The infinitive with to is used:
- to express purpose
I went out to get some fresh air.
- after some adjectives
It's not easy to find work these days.
- after the verb to be, to give orders or to express an arrangement
You 're to stay here until I get back.
The President is to visit Poland next month.
- after would hate!likellovelprefer, with or without an object
Would you like me to do it now?
- after the following verbs
agree, appear, arrange, ask, attempt, choose, decide, demand, deserve, expect, help, hesitate,
hope, learn, manage, offer, prepare, pretend, refuse, seem, threaten
If you need any help, don't hesitate to contact me.
- after the following verbs + object
advise, allow, ask, challenge, enable, encourage, expect, force, get, help, intend, invite, order,
persuade, recommend, remind, teach, tell, urge, warn
My family encouraged me to go to university.
The bare infinitive (without to) is used:
- after modal verbs
I shouldn't eat this really, but I can't resist it.
- after the following verbs
had better, would rather/sooner, let, make
We'd better go home now - it's very late.
Can you help me tidy up, please?
In the passive, make is followed by the infinitive with to and instead of let we use allow
They made us do all the dirty work
We were made to do all the dirty jobs.
They will let us go there.
We will be allowed to go there.
The gerund is used:
•- as the subject, object or complement of a clause or sentence
Playing golf helps me relax, but I find watching television rather boring.
- after prepositions
We thought about going to France this year'.
- after the following verbs
admit, adore, advise, anticipate, appreciate, avoid, can't help, can't stand, consider, delay, deny,
detest, dislike, dread, enjoy, feel like, give up, hate, imagine, involve, keep, like, love, (don't)
mind, miss, postpone, practice ,prefer, prevent, propose, put off, recommend, resent, resist, risk,
suggest
I resent having to do all the housework myself
- after the following verbs + the preposition to
adapt/adjust to, admit to, confess to, get round to, get used to, look forward to, object to
She confessed to being surprised by her success.
- after the following expressions
have difficulty/problems, there's no/little point, it's no good/use, it's (not) worth
It's no use asking him - he won't know the answer.
The following verbs can be followed by the gerund or the
infinitive with to with no change in meaning:
begin, continue, start
She suddenly started singing/to sing.
The following verbs can be followed by the gerund or the infinitive with to, but with a change in
meaning:
forget, mean, regret, remember, stop, try, go on
The infinitive is used with remember, forget, regret when the act of remembering, etc comes
first. The gerund is used when it comes second.
I must remember to post this lette1' later.
I distinctly remember posting the letter yesterday.
Her car broke down and no one stopped to help her.
I've stopped eating chocolate.
When regret is followed by the infinitive with to, it is normally used with verbs such as say, tell
and inform. This use is formal.
We regret to inform you that your application has been unsuccessful.
I regret telling him about my holiday plans.
try + infinitive with to means attempt. try + gerund means experiment with.
Please be quiet - I'm trying to sleep.
If you can't sleep, try using earplugs.
mean + infinitive with to means intend. mean + gerund means involve.
I've been meaning to write to you for ages.
Changing jobs also meant changing house.
Go on + gerund means to continue with the action in the gerund.
He went on speaking for two hours.
I can't go on working like this - I'm exhausted.
Even after I apologized, he went on being angry for another month.
The show will go on playing through the end of the year.
Go on + infinitive means to do the next action, which is often the next stage in a process
described in the context.
After introducing her proposal, she went on to explain the benefits for the company.
John Smith worked in local government for five years, then went on to become a Member of
Parliament.
After making dinner, I went on to set the table.
When you're done with your soup, you can go on to serve the main dish.
