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Few grammar puzzles trip up English learners more than the choice between -ing and to + verb. Is it "She hates waiting" or "She hates to wait"? "We considered moving" or "We considered to move"? The short answer is that the first verb in the sentence decides, and those choices have to be learned verb by verb. This guide walks through the main patterns, flags the verbs where meaning shifts with your choice, and gives you organized lists you can come back to whenever you're unsure.
Table of Contents
Defining the Two Forms
A gerund is an -ing word that behaves like a noun. It looks identical to a present participle on the page, but its job in the sentence is different — a gerund names the activity itself.
An infinitive pairs to with the base form of a verb. Infinitives act as nouns too, but they can also stretch further and work as adjectives or adverbs.
Gerund: Running clears my head. / My dad loves gardening.
Infinitive: To run a marathon takes training. / She needs to sleep.
Verbs That Demand a Gerund (-ing)
The verbs below only pair with an -ing form. Using an infinitive after them sounds wrong to native speakers.
| Verb | Example |
|---|---|
| enjoy | My grandmother enjoys gardening. |
| avoid | Leo avoids driving at night. |
| finish | We finished painting the hallway. |
| mind | Would you mind opening the window? |
| suggest | The coach suggested stretching first. |
| practice | I practice speaking French every morning. |
| consider | They're considering selling the cabin. |
| keep | He kept checking his phone. |
| deny | The witness denied seeing the car. |
| imagine | Imagine working from a beach. |
| miss | I miss walking to school with my brother. |
| postpone | The team postponed announcing the results. |
| risk | I wouldn't risk investing everything. |
| give up | My uncle gave up drinking coffee. |
| can't help | She couldn't help smiling at the puppy. |
| admit | The kids admitted breaking the vase. |
Verbs That Demand an Infinitive (to + verb)
With this group, only the infinitive works. Swap in a gerund and the sentence falls apart.
| Verb | Example |
|---|---|
| want | Mia wants to travel to Kyoto. |
| need | You need to rest before the race. |
| decide | We decided to adopt a second dog. |
| hope | Our team hopes to qualify for the finals. |
| plan | They plan to renovate the kitchen this fall. |
| expect | The shipment is expected to arrive Thursday. |
| agree | Both sides agreed to negotiate. |
| refuse | The cat refused to come down. |
| promise | Dad promised to fix the bike this weekend. |
| offer | Our neighbor offered to water the plants. |
| learn | I'm learning to sew my own clothes. |
| pretend | The toddler pretended to be a pirate. |
| seem | The instructions seem to contradict the diagram. |
| afford | I can't afford to rent downtown. |
| manage | Somehow she managed to fit everything in one suitcase. |
| choose | He chose to walk rather than drive. |
Verbs Flexible About Either Form
A handful of verbs let you pick either pattern, and the meaning barely shifts. Use whichever feels more natural:
like: We like hiking on weekends. / We like to hike on weekends.
love: Jamal loves cooking for friends. / Jamal loves to cook for friends.
hate: Cats hate getting wet. / Cats hate to get wet.
prefer: I prefer reading at night. / I prefer to read at night.
start: The baby started crying. / The baby started to cry.
begin: The band began playing. / The band began to play.
continue: She continued typing. / She continued to type.
When the Form Changes the Meaning
With the next group, the form you pick completely reshapes what the sentence says. Watch these closely — they're a classic exam trap.
Remember
I remember mailing the card. (I recall that I already did it.)
Remember to mail the card. (Please don't forget later.)
Forget
She'll never forget visiting Rome. (The experience is unforgettable.)
Don't forget to visit Grandma on Sunday. (A task ahead of you.)
Stop
He stopped jogging. (He gave up the habit entirely.)
He stopped to jog. (He paused another activity so he could jog.)
Try
Try drinking more water. (Give this method a shot.)
I tried to reach her all morning. (I made the attempt; it may have failed.)
Regret
He regrets sending that email. (He's sorry he did it.)
We regret to announce the event is cancelled. (A formal way of delivering bad news.)
What Happens After a Preposition
Whenever a verb comes right after a preposition — at, in, for, about, of, on, and the rest — use the gerund. This rule is airtight; infinitives simply don't follow prepositions.
My sister is terrible at parallel parking.
We're excited about visiting the new museum.
He thanked me for helping with the move.
The kids are keen on camping this summer.
I've got a knack for finding shortcuts.
Using Them at the Start of a Sentence
Gerunds and infinitives both work as sentence subjects. In conversation and casual writing, a gerund almost always sounds smoother; the infinitive version carries a slightly formal or literary tone.
Traveling changes how you see home. (natural, everyday)
To travel is to see home differently. (formal, essay-style)
Saving money requires discipline.
To save money requires discipline.
Errors Learners Repeat
Slip 1: Gerund After "Want"
❌ They want buying a house. → ✅ They want to buy a house.
Slip 2: Infinitive After "Enjoy"
❌ We enjoy to hike. → ✅ We enjoy hiking.
Slip 3: Infinitive After a Preposition
❌ He's interested in to learn chess. → ✅ He's interested in learning chess.
Slip 4: Mixing Up "Stop" + Gerund vs. Infinitive
"The driver stopped texting" is not the same as "The driver stopped to text."
The first means no more texting; the second means the driver paused in order to send a message.
Quick Practice
Pick the right form — gerund or infinitive — for each sentence.
1. My brother enjoys _______ (paint / painting) landscapes.
Answer: painting
2. They want _______ (visit / to visit) their cousins.
Answer: to visit
3. The suspect avoided _______ (make / making) eye contact.
Answer: making
4. Our class decided _______ (organize / to organize) a fundraiser.
Answer: to organize
5. She's thinking about _______ (start / starting) a podcast.
Answer: starting
6. We can't afford _______ (miss / to miss) this deadline.
Answer: to miss
7. He finished _______ (grade / grading) the essays.
Answer: grading
8. Remember _______ (lock / to lock) the gate on your way out.
Answer: to lock
There's no shortcut here: mastery comes from exposure and memorization. Keep the gerund-only and infinitive-only lists handy, pay close attention to the meaning-changing verbs like stop, remember, and try, and lock in the preposition rule early — once that one is automatic, a huge chunk of the confusion disappears. The rest is just practice, one verb at a time.
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