Practice
English practice: gerunds and infinitives
Sign in to saveI remembered to lock the door. I remember locking the door. The words look similar, but the first sentence describes a task and the second describes a memory.
Choose a gerund or infinitive after common English verbs and explain the meaning of the choice.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
I remembered to lock the door. /aɪ rɪˈmembəd tə lɒk ðə dɔː/
The short answer
Use the form required by the word before it. Many verbs take a gerund, many take to plus the base verb, and a smaller group can take both forms with either a similar or a different meaning.
We decided to leave before the rain started.
Why it works: Decide is normally followed by to plus the base verb.
5 more examples
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Mina enjoys learning new recipes.
Enjoy is followed by a gerund, so learning names the activity Mina likes.
Not this:Mina wants
to learna new recipe this weekend. What changes: Want is followed by an infinitive because it introduces Mina's intended action. -
Before leaving the office, Raj checked the lights.
Before is a preposition, so it is followed by a gerund.
Not this:Raj left the office
to catchthe last train. What changes: To catch states Raj's purpose for leaving. -
We decided to take the earlier bus.
Decide takes to plus the base verb when it introduces a decision about a later action.
Not this:We avoided
takingthe earlier bus during the storm. What changes: Avoid is followed by a gerund. -
I stopped to buy a bottle of water.
Stopped to buy means that I paused one activity in order to buy water.
Not this:I stopped
buyingbottled water last month. What changes: Stopped buying means that I ended the habit of buying it. -
Leah remembered to send the invitation.
Remembered to send means Leah did not forget a task that needed doing.
Not this:Leah remembers
sendingthe invitation. What changes: Remembers sending refers to Leah's memory of a completed action.
Read the full guide
Do not choose only by looking at the action word. First find the verb, adjective, noun, or preposition before the gap. That word often controls the next form. A dictionary entry can confirm an unfamiliar pattern, but a few useful groups will help you make quick choices in everyday reading and conversation.
Recognize the two forms
A gerund ends in -ing but has a noun-like job in the sentence. It can name an activity, as in Cooking takes time. An infinitive usually consists of to and a base verb, as in She hopes to cook tonight. The forms do not mean exactly the same thing in every context.
Walking after dinner helps me sleep.
Walking is the subject of the sentence, so it works as a gerund.
I hope to walk after dinner.
To walk follows hope and describes an action I intend to do.
Use a gerund after a preposition
After a preposition, use a gerund. This includes clear prepositions such as after, before, by, without, and about. It also applies when a preposition is part of a longer expression, such as interested in or good at.
She left without saying goodbye.
Without is a preposition, so saying follows it. Without to say is not the normal pattern here.
Choose the correct form after They are interested in: meet or meeting.
Use meeting: They are interested in meeting the new manager.
Learn common verb groups
Some verbs regularly take a gerund and others regularly take an infinitive. Learn them in short phrases rather than as a long list. Enjoy doing, avoid doing, and suggest doing are useful gerund patterns. Want to do, decide to do, and promise to do are useful infinitive patterns.
The team suggested meeting on Thursday.
Suggest is followed by a gerund when it introduces an activity.
The team agreed to meet on Thursday.
Agree is followed by an infinitive when the team accepts a plan.
Use an infinitive to express purpose
An infinitive can explain why someone does something. In this use, to means in order to. The first action happens so that the second action can happen. This purpose pattern is especially useful when you describe plans, errands, and workplace tasks.
Omar called the bank to ask about the payment.
To ask gives the reason for Omar's call.
Complete: The guide stopped ___ the group a map.
Use to give: The guide stopped to give the group a map. The pause had a purpose.
Watch verbs where the meaning changes
With some verbs, the following form changes the meaning. Stop to do means pause another activity in order to do something. Stop doing means end an activity. Remember to do refers to a necessary task; remember doing refers to a memory. These are not interchangeable choices.
Please remember to print the tickets.
This is a reminder about a future task.
I remember printing the tickets yesterday.
This sentence reports a memory of an earlier action.
Check your sentence before you speak
When you edit a sentence, identify the word that comes before the verb form. Ask whether it is a preposition, a verb with a fixed pattern, or a phrase showing purpose. Then ask whether the action is a plan, an activity, or a memory. This two-step check catches many errors.
I am looking forward to seeing you.
To belongs to the phrase look forward to and acts as a preposition, so seeing is a gerund.
Which form fits I need: call or to call?
Use to call: I need to call the clinic before noon.
Before you go
Remember this
Check the word before the verb form. Prepositions take gerunds. Many intention verbs take to plus the base verb. Learn frequent verb groups as phrases, and pause when you see remember, stop, try, or regret because each form can give the sentence a different meaning.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "English practice: gerunds and infinitives"
What is the difference between a gerund and an infinitive?
A gerund is an -ing verb form used like a noun, while an infinitive usually uses to plus the base verb. The word before the form usually decides which one is grammatical. A gerund often names an activity; an infinitive often introduces an intended action or purpose.
Mina enjoys learning new recipes.
Why do prepositions take gerunds in English?
English normally uses an -ing form after a preposition. This applies to single prepositions such as before and without, and to phrases such as interested in and look forward to. In look forward to, to is a preposition, so it is followed by a gerund rather than an infinitive.
Mina wants to learn a new recipe this weekend.
Which common verbs take a gerund?
Useful gerund patterns include enjoy doing, avoid doing, finish doing, and suggest doing. Learn each verb with a short example because individual verbs have their own patterns. A dictionary can help when you meet a verb that is new to you.
Before leaving the office, Raj checked the lights.
Which common verbs take an infinitive?
Many verbs of intention and decision use an infinitive: want to do, decide to do, hope to do, agree to do, and promise to do. The infinitive can also state a purpose, as in a person going somewhere to complete an errand.
Raj left the office to catch the last train.
Does the choice change the meaning after remember or stop?
Yes. Remember to do refers to a task that must not be forgotten, while remember doing refers to a memory of an action. Stop to do means pause in order to do something; stop doing means end an activity or habit.
We decided to take the earlier bus.