53. Verb + -ing (enjoy doing / stop doing etc.)
After enjoy, mind and suggest, we use -ing (not to …)
Some more verbs that are folowed by -ing
stop | postpone | admit | avoid | imagine |
finish | consider | deny | risk | fancy |
We also use -ing after:
give up | (= stop) |
put off | (= postpone) |
go on of carry on | (= continue) |
keep or keep on | (= (do something continuously or repeatedly) |
With some verbs you can use the structure verb + somebody + -ing:
- I can’t imagine George riding a motorbike
- You can’t stop me doing what I want
- Did you really say that? I don’t remember you saing that
- ‘Sorry to keep you waiting so long.’ ‘That’s all right’
Note the passive form (being done / seen / kept etc.)
I don’t mind being kept waiting. (= I don’t mind people keeping me …)
When you are talking about finished actions, you can say having done / stolen / said etc.
They admintted having stolen the money
But it is not necessary to use having (done). You can also say:
They admitted stealing the money
After some of the verbs on this page (especially admit / deny / suggest) you can also use that …
- They denied that they had stolen the money. (or They denied stealing …)
- Chris suggested that we went to the cinema. (or Sam suggested going …)
54. Verb + to … (decide to … / forget to … etc.).
offer | decide | hope | deserve | promise |
agree | plan | manage | afford | threaten |
refuse | arrange | fail | forget | learn |
After these verbs you can use to …(infinitive):
After some verbs to … is not possible. For example, enjoy / think / suggest:
For verb + -ing. see Unit 53. For verb + preposition + -ing. See Unit 62.
After dare you can use the infinitive with or without to:
I wouldn’t dare to tell him. or I wouldn’t dare teel him
But after dare not (or daren’t). you must use the infinitive without to:
I daren’t tell him what happened. (not I daren’t to tell him)
We also use to … after:
seem | appear | tend | pretend | claim |
There is also a continuous infinitive (to be doing) and a perfect infinitive (to have done):
- I pretended to be reading the paper. (= I pretended that I was reading)
- You seem to have lost weight. (= it seems that you have lost weight)
- Joe seems to be enjoying his new job. (= it seems that he is enjoying it)
After some verbs you can use a question word (what / whether / how etc.) + to …, We use this structure especially after:
ask | decide | know | remember | forget | explain | learn | understand |
We asked | how | to get | to the station |
Have you decide | where | to go | for your holidays? |
I don’t know | whether | to apply | for the job or not. |
Do you understand | what | to do? |
Also
show / tell / ask / advise / teach somebody what / how / where to do something:
- Can somebody show me how to use this camera?
- Ask Jack. He’ll tell you what to do.
55. Verb (+ object) + to… (I want you to… etc.)
want | ask | help | would like |
expect | beg | mean (= intend) | would prefer |
These verbs are followed by to… (infinitive). The structure can be.
verb + to… | or | verb + object + to… |
---|---|---|
We expected to be late. | We expected Dan to be late. | |
Would you like to go now? | Would you like me to go now? | |
He doesn’t want to know. | He doesn’t want anybody to know. |
Do not say ‘want that’:
Do you want me to come with you? (not Do you want that I come)
After help you can use the infinitive with or without to. So you can say:
Can you help me to move this table? or Can you help me move this table?
tell | remind | force | encourage | teach | enable |
order | warn | invite | presuade | get (= persuade) |
These verbs have the structure verb + object + to…
In the next example, the verb is passive (I was warned / we were told etc.)
I was warned not to touch switch.
You cannot use suggest with the structure verb + object + to…:
Jane suggested that I ask your advice. (not Jane suggested me to ask)
After advise and allow, two structures are possible. Compare:
verb + ing… (without an object) | or | verb + object + to… |
---|---|---|
I wouldn’t advise staying in that hotel | I wouldn’t advise anybody to stay in that hotel | |
They don’t allow parking in front of the building. | They don’t allow people to park in front of the building | |
Study these examples with (be) allowed (passive): | ||
Parking isn’t allowed in front of the building. | You aren’t allowed to park in front of the building |
Make and let
These verbs have the structure verb + object + infinitive (without to):
- I made him promise that he wouldn’t tell anybody what happened. (not to promise)
- Hot weather makes me feel tired. (= causes me to feel tired)
We say ‘make somebody do’ (not to do), but in the passive we say ‘made to do’ (with to):
We were made to wait for two hours. (= They made us wait …)
