Infinitive vs -ing Form
Learn how to avoid grammar errors with the infinitive vs -ing form.
by Tim Martyn
Example errors
Look at the example errors below. Can you fix them?
Incorrect |
---|
– The Federal Reserve agreed raising interest rates. |
– Recruit study participants can be very challenging. |
– The teacher gave the students a test for checking their understanding. |
What are the grammar rules?
1. Verbs can have different forms. There are many rules, but we’ll focus on the most common errors with the infinitive (e.g. think) and the -ing form (e.g. thinking).
2. We use the infinitive (without to) after the auxiliary verbs do and did, as well as after modal verbs such as should, can and would.
– Do you think our paper will be published?
– More research should be conducted.
– This may lead to an increase in crime.
3. We also use the infinitive (with to) to express purpose.
– Professor Dupont came here to study frogs.
– To begin the test, press the Enter key.
4. We use the -ing form as the subject or object of a verb.
– Conducting research is very enjoyable.
– I dislike supervising PhD candidates.
5. We also use the -ing form after propositions such as in, on, at and about.
– He’s good at writing.
– The government had a discussion about increasing immigration.
6. We use the infinitive (with to) after many (but not all) adjectives.
– Many retirees are pleased to offer their time as volunteers.
– Be careful not to procrastinate.
7. After some verbs, we use the infinitive (usually with to). We use the -ing form after other verbs.
Incorrect | Correct |
---|---|
– I’m trying learning Chinese. | – I’m trying to learn Chinese. |
– I enjoy to study at university. | – I enjoy studying at university. |
8. When you learn a new verb, make it a habit to write down the verb pattern and an example. A good learner’s dictionary will usually give you this information.
promise to do sth.
e.g. She promised to help her brother with this homework.
Here’s a short list to get you started.
Verb + infinitive (with to) | Verb + -ing form |
---|---|
afford to do sth. | admit doing sth. |
manage to do sth. | enjoy doing sth. |
promise to do sth. | give up doing sth. |
prefer to do sth. | involve doing sth. |
hope to do sth. | put off doing sth. |
9. Some verbs, most notably make, let, see and hear, are followed by an infinitive without to.
– The teacher made us do our homework.
– Professor Zheng let us go home early.
– I saw him cheat during the exam.
Corrected errors
Here are the corrected errors from the start of the lesson.
Incorrect | Correct |
---|---|
– The Federal Reserve agreed raising interest rates. | – The Federal Reserve agreed to raise interest rates. |
– Recruit study participants can be very challenging. | – Recruiting study participants can be very challenging. |
– The teacher gave the students a test for checking their understanding. | – The teacher gave the students a test to check their understanding. |
Quiz
Try the questions below to test what you’ve learnt about the infinitive vs -ing form.
Select the correct form of the verb for each blank.
__________
“Psychology” by OpenStax is licensed under CC BY 4.0. A small excerpt was extracted from Chapter 7 and edited. This textbook can be downloaded free from https://openstax.org/details/books/psychology.