Gerund vs. Infinitive: Rules and Examples

Use a gerund, the -ing form, after verbs such as enjoy, avoid, finish, mind, and suggest, and after prepositions. Use a to-infinitive after verbs such as want, decide, hope, plan, and promise. Some verbs accept both forms, while verbs such as stop, remember, and try change meaning with the pattern.

The first verb usually controls the form of the second. Instead of memorizing one enormous list, learn a few useful groups and store each new verb with its pattern: enjoy doing, plan to do, and ask someone to do.

What are gerunds and infinitives?

A gerund is an -ing form functioning as a noun or noun phrase:

• “Reading helps me relax.”
• “Mia enjoys reading.”
• “Ben learns by reading aloud.”

A to-infinitive uses to plus the base form:

• “Mia wants to read.”
• “Ben decided to leave.”
• “Emma called to confirm the time.”

An -ing form is not always a gerund. In “Mia is reading,” reading is part of the present continuous verb. This guide focuses on the choice after another verb or a preposition.

Use -ing after a common group of verbs

These verbs normally take an -ing form when another action follows:

Pattern	Examples
enjoy / mind / dislike + -ing	“Sam enjoys cooking.” “Do you mind waiting?”
avoid / consider / suggest + -ing	“Avoid checking your phone.” “Mia suggested leaving early.”
finish / keep / practice + -ing	“Ben finished writing.” “Keep going.”
admit / deny / imagine + -ing	“Emma admitted forgetting the tickets.” “Imagine working there.”

Do not add a to-infinitive after these verbs in the same meaning. Say “Mia suggested leaving,” not “Mia suggested to leave.”

Use -ing after a preposition

When a verb follows a preposition, use the -ing form:

• “After finishing work, Sam went home.”
• “Emma left without saying goodbye.”
• “Mia improved by practicing every day.”
• “Ben is interested in learning design.”
• “We look forward to meeting you.”
• “Sam is used to working late.”

The last example causes trouble because to can have two jobs. In want to learn, it marks an infinitive. In look forward to learning, it is a preposition, so learning follows.

Use to + infinitive after another common group

These verbs commonly take a to-infinitive:

Pattern	Examples
want / need / hope + to	“I want to help.” “We hope to finish today.”
decide / choose / plan + to	“Mia decided to wait.” “Ben plans to drive.”
agree / promise / offer + to	“Emma agreed to call.” “Sam offered to pay.”
learn / manage / refuse + to	“He learned to cook.” “She refused to sign.”

Say “We decided to stay,” not “We decided staying.” The infinitive can also explain purpose: “Emma called to confirm the time.” In that sentence, to confirm answers Why did she call?

Some verbs take a person before the infinitive

With verbs such as ask, tell, want, invite, remind, and encourage, a person or other object can come before the infinitive:

• “Mia asked Ben to wait.”
• “Emma told Sam to call.”
• “We want everyone to feel welcome.”
• “Ben reminded me to bring my key.”

With want and ask, the person is optional: “I want to go” and “I want you to go” are both complete, as are “Mia asked to leave” and “Mia asked Ben to leave.” With tell, remind, invite, and encourage, include the person in this pattern. “Emma told to call” is incomplete in standard English because tell needs the person who receives the message.

Some verbs accept both forms

Like, love, hate, prefer, start, begin, and continue can often take either form:

• “Mia likes walking.” / “Mia likes to walk.”
• “It started raining.” / “It started to rain.”
• “Ben continued working.” / “Ben continued to work.”

In American English, both forms are usually interchangeable after like, love, hate, and prefer.

After would like, use the infinitive: “I’d like to leave,” not “I’d like leaving.”

Stop, remember, and try can change meaning

Stop doing or stop to do

• “Sam stopped talking.” He was talking, and then he was quiet.
• “Sam stopped to talk to Mia.” He paused another activity in order to talk.

Remember doing or remember to do

• “I remember locking the door.” I have a memory of the completed action.
• “Remember to lock the door.” Do not forget the task.

