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.
(example verb : doing / to do).
When do we use the GERUND? (ex: doing) |
- After verbs that express likes/dislikes :
- like, love, enjoy, dislike, hate, don't mind, can't stand ...
Example : I like doing crossword puzzles.
| + doing |
- 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?
| + doing |
- After prepositions :
- interested in ...
Example : Are you interested in working for us? - instead of ...
Ex: Would you like to walk instead of taking the bus? - 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.
| + doing |
- 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!
| + doing |
|
When do we use the INFINITIVE? (ex : to do) |
- After verbs that refer to a future event :
- want, hope, intend, would like, promise ...
Ex : I want to do a course in medieval history.
| + to do |
- 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.
| + to do |
- After adjectives:
- glad : (glad to know that ...)
- pleased : (pleased to meet you...)
- disappointed : (disappointed to hear that ..)
| + to do |
- 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.
| + to do |
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