.
succeed in	She succeeded in passing the exam.
think about/of	I'm thinking of changing jobs.
worry about	Don't worry about making mistakes.

Expressions Followed by Gerund

Some common expressions are followed by the gerund:

It's no use crying over spilled milk.
It's worth visiting the museum.
There's no point in arguing about it.
I can't help laughing when I see that video.
She spent hours practicing the piano.
He wasted time watching TV instead of studying.

Expressions Followed by Infinitive

Some common expressions are followed by the infinitive:

It's important to be on time.
It's necessary to book in advance.
It's difficult to learn a new language.
She was the first person to arrive.
He's too young to understand.
They're old enough to make their own decisions.

Common Errors with Infinitives and Gerunds

Using the Wrong Form After Specific Verbs

Incorrect: I enjoy to read books.
Correct: I enjoy reading books.
Incorrect: She decided going to the party.
Correct: She decided to go to the party.

Using Infinitive After Prepositions

Incorrect: I'm interested in to learn Spanish.
Correct: I'm interested in learning Spanish.
Incorrect: She's looking forward to see you.
Correct: She's looking forward to seeing you.

Forgetting the Change in Meaning

Incorrect: I stopped to smoke. (if you mean you quit smoking)
Correct: I stopped smoking. (I quit smoking)
Correct: I stopped to smoke. (I paused what I was doing in order to smoke)

Using "to" with the Gerund

Incorrect: I'm looking forward to to see you.
Correct: I'm looking forward to seeing you.

Practice Examples

Choose the correct form (infinitive or gerund) to complete each sentence.

I enjoy ________ (to swim / swimming) in the ocean.
She decided ________ (to study / studying) medicine.
They avoid ________ (to drive / driving) during rush hour.
He promised ________ (to help / helping) us with the project.
I don't mind ________ (to wait / waiting) for a few minutes.

Answers:

1. I enjoy swimming in the ocean. ("enjoy" is followed by gerund)

2. She decided to study medicine. ("decide" is followed by infinitive)

3. They avoid driving during rush hour. ("avoid" is followed by gerund)

4. He promised to help us with the project. ("promise" is followed by infinitive)

5. I don't mind waiting for a few minutes. ("mind" is followed by gerund)

Explain the difference in meaning between the following pairs of sentences.

a) I remember posting the letter.
b) I remember to post the letter.
a) She stopped smoking.
b) She stopped to smoke.
a) I regret telling you the truth.
b) I regret to tell you that you failed the exam.
a) Try opening the window.
b) Try to open the window.

Explanations:

1. a) I remember posting the letter. (I recall that I posted the letter in the past.)
b) I remember to post the letter. (I don't forget that I need to post the letter.)

2. a) She stopped smoking. (She quit the habit of smoking.)
b) She stopped to smoke. (She paused what she was doing in order to have a cigarette.)

3. a) I regret telling you the truth. (I'm sorry that I told you the truth in the past.)
b) I regret to tell you that you failed the exam. (I'm sorry to inform you now.)

4. a) Try opening the window. (Experiment with this method to solve the problem.)
b) Try to open the window. (Make an effort to open the window.)

Key Points to Remember

Some verbs are followed by the infinitive (to + base form): decide, hope, plan, want, etc.
Some verbs are followed by the gerund (-ing form): enjoy, avoid, consider, finish, etc.
Some verbs can be followed by either form with little or no change in meaning: begin, continue, like, love, etc.
Some verbs can be followed by either form with a significant change in meaning: remember, forget, stop, try, etc.
After prepositions, always use the gerund, not the infinitive
Some verbs are followed by an object and then the infinitive: ask, tell, want, etc.
Some verbs are followed by an object and then the gerund: catch, imagine, keep, etc.

Exam Tip!

In the ЕГЭ English exam, pay special attention to verbs that can be followed by either the infinitive or the gerund with a change in meaning. These are often tested as they demonstrate a deeper understanding of English grammar. Also, remember that after prepositions, we always use the gerund, not the infinitive. This is a common source of errors for non-native speakers.