56. Verb + -ing or to… 1(remember / regret etc.)
admit | fancy | postpone | afford | fail | offer | |
avoid | finish | risk | agree | forget | plan | |
consider | imagine | stop | arrange | hope | promise | |
deny | keep (on) | suggest | decide | learn | refuse | |
enjoy | mid | deserbe | manage | threaten | ||
For examples, | See | Unit 53 | For examples, | see | Unit 54 |
Some verbs can be followed by -ing or to… with a difference of meaning:
rememver
I remember doing something = I did it and now I remember this | I remembered to do something = I remembered that I had to do it, so I did it | |
---|---|---|
You remember doing something after you have done it. | You remember to do something before you do it. | |
I know I locked the door. I clearly remember locking it. (I locked it, and now I remember this) | I remembered to lock the door, but I forget to shut the windows. (= I remembered that I had to lock it, and so I locked it) |
regret
I regret doing something = I did it and now I’m sorry about it. | I regret to say / to tell you / to inform you = I’m sorry that I have to say (etc.) | |
---|---|---|
I now regret saying what I said, I shouldn’t have said it. | (form a formal letter) We regret to inform you that your application has been unsuccessful. | |
Do you regret not going to college? |
go on
Go on doing something = continue with the same thing | Go on to do something = do or say something new | |
---|---|---|
The president paused for a moment and then went on talking. | After discussing the economy, the president then went on to talk about foreign policy. | |
We need to change, We can’t go on living like this. |
The following verbs can be followed by -ing or to… with no difference of meaning:
begin | start | continue | intend | bother |
---|---|---|---|---|
So you can say:
- It started buting a house. or It syaryed to rain.
- Andy intends buying a house. or Andy intends to buy…
- Don’t bother locking the door. or Don’t bother to lock…
But normally we do not use -ing after -ing.
It’s starting to rain. (not It’s starting raining).
57. Verb + -ing or to… 2(try / need / help)
Try to… and try -ing
Try to do = attempt to do, make an effort to do:
I was very tired. Tried to keep my eyes open, but I couldn’t.
Try also means ‘do something as an experiment or test’. For example
These cakes are delicious. You should try one. (= you should have one to see if you like it)
If try (with thiiis meaning) is followed by a verb. we say trying
Try pressing the green button. (= press the green buoon - perhaps whis will help to solve the problem)
Compare:
- I tried to move the table, but it was too heavy. (so I couldn’t move it)
- I didn’t like the way the furniture was arranged, so I tried moving the table to the other side of the room. But it didn’t look right, so I moved it back again.
Need to… and need -ing
I need to do something = it is necessary for me to do it
- I need to get more exercise.
- He needs to work harder if he wants to make progress.
Something needs doing = it needs to be done
- My phone needs charging. (= it needs to be charged)
- Do you think this jacket needs cleaning? (= … needs to be cleaned)
- It’s a difficult problem. It needs thinking about very carefully. (= it needs to be thought about)
Help and can’t help
You can say help to do or help do (with or without to):
Everybody helped to clean up after the party. or Everybody helped clean up…
I can’t help doing something = I can’t stop myself doing it:
I don’t like him, but he has a lot of problems. I can’t help feeling sorry for him
She tried to be serious, but she couldn’t help laughing, (= sge ciykdb’t stio herself laughing)
I’m sorry I’m si nervous. I can’t help it. (= I can’t help being nervous)
58. Verb + -ing or to… 3(like / would like etc.)
Like / love / hate
When you talk about repeated actions, you can use -ing or to… after these verbs.
- Do you like getting up early? or Do you like to get up early?
- Stephanie hates flying. or Stephanie hates to fly.
- I love meeting people. or I love to meet people.
- I don’t like being kept waiting. or …like to be kept waiting.
- I don’t like friends calling me at work. or …friends to call me at work.
but
We use -ing (not to…) when we talk about a situation that already exits (or existed).
- Paul lives in Berlin now. He likes living there. (He likes living in Berlin = He lives there and he likes it)
- Do you like being a student? (You are a student - do you like it?)
- The office I worked in was horrible. I hated working there. (I worked there and I hated it)
There is sometimes a difference between I like to do and I like doing:
- I like doing something = I do it and I enjoy it
I like cleaning the kitchen. (= I enjoy it)
- I like to do something = I think it is a good thing to do, but I don’t necessarily enjoy it.
It’s not my favourite job, but I like to clean the kitchen as often as possible.
Note that enjoy and mind are always followed by -ing (not to…)
- I enjoy cleaning the kitchen. (not I enjoy to clean)
- I don’t mind cleaning the kitchen. (not I don’t mind to clean)
Would like / would love / would hate / would prefer
Would like / would liove etc. are usually followed by to…
Compare I like and I would like (I’d like):
- I like playing tennis. / I like to play tennis. (= I like it in general)
- I’d like to play tennis today. (= I want to play today)
Would mind is always followed by -ing (not to…):
Would you mind closing the door, please?
I would like to have done something = I regret now that I didn’t or couldn’t do it:
It’s a shame we didn’t see Anna when we were in London. I wouldn’t like to have seen her again.
