Grammar · Verb patterns & moods · B1 · Intermediate

Gerund vs infinitive

Last updated 21 July 2026

In short

After a verb, English uses either a gerund ('enjoy reading') or an infinitive ('decide to read') — the first verb decides which. Gerunds follow enjoy, avoid, finish and suggest, and every preposition; infinitives follow want, decide, hope and plan. A few verbs — stop, remember, try, forget — take both with different meanings.

Gerund vs infinitive at a glance

	Gerund (-ing)	Infinitive (to + verb)
Follows these verbs	enjoy, avoid, finish, mind, suggest, keep, consider, practise	want, decide, hope, plan, agree, offer, refuse, manage
After prepositions	Always: interested in learning, good at drawing	Never — even 'to' as a preposition takes -ing (look forward to seeing)
As the subject of a sentence	Natural: Cycling saves money	Usually moved after 'it': It is cheaper to cycle
After adjectives	Only in fixed phrases (busy revising, worth watching)	Standard: easy to follow, happy to help
To express purpose	Not used — 'for + -ing' only names a function	Standard: I called to complain
After stop, remember, try, forget	Looks back at an earlier action (stopped smoking)	Looks forward to a task or purpose (stopped to smoke)

Which verbs are followed by the gerund?

A fixed set of common verbs takes the -ing form: enjoy, avoid, finish, mind, keep, suggest, consider, admit, deny, practise, imagine and miss. There is no rule to derive the list — it has to be learned, and these verbs reject the infinitive completely.

The gerund also follows every preposition (after eating, without asking, instead of driving), all phrasal verbs (give up, carry on), and fixed expressions such as it's no use, it's worth and can't help.

I really enjoy cooking for friends at the weekend.
She's thinking of applying to a university in Manchester.(preposition 'of' → -ing)
The old cinema is worth visiting before it closes.(fixed expression 'worth' + -ing)
He avoided to answer the journalist's question.(avoid + -ing → avoided answering)

Which verbs are followed by the infinitive?

Another set takes to + base verb: want, decide, hope, plan, agree, offer, refuse, learn, manage, afford and promise. Many describe intentions or future-pointing choices, which is a helpful memory hook even though it is not a perfect rule.

The infinitive also follows verb + object (ask somebody to, remind somebody to, want somebody to), most adjectives (difficult to explain, ready to order), and expresses purpose: 'She went outside to check the letterbox.'

We decided to take the overnight train to Chiang Mai.
It was difficult to hear the announcement over the noise.(adjective + to-infinitive)
My manager reminded me to submit the timesheet.(verb + object + to-infinitive)
I can't afford buying a new laptop this year.(afford + to-infinitive → afford to buy)

Stop doing vs stop to do: which verbs change meaning?

Five verbs — stop, remember, forget, try and regret — accept both forms but change meaning with each. The pattern behind them all: the gerund looks backwards at an action that happened (or was happening), while the infinitive looks forward to a purpose or task.

So 'he stopped drinking coffee' means the habit ended, but 'he stopped to drink a coffee' means he paused another activity in order to have one. 'Remember to lock' is a duty still ahead; 'remember locking' is a memory of something already done.

Dad stopped drinking coffee after the doctor's warning.(the habit ended)
On the way to Lagos we stopped to buy fuel.(paused in order to do it)
Please remember to lock the studio when you leave.(a task still to do)
I clearly remember locking the door that night.(a memory of an earlier action)

Which verbs take both forms with no real change?

Begin, start, continue, like, love, hate and prefer take either form with little or no difference: 'It started raining' and 'It started to rain' describe the same downpour. British English slightly prefers 'like + -ing' for enjoyment and 'like + to' for habits and sensible choices.

One firm exception: after would — would like, would love, would hate, would prefer — only the infinitive is possible.

The crowd continued to sing long after the final whistle.
I hate queuing for buses in the rain.(hate + -ing or + to — both fine)
I'd love to visit São Paulo during carnival season.('would love' takes only the infinitive)
I would like going home early today.(→ I would like to go home early today)

Common mistakes with gerund vs infinitive

Real learner errors, corrected and explained — the fastest way to stop repeating them.

I enjoy to play badminton on Fridays.

I enjoy playing badminton on Fridays.

'Enjoy' belongs to the gerund-only list — it can never be followed by a to-infinitive.

I'm looking forward to hear from you.

I'm looking forward to hearing from you.

In 'look forward to', the word 'to' is a preposition, so the -ing form must follow it.

She suggested to visit the floating market.

She suggested visiting the floating market.

'Suggest' takes -ing or a that-clause ('suggested that we visit'), never a to-infinitive.

He wants that I join the team.

He wants me to join the team.

'Want' cannot take a that-clause in English — the pattern is want + object + to-infinitive.

It's no use to complain about the weather.

It's no use complaining about the weather.

Fixed expressions like it's no use, it's no good and there's no point take the gerund.

I stopped to eat junk food last month.

I stopped eating junk food last month.

If the meaning is quitting a habit, stop needs the gerund — 'stopped to eat' would mean you paused in order to eat it.

Gerund vs infinitive in IELTS

Grammatical Range and Accuracy is 25% of your Speaking and Writing scores — here is where this structure earns marks.

Speaking

Gerund subjects give Part 3 answers an academic shape without difficult vocabulary: 'Banning cars from city centres sounds attractive, but it punishes shift workers.' That single -ing subject reads as confident B2 control.
Watch 'look forward to', 'be used to' and 'object to' in Part 1 — 'I'm used to getting up before six' with the -ing form is exactly the kind of detail examiners use to separate Band 6 accuracy from Band 7.

Writing

Purpose infinitives tighten Task 2 sentences: 'Governments raise tobacco taxes to discourage young smokers' says in one clause what 'for discouraging' says clumsily — precision the GRA criterion rewards.
In Task 1, gerunds after prepositions keep process and trend language accurate: 'After being washed, the fruit is graded by size.' Slips like 'after to wash' are basic-form errors that cap the accuracy score quickly.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a gerund and an infinitive?

A gerund is the -ing form used as a noun ('Swimming builds stamina'); an infinitive is to + base verb ('to swim'). Both can follow other verbs, but the first verb decides which: enjoy, avoid and finish take gerunds, while want, decide and hope take infinitives. Prepositions always take gerunds.

Why is it 'I look forward to hearing from you'?

Because in 'look forward to', the word 'to' is a preposition, not part of an infinitive — and prepositions are always followed by the -ing form. The same trap appears in 'be used to', 'object to' and 'commit to': 'I'm used to driving on the left', never 'used to drive' in that meaning.

Does 'stop doing' mean the same as 'stop to do'?

No — they are nearly opposites. 'Stop doing' ends the activity: 'He stopped checking his phone in meetings.' 'Stop to do' means you pause another activity in order to do something: 'She stopped to answer a call.' The gerund looks backwards at the action; the infinitive expresses purpose.

Which verbs can take both a gerund and an infinitive?

Begin, start, continue, like, love, hate and prefer take both with little change: 'It began raining / to rain.' But remember, forget, stop, try and regret change meaning with each form, and would like, would love and would prefer allow only the infinitive: 'I'd prefer to stay in tonight.'

Is a gerund the same as the present continuous?

No. They share the -ing spelling, but the present continuous is a tense built with be ('She is training today'), while a gerund works as a noun — a subject, an object, or the word after a preposition ('Training twice a day exhausts her'). If you can replace the -ing word with 'it', it is a gerund.

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