Forget follows a similar contrast: “I’ll never forget meeting her” refers to a memory, while “I forgot to call” means the planned action did not happen.

Try doing or try to do

• “Try restarting the phone.” Use this method and see whether it helps.
• “I tried to restart the phone.” I made the attempt; the context tells you whether I succeeded.

Make, let, and help use a different pattern

After make and let, use an object plus the base verb without to:

• “The delay made us wait.”
• “Mia let Ben use her charger.”

After help, American English naturally allows both forms: “Emma helped me carry the boxes” and “Emma helped me to carry the boxes.” The form without to is common.

Listen for a weak to in conversation

The word to in an infinitive is usually unstressed and may sound like /tə/: “plan to CALL.” In very casual speech, want to can sound like wanna. The grammar is still want + to-infinitive.

Ledoly’s guide to gonna, wanna, and gotta explains where those forms fit, and the guide to American English rhythm shows why small grammar words often become weak between stronger beats.

Practice: choose -ing, to, or the base verb

Complete each sentence with the verb in parentheses. The answer key gives the common answers for the patterns taught here.

1. Mia enjoys ___ before bed. (read)
2. Ben plans ___ Emma tonight. (call)
3. After ___ the report, Sam took a break. (finish)
4. We look forward to ___ you. (meet)
5. Emma asked Ben ___ the file. (send)
6. Mia let me ___ her charger. (use)
7. Sam helped us ___ the chairs. (move)
8. It started ___ during lunch. (rain)
9. Ben went quiet: “Ben stopped ___.” (talk)
10. Ben paused his walk so he could speak to Mia: “Ben stopped ___ to Mia.” (talk)
11. I have a clear memory of the action: “I remember ___ the door.” (lock)
12. Do not forget the future task: “Remember ___ the door.” (lock)
13. Use this possible solution: “Try ___ the app.” (restart)
14. I made an effort, but the app would not work: “I tried ___ the app.” (restart)

Answer key

1. reading — enjoy takes the -ing form.
2. to call — plan takes a to-infinitive.
3. finishing — a verb after the preposition after takes the -ing form.
4. meeting — to is a preposition in look forward to.
5. to send — the pattern is ask + person + to-infinitive.
6. use — let + person takes the base verb without to.
7. move or to move — both are natural after help.
8. raining or to rain — both are natural after start.
9. talking — stop doing means end that activity.
10. to talk — stop to do means pause another activity for this purpose.
11. locking — remember doing refers to a memory of an action.
12. to lock — remember to do means not forget a task.
13. restarting — try doing presents a method to test.
14. to restart or restarting — try to do emphasizes the effort or difficulty; try doing frames restarting as the method tested. Both can fit this result.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a gerund and an infinitive?

A gerund is an -ing form functioning as a noun, as in “Reading helps.” A to-infinitive uses to plus the base verb, as in “I want to read.” The verb or preposition before it often determines the form.

How do I know whether a verb takes -ing or to + infinitive?

Learn the first verb together with its pattern: enjoy doing, plan to do, and ask someone to do. A learner’s dictionary can confirm the pattern for a new verb.

Can one verb take both a gerund and an infinitive?

Yes. Verbs such as start, begin, and continue often allow both with little change. With verbs such as stop, remember, and try, the form changes the meaning.

Is to always followed by an infinitive?

No. To can be a preposition. When it is part of an expression such as look forward to or be used to, a following verb takes the -ing form: “I look forward to meeting you.”

Sources

• VOA Learning English: Getting to Know Gerunds and Infinitives — defines both forms and explains common verb patterns that take one or both.
• British Council LearnEnglish: Verbs Followed by -ing or Infinitive — explains high-frequency -ing and to-infinitive groups.
• British Council LearnEnglish: Verbs Followed by -ing or Infinitive—Change in Meaning — distinguishes patterns such as stop doing/to do, remember doing/to do, and try doing/to do.
• Purdue OWL: Gerunds — defines a gerund and shows its noun functions, including use after a preposition.