You can use the same structure after would love / would hate / would prefer.
- Proo David! I would hate to have been in his position.
- I’d live to have gone to the party, but it was impossible.
59. Prefer and would rather
Prefer to do and prefer doing
You can use ‘prefer to (do)’ or ‘prefer -ing’ tp say what you prefer in general:
Study the differences in sturcture after prefer. We say:
I prefer | something | to something else | |
I prefer | doing something | to doing something else | |
but | I prefer | to do something | rather than (do) something else |
I prefer | this coat | to the coat you were wearing yesterday | |
I prefer | driving | to travelling by train | |
but | I prefer | to drive | rather than travel by train |
Sarah prefers | to live in the country | rather than (live) in a city |
Would prefer (I’d prefer …)
We use would prefer to say what somebody wants in a specific situation (not in general):
‘Would you prefer tea or coffee?’ ‘Coffeem please’
We say ‘would prefer to do something’ (not usually would prefer doing)
‘Shall we go by train?’ ‘I’d prefer to drive.’ (not I’d prefer driving)
Would rather (I’d rather …)
Would rather (do) = would prefer (to do). We use would rather + infinitive (without to).
The negative is ‘I’d rather not (do something)’
We say ‘would rather do something than do something else’
I’d rather somebody did something
We say I’d rather you did something’ (not I’d rather you do).
‘Who’s going to drive, you or me?’ ‘I’d rather you drove.’
In this structure we use the past (drove, did etc.). but the meaning is present not past:
Compare:
- I’d rather make dinner now.
- I’d rather you made dinner now. (not I’d rather you make)
I’d rather you didn’t (do something) = I’d prefer you not to do it:
I’d rather you didn’t tell anyone what I said.
60. Prepostition (in / for / about etc.) + -ing
If a prepostion (in / for / about etc.) is followed by a verb, the verb ends in -ing:
prepostion | verb(-ing) | ||
---|---|---|---|
Are you interested | in | working | for us? |
I’m not good | at | learning | languages |
Sue must be fed up | with | studying | |
What are the adbamtages | of | having | a car? |
Thanks very much | for | inviting | me to your party |
How | about | meeting | for lunch tomorrow? |
Why don’t you go out | instead of | sitting | at home all the time? |
Amy went to work | in spite of | feeling | ill |
You can also say ‘instead of somebody doing something’, ‘fed up with people doing something’ etc
I’m fed up with people telling me what to do.
Note the use of the following prepositions + -ing.
before -ing and after -ing
- Before going out, I phoned Sarah. (not Before to go out)
- What did you do after finishing school?
You can also say ‘Before I went out …’ and ‘… after you finished school’
by -ing (to say how something happens)
- You can imporve your English by reading more.
- She made herself ill by not eating properly
without -ing
- We ran ten kilometres without stopping.
- It was a stupid thing to say. I said it without thinking.
To -ing (look forward to doing something etc.)
To is often part of the infinitive (to do / to see etc.)
We decided to travel by train
But to is also a prepostition (like in / for / about / with etc.).
We went from Paris to Geneva
If a preposition is followed by a verb, the verb ends in -ing:
I’m fed up with travelling by train.
So, when to is a preposition and it is followed by a verb, you must say to -ing
I prefer driving to travelling by train. (not to travel).
61. Be / get used to something (I’m used to …)
Lisa is American, but she lives in Britain. When she first drove a car in Britain, she found it very difficult because she had to drive on the left. not on the right. Driving on the left was strange and difficult for her because:
She wasn’t used to it.
She wasn’t used to driving on the left.But after a lot of practice, driving on the left became less strange. so:
She got used to driving on the left.
Not It’s no problem for Lisa:
She is used to driving on the left
I’m used to something = It is not new or strange for me:
After be / get used you cannot use the infinitive (to do / to drive etc.). We say:
She is used to driving on the left. (not She is used to drive)
Do not confuse I am used to doing and I used to do:
- I am used to (doing) something = it isn’t strange or new for me.
- I used to do something = I did it regularly in the past but no longer do it. You can use this only for the past, not for the present.
62. Verb + preposition + -ing (succeed in -ing / accuse somebody of -ing etc.)
Many verbs have the structure verb + preposition (in / for / about etc.) + object
verb | prepostion | object |
---|---|---|
We talked | about | the problem |
You must apologise | for | what you said |
If the object is another verb, it ends in -ing
verb | prepostion | object |
---|---|---|
We talked | about | going to South America |
You must apologise | for | not telling the truth |
Some more verbs with this structure
verb | prepostion | object | |
---|---|---|---|
approve (of) | He doesn’t approve | of | swearing. |
decide (against) | We have decided | against | moving to London |
dream (of) | I wouldn’t dream | of | asking them for money |
feel (like) | do you feel | like | going out tonight? |
insist (on) | They insisted | on | paying for the meal |
look forward (to) | I’m looking forward | to | meeting her |
succeed (in) | Have you succeeded | in | finding a job yet |
think (of / about) | I’m thinking | of about | buying a house. |
You can also say ‘approve of somebody doing something’, ‘look forward to somebody doing something’
- I don’t appove of people killing animals fo fun.
