[C-C+] Verbs Followed by Gerunds and Infinitives

LET'S READ! 📖

Direction: Read the passage below then answer the questions being asked.

Verbs Followed by Gerunds and Infinitives

Greg LeMond was the first American winner of the Tour de France cycle race. He decided to become a cyclist when he was still at school and began to win a lot of prizes. LeMond missed going to the Moscow Olympics in 1980 because of political problems between the US and the USSR. Today he regrets having lost the chance to win a gold medal. LeMond won his first Tour de France in 1986 and his future seemed to be very good, but the next year LeMond had a terrible accident. He was accidentally shot in the back on a hunting trip and he needed to have a very serious operation. LeMond had arranged to take part in the 1987 Tour de France but his doctors didn’t recommend leaving the hospital. This was a tragedy but LeMond refused to retire from the sport and he kept believing he could return to cycling. Two years later he started training again. In 1989 he dramatically won the Tour de France on the last day of the race, and he was the winner again in 1990. LeMond stopped cycling in 1994 and opened a sports business with his father.

QUESTIONS:

1. Why wasn't he able to join the Moscow Olympics in 1980?

2. Was he able to take part in the race in 1987?

LET'S UNDERSTAND! 📚

Verb + to-infinitive or -ing

🔺 Some verbs take a to-infinitive, some take an -ing form, and some take both.

🔺 There are no rules for this; you need to learn which verbs take a to-infinitive and which takes -ing.

1. verbs + to-infinitive

afford	agree	arrange	ask	ask
deserve	fail	help	learn	manage
need	promise	refuse	seem	want

2. verbs + -ing

admit	avoid	deny	enjoy
keep (on)	miss	recommend	suggest

3. verb + object + to-infinitive

advise	allow	ask	encourage	force
persuade	invite	need	remind	teach
order	warn	tell	want	make

4. verbs + to-infinitive or -ing, with very little difference in meaning

verb	to-infinitive	-ing
begin	As autumn draws near, leaves begin to fall from the trees.	As autumn draws near, leaves begin falling from the trees.
continue	Sales figures continue to show signs of improvement.	Sales figures continue showing signs of improvement.
hate	I hate to see books being mistreated.	I hate seeing books being mistreated.
like	The police don't usually like to intervene in disputes between husbands and wives.	The police don't usually like intervening in disputes between husbands and wives.
love	Grandparents just love to dote on their grandchildren.	Grandparents just love doting on their grandchildren.
prefer	It is commonly asserted that older people prefer to receive care from family members.	It is commonly asserted that older people prefer receiving care from family members.
start	New cars start to depreciate as soon as they are on the road.	New cars start depreciating as soon as they are on the road.

5. verbs + to-infinitive or -ing, but with difference in meaning

verb	to-infinitive	-ing
need	We need to clean the house from top to bottom. (this has an active meaning)	The whole house needs cleaning from top to bottom. (this has a passive meaning)
try	He tried to suppress a smile but felt the corner of his mouth twitch. (means 'try, but you may not succeed')	He tried suppressing a smile but felt the corner of his mouth twitch. (means 'see how it works', or 'experience' something)
regret	After careful consideration of your proposal, I regret to say that we are unable to accept it. (used to give bad news in formal writing)	He did not regret saying what he did but felt that he could have expressed it differently. (used for things in the past we are sorry about)
remember & forget	Remember to put the chain on the door when you lock it. / I forgot to put the chain on the door when I locked it. (used for things we need to do)	I don't remember putting the chain on the door last night before going to sleep. / I forgot putting the chain.. (used for memories of the past)
stop	Katie was tired and lagged behind us, so we had to stop to wait for her. (used when we stop in order to do something)	Katie was tired and lagged behind us, so we stopped waiting for her and just continued hiking. (used when we no longer do something)

verb

to-infinitive

-ing

need

We need to clean the house from top to bottom.

(this has an active meaning)

The whole house needs cleaning from top to bottom.

(this has a passive meaning)

try

He tried to suppress a smile but felt the corner of his mouth twitch.

(means 'try, but you may not succeed')

He tried suppressing a smile but felt the corner of his mouth twitch.

(means 'see how it works', or 'experience' something)

regret

After careful consideration of your proposal, I regret to say that we are unable to accept it.

(used to give bad news in formal writing)

He did not regret saying what he did but felt that he could have expressed it differently.

(used for things in the past we are sorry about)

remember & forget

Remember to put the chain on the door when you lock it. / I forgot to put the chain on the door when I locked it.

(used for things we need to do)

I don't remember putting the chain on the door last night before going to sleep. / I forgot putting the chain..

(used for memories of the past)

stop

Katie was tired and lagged behind us, so we had to stop to wait for her.

(used when we stop in order to do something)

Katie was tired and lagged behind us, so we stopped waiting for her and just continued hiking.

(used when we no longer do something)

LET'S PRACTICE! 📝

Direction: Choose one topic to talk about and use gerunds and infinitives. Expand your answers.

Money: What are some helpful strategies for wisely managing your money and avoiding unnecessary spending?
Health: Talk about the benefits of starting healthy habits and why it's important to make good choices for your well-being in daily life.
Time: How do you prioritize spending quality time with your family and friends, and what activities do you enjoy doing together?

YOUR TURN Photo