In English, when one verb follows another, the second verb takes one of two forms. Some verbs are followed by the -ing form (called the gerund). 'I enjoy swimming.' 'She finished writing.' 'They keep talking.' Other verbs are followed by 'to + verb' (called the to-infinitive). 'I want to swim.' 'She decided to write.' 'They need to talk.' The choice depends on the first verb, not on a rule the student can work out. Students must learn which verbs take which form. Some verbs allow both with the same meaning. 'I started swimming' and 'I started to swim' mean the same thing. But a small group changes meaning depending on the form. 'I stopped to talk' (= I paused so I could talk) is different from 'I stopped talking' (= I was talking and then I stopped). This lesson covers the main patterns at A2 level and the most useful verbs in each group.
Before you start — think honestly about your own teaching and experience.
Look at the examples. Answer each question before reading the explanation — this is how your students will learn too.
I enjoy swimming in the morning.
She finished reading the book.
They keep talking during the lesson.
We avoid drinking coffee at night.
I mind being interrupted.
Verbs followed by to + verb (infinitive):
I want to swim in the morning.
She decided to read the book.
They need to talk to the teacher.
We plan to drink less coffee.
I hope to see you soon.
Why does English have these two patterns? Why must students learn which verb takes which form?
English has two ways for one verb to follow another. The -ing form (gerund) acts like a noun — 'swimming' here is the activity itself. The to + verb form (infinitive) often signals an intention or future action — 'to swim' is something you plan to do. The choice depends on the first verb. Some verbs always take -ing (enjoy, finish, avoid, mind, keep). Some verbs always take to + verb (want, decide, need, plan, hope). The choice is not predictable — students cannot work it out from a rule. They must learn which verbs take which form. The good news is that the most common verbs in each group are a small set — perhaps 15 verbs in each — and once memorised, the patterns become automatic. The bad news is that students who guess often pick the wrong form because their first language may use different patterns.
I started swimming. ✓
I started to swim. ✓ (both correct, same meaning)
She began reading. ✓
She began to read. ✓ (both correct)
It continued raining. ✓
It continued to rain. ✓ (both correct)
I like swimming. ✓
I like to swim. ✓ (both correct, very similar meaning)
Why do some verbs allow both forms? When does the choice matter?
A small group of verbs accepts both -ing and to + verb with the same or very similar meaning. These include start, begin, continue, like, love, hate, prefer. 'I started swimming' and 'I started to swim' mean the same thing. 'I like swimming' and 'I like to swim' are both natural. The choice is mostly stylistic. With 'like, love, hate' there is a small difference: -ing is more common for general preferences ('I like swimming' = I enjoy it as an activity); to + verb can be more specific or about a particular occasion ('I like to swim every morning'). For B1 level, students can use either form with these verbs. Knowing that both work prevents the panic of trying to choose one. The key teaching point: with start, begin, continue, like, love, hate — both forms are correct. With other verbs, only one form works.
stop doing (= cease) vs stop to do (= pause in order to do):
She stopped smoking last year. (= she no longer smokes)
She stopped to smoke a cigarette. (= she paused her work to have a cigarette)
remember doing (= recall a past action) vs remember to do (= remember in advance):
I remember meeting her at the party. (= I have a memory of that meeting)
I must remember to meet her tomorrow. (= I must not forget to meet her)
forget doing (= forget that an action happened) vs forget to do (= forget to do something):
I forgot meeting her. (rare — = I forgot the meeting happened)
I forgot to meet her. (= I was supposed to meet her but I did not)
try doing (= experiment with an action) vs try to do (= make an effort to do):
Try calling her phone. (= experiment, see what happens)
Try to call her phone. (= make an effort to do this)
Why does the form change the meaning for these verbs? How can students avoid mistakes?
