Gerunds & Infinitives
A complete B1 guide to gerunds and infinitives. Covers verb patterns, verbs followed by -ing or to, and common mistakes.
Some verbs are followed by a gerund (-ing). Other verbs are followed by an infinitive (to + verb). At B1, learning common verb patterns helps your sentences sound natural.
Verb + Gerund
Use -ing after verbs such as enjoy, mind, finish, avoid, consider, suggest, keep, and give up.
| Verb pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| enjoy + -ing | I enjoy reading in bed. |
| mind + -ing | Would you mind closing the window? |
| avoid + -ing | He avoided answering the question. |
| finish + -ing | We finished cleaning the kitchen. |
| give up + -ing | She gave up smoking. |
The negative form is not + -ing.
I enjoy not having to wake up early.
Verb + Infinitive
Use to + base verb after verbs such as decide, hope, plan, agree, promise, refuse, manage, learn, and afford.
| Verb pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| decide + to | We decided to take a taxi. |
| promise + to | I promised to call her. |
| refuse + to | He refused to answer. |
| manage + to | They managed to arrive on time. |
| learn + to | She learned to drive last year. |
The negative form is not to + verb.
We decided not to go out.
Question Word + Infinitive
After verbs such as know, decide, remember, forget, learn, explain, and wonder, you can use a question word + infinitive.
I do not know what to do.
Can you show me how to use this?
We have not decided where to stay.
Verbs With Different Patterns
Some verbs can take both patterns, but the meaning may change.
| Verb | Example |
|---|---|
| stop doing | She stopped smoking. She does not smoke now. |
| stop to do | She stopped to smoke. She stopped another activity so she could smoke. |
| remember doing | I remember meeting him last year. |
| remember to do | Please remember to call him. |
Common Mistakes
| Avoid | Use |
|---|---|
| I enjoy to read. | I enjoy reading. |
| She decided going. | She decided to go. |
| Would you mind to wait? | Would you mind waiting? |
| I do not know what do. | I do not know what to do. |
Practice
I enjoy ___ to music while I cook.
Summary
Use a gerund after verbs like enjoy, mind, avoid, finish, suggest, and keep. Use an infinitive after verbs like decide, hope, promise, refuse, manage, and afford. Some verbs, such as stop and remember, can use both patterns with different meanings.