Sometimes we make sentences with two verbs that go together.
They’re connected beyond using conjunctions like ‘and’, ‘or’, ‘but’, and so on.
We call these ‘Verb Patterns’.
There are a few ways to connect such verbs,
but most commonly we put ‘to’ between the verbs,
or add ‘i-n-g’ at the end of the second verb.
English books usually have lists like these to tell you when to do one instead of the other.
By the way, they call the second verb in each pair ‘infinitives’ and ‘gerunds’ and ‘participles’.
But right now, let’s just focus on ‘to’ vs ‘-ing’.
Looking at the lists, you might notice that each says ‘after certain verbs’,
referring to the first verb in the pair.
What are these ‘certain verbs’ you ask?
Let’s take a look.
That’s a lot of verbs,
and there are even more than the hundred and twenty listed here!
Are students just supposed to memorize these?
I’ve got a better way to remember this.
Let’s start by putting these verbs into groups.
We’ll go through some examples pretty quickly, but we’ll revisit the conclusions at the end.
We see that verbs about what you want go in the ‘to’ group,
while verbs of perception usually go in the ‘i-n-g’ group.
Keep in mind that there are often exceptions, as with many things in English.
Here, perception verbs that are less certain go into the left group.
Verbs of opportunity, like ‘deserve’ and ‘afford’ are also followed by ‘to’.
But when you’re reflecting upon something, perhaps by ‘recalling’ it or just ‘thinking about’ it,
you typically use ‘i-n-g’.
If you’re expecting something to happen, or your trying to make it happen,
these verbs are probably followed by ‘to’.
This aligns with what other sources say about expressing purpose.
However, there are some phrases that are followed by the verb with ‘i-n-g’.
“Yay, more exceptions,” you might think, but let’s take a closer look.
If Alex ‘plans to swim’, or Alex ‘plans on swimming’, the meanings are the same.
The difference between the two sets of verbs is that the phrases on the right include prepositions.
In fact, you should almost always use ‘ing’ after a verb phrase containing a preposition.
More verbs that come before ‘ing’ include ‘start’ and ‘continue’ and other words
related to going through a process...
or not going through the process by avoiding it or quitting it.
Now, you might have noticed some words have been on both the left and the right pages.
Words like ‘stop’.
That’s because you might use these words in different ways.
For example, if you “stop to smell the roses,” that shows you intend to smell those flowers.
On the other hand, if you “stop smelling the roses”,
that means you finish the process of smelling them.
Another way of thinking about it is that ‘smell’ on the left
happens for a short, or limited, time
But ‘smelling’ on the right seems to have lasted a bit longer.
It’s pretty similar to comparing a simple tense to a continuous tense.
For another example, “Jane started to dance, but then she got distracted.”
This shows her intent, but it didn’t last very long.
Contrast with “Jane started dancing 4 years ago, and now she’s entering a national competition.”
This time, we’re not focused on the beginning, but rather on the entire process of dancing,
which lasted a lot longer.
Here’s a different distinction: Let’s use ‘remember’ as an example.
If you “remember to lock the door” and then you “remember locking the door,”
those are two very different things.
On the left you remind yourself to do something in the future.
On the right, you recall doing something in the past.
Similar distinctions can be made with ‘forget’ and ‘regret’.
Okay, let’s move on.
If you’re going to encourage, allow, or forbid something,
or otherwise influence someone,
that might be expressed with either method.
In fact, some of these words can be used both ways.
There is a slight difference in meaning,
and it depends on whether the context is limited or extended.
Or perhaps a better way to express it is specific vs general.
If “Dad forbids me to go to the haunted house this Halloween,”
he’s forbidding a particular instance in the near future.
But if “Dad forbids going to the haunted house,”
then that’s a general rule, and I’m never allowed to go.
Alright, our last group.
The majority of the time we express a preference, the next verb needs to have ‘i-n-g’.
Unless you’re saying “would like” or “would prefer”.
But even without the ‘would’s, the rule is the same.
“I hate to cause trouble” implies that you’re reluctant to do a particular thing in the near future.
But “I hate causing trouble” implies you often cause trouble, and you feel bad about it.
Similarly “I prefer to drink tea instead of coffee,” is about the beverage you’re about to drink,
but “I prefer drinking tea instead of coffee,” states your usual preference.
Two long lists of “certain verbs” can be daunting.
While not every word fits nicely into a group, and some groups do have exceptions,
we can use these groups to create rules-of-thumb.
Sometimes it depends on how a verb is used.
Notice we have some consistency here.
The difference between ‘desire’ and ‘preference’
is that desires focus on the future, while preferences are generally true.
Expressions of ‘expectation and intent’ or ‘opportunity’
also regard a specific thing that’s about to happen.
But you can’t perceive the future, and you often reflect on the past.
Finally, verbs about process are about more than just a single moment.
This much shorter list of guidelines can help you remember
when to you use ‘to’, and when to use ‘ing’.