A small but important group of verbs has different meanings depending on whether -ing or to + verb follows. The most useful pairs are: stop doing/to do, remember doing/to do, forget doing/to do, try doing/to do, regret doing/to do. The pattern is roughly: -ing usually refers to the action itself or a past action; to + verb refers to a purpose or a future action. 'Stop smoking' is about the smoking activity (cease that activity). 'Stop to smoke' is about a purpose (pause for the purpose of smoking). 'Remember meeting' is recalling a past meeting. 'Remember to meet' is the future task of meeting. Students who use the wrong form change the meaning of their sentence — sometimes producing absurd sentences ('I stopped to smoke five years ago' would mean 'five years ago I paused to smoke a cigarette' rather than 'five years ago I gave up smoking'). For B1 students, focusing on stop and remember is enough. The other pairs can come later.
| Pattern | Description | Examples | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verb + -ing (gerund only) | These verbs always take -ing | enjoy + ing: I enjoy swimming. | finish + ing: She finished writing. | avoid + ing: We avoid driving at night. | mind + ing: I do not mind waiting. | keep + ing: They keep talking. | suggest + ing: He suggested going early. | With these verbs, never use to + verb. 'I enjoy to swim' is wrong. |
| Verb + to + verb (infinitive only) | These verbs always take to + verb | want + to: I want to swim. | decide + to: She decided to read. | need + to: We need to talk. | plan + to: They plan to leave. | hope + to: I hope to see you. | promise + to: He promised to call. | With these verbs, never use -ing. 'I want swimming' is wrong. |
| Verb + either (same meaning) | These verbs accept both forms with same meaning | start: I started swimming / I started to swim. | begin: She began reading / She began to read. | continue: It continued raining / It continued to rain. | like, love, hate, prefer: I like swimming / I like to swim. | Both forms are correct. Choose either. Some small style differences with like/love/hate. |
| Verb + either (different meanings) | These verbs change meaning with -ing vs to + verb | stop: stop smoking (= cease) / stop to smoke (= pause to smoke) | remember: remember meeting (= past memory) / remember to meet (= future task) | forget: forget meeting (= forget it happened) / forget to meet (= forget the future task) | try: try calling (= experiment) / try to call (= make effort) | Choose the form based on meaning. Wrong choice changes meaning, sometimes badly. |
| Common -ing verbs | Useful list to memorise | enjoy, finish, avoid, mind, keep, suggest, practise, miss, deny, admit, consider, imagine | All take -ing. 'I considered going' (right). 'I considered to go' (wrong). |
| Common to + verb verbs | Useful list to memorise | want, decide, need, plan, hope, promise, agree, learn, manage, expect, refuse, offer | All take to + verb. 'I learned to swim' (right). 'I learned swimming' (wrong). |
| Both forms — same meaning | Useful list to memorise | start, begin, continue, like, love, hate, prefer | Choose either form. Both correct. |
PATTERN 1 — Some verbs take only -ing: Enjoy, finish, avoid, mind, keep, suggest are common verbs that always take -ing. 'I enjoy swimming.' 'She finished writing.' 'We avoid driving at night.' Using to + verb with these is wrong. The most common error is 'I enjoy to swim' — should be 'I enjoy swimming'.
PATTERN 2 — Some verbs take only to + verb: Want, decide, need, plan, hope, promise, agree, learn are common verbs that always take to + verb. 'I want to swim.' 'She decided to read.' 'They learned to drive.' Using -ing with these is wrong. The most common error is 'I want swimming' — should be 'I want to swim'.
PATTERN 3 — Some verbs take both with same meaning: Start, begin, continue, like, love, hate, prefer accept both forms. 'I started swimming' and 'I started to swim' both work. 'I like swimming' and 'I like to swim' are both natural. With these verbs, students can choose either form.
PATTERN 4 — Some verbs change meaning: Stop, remember, forget, try, regret have different meanings with -ing vs to + verb. 'Stop smoking' (cease) vs 'stop to smoke' (pause to do it). 'Remember meeting' (past) vs 'remember to meet' (future task). The form determines the meaning.
PATTERN 5 — The basic pattern: -ing often acts like a noun and refers to the activity itself. To + verb often signals intention, purpose, or future action. This is not a perfect rule but helps explain some patterns. 'I want to do something' (intention). 'I enjoy doing something' (the activity itself).
PATTERN 6 — The lists must be memorised: There is no rule students can apply to predict which verb takes which form. The most efficient approach is to memorise the most common verbs in each group: 15 -ing verbs, 15 to + verb verbs, the small set of either verbs. Drilling examples with these verbs fixes the patterns.
PATTERN 7 — Lists of useful verbs: -ING ONLY: enjoy, finish, avoid, mind, keep, suggest, practise, miss, deny, admit, consider, imagine, dislike, look forward to, give up. TO + VERB ONLY: want, decide, need, plan, hope, promise, agree, learn, manage, expect, refuse, offer, fail, intend, choose. BOTH (same meaning): start, begin, continue, like, love, hate, prefer.
Gerund vs infinitive errors are extremely common at A2 and B1 level. Students who say 'I enjoy to swim' or 'I want swimming' produce mistakes that mark them clearly as still learning. The fix is repeated drilling of the most common verbs in each group. The verbs themselves are common — enjoy, want, decide, need are among the most frequent verbs in English — so getting the pattern right matters every day. The good news is the lists are short. The bad news is the lists must be memorised — there is no shortcut. Teachers should drill the patterns in real-life contexts (talking about hobbies, plans, daily routines) so the verbs become automatic. The meaning-changing pairs (stop, remember) can come later — A2 students should focus on the basic patterns first.
Use a colour-coded chart on the board. RED for verbs that take -ing only (enjoy, finish, avoid). BLUE for verbs that take to + verb only (want, decide, need). GREEN for verbs that take both (start, begin, like, love). Students refer to the chart constantly. Add verbs to each colour as students meet them in reading. Over time the chart becomes a strong reference.
Complete each sentence with the correct form of the verb in brackets. Choose -ing or 'to + verb' based on the first verb.
Each sentence has the wrong verb form (gerund or infinitive). Find the error, write the correct form, and explain.
Use this sequence directly in class — guided discovery, no textbook needed. Tap each step to mark it done.
STEP 1 — Two patterns (4 min): Write on the board: 'I enjoy ___' and 'I want ___'. Ask students to fill in 'swimming'. Then 'to swim'. Show that enjoy takes -ing (enjoy swimming) and want takes to + verb (want to swim). Establish the basic idea: the first verb decides which form follows.
STEP 2 — Drill the -ing verbs (5 min): Drill the most common -ing verbs: enjoy, finish, avoid, mind, keep, suggest. For each, produce a sentence with -ing. 'I enjoy reading.' 'She finished writing.' 'We avoid driving at night.' 'I do not mind waiting.' 'They kept talking.' 'He suggested going.' Drill until automatic.
STEP 3 — Drill the to + verb verbs (5 min): Drill the most common to + verb verbs: want, decide, need, plan, hope, promise. 'I want to swim.' 'She decided to read.' 'We need to talk.' 'They plan to leave.' 'I hope to see you.' 'He promised to call.' Drill until automatic.
STEP 4 — Both work (5 min): Show the verbs that take both forms with the same meaning: start, begin, continue, like, love, hate. 'I started swimming / I started to swim — both correct.' 'I like swimming / I like to swim — both correct.' Practise both forms with these verbs.
STEP 5 — Use them in your life (6 min): Each student produces five sentences about their own life using five different verbs from the lesson. Mix -ing verbs, to-verbs, and either verbs. Share in pairs. Partner checks: was the right form used? Drill any errors immediately.
Use directly in class — copy, adapt, or read aloud. No printing needed.
For each strategy, choose the option that best describes where you are now.
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