- We are all looking forward to Andy coming home.
The following verbs can have the structure verb + object + preposition + -ing:
verb | object | prepostion | -ing (object) | |
---|---|---|---|---|
accuse (of) | They accused | us | of | telling lies. |
contratulate (on) | We all congratulated | Lisa | on | winning the first prize |
excuse (for) | Excuse | me | for | phoning you so late. |
prevent (from) | What prevented | you | from | coming to see us? |
stop (from) | The rain didn’t stop | us | from | enjoyinh our holiday. |
suspect (of) | Nobody suspected | the general | of | being a spy. |
thank (for) | I forgot to thank | them | for | helping me. |
You can say ‘stop somebody doing’ or ‘stop somebody from doing’
You can’t stop me doing what I want. or You can’t stop me from doing what I want.
The following examples are with not -ing.
- They accused us of not telling the truth.
- Excuse me for not replying to your email until now.
Some of these verbs are often used in the passive.
- We were accused of telling lies.
- The general was suspected of being a spy
Note that we say ‘apologise to somebody for …’
I apologised to them for keeping them waiting. (not I apologised them)
63. Expressions + -ing
When these expressions are followed by a verb, the verb ends in -ing.
- It’s no use / It’s no good
There’s nothing you can do about the situation, so it’s no use worrying about it.
- There’s no point in…
There’s no point in having a car if you never use it.
But we usually say ‘the point of doing something’
What’s the point of having a car if you never use it?
It’s (not) worth…
I live only a short walk from here, so it’s not worth taking a taxi.
You can say that a film is worth seeing, a book is worth reading etc.
What was the film like? Was it worth seeing?
Thieves broke into the house, but didn’t take anything. There was nothing worth stealing
Have trouble -ingm have difficulty -ing.
Hava trouble / difficulty / a problem doing somethin:
I had no trouble finding a place to stay. (not trouble to find)
Spend time / waste time / be busy
spend / waste (time) doing something.
He spent hours trying to repair the dock.
(be) busy doing something
She said she couldn’t see me. She was too busy doing other things.
Go wimming / go fishing etc.
We use go -ing for a number of activities (especially sports)
go sailing | go swimming | go fishing | go skiing |
go camping | go surfing | go scuba diving | go jogging |
go riding | go hiking | go sightseeing | go shopping |
How often do you go swimming?
64. To…, for… and so that…
In these examples to… (to reserve … / to make … etc.) tell us the purpose of something: why somebody does something, has something, needs something etc. or why something exists.
I phoned the restaurant to reserbe a table.
We say ‘a place to park’, ‘something to eat’, ‘work to do’ etc.
It’s difficult to find a place to park in the centre. (= a place where you can park)
Also money / time / chance / opportunity / energy / courage (etc.) to do something
They gave us money to buy food.
Compare for… and to…:
for + noun | to + verb |
---|---|
We stopped for petrol | We stoppoed to get petrol |
I had to run for the bus | I had to run to catch the bus |
You can say ‘for somebody to do something’
There weren’t any chairs for us to sit on, so we sat on the floor.
You can use for -ing or to… to talk about the general purpose of something, or what it is generally used for:
I use this brush for washing the dishes. or … to wash the dishes.
But we do not use for -ing to say why somebody does something:
I went into the kitchen to wash the dishes. (not for washing)
You can use What… for? to ask about purpose:
What is this switch for?
So that
We use so that (not to…) especoally.
When the purpose is negative (so that… won’t / wouldn’t)
I hurried so that I wouldn’t be late. (= because I didn’t want to be late)
with can and could (so that… can / could)
She’s learning English so that she can study in Canada.
You can leave out that. So you can say:
I hurried so that I wouldn’t be late. or I hurried so I wouldn’t be late.
65. Adjective + to…
Difficult to understand etc.
Compare semtemces (a) and (b):
- It is difficult to understand him.
- He is difficult to understand.
You can use the same structures with:
easy | nice | safe | cheap | exciting | impossible |
hard | good | dangerous | expensive | interesting |
You can also use this structure with adjective + noun:
This is a difficult question (for me) to answer. (not to answer it)
Nice of (you) to…
You can say ‘It’s nice of somebody to do something’
It was nice of you to take me to the airport. Thank you very much.
You can use many other adjectives in this way. For example:
kind | (in) considerate | generous | mean | careless | silly | stupid | unfair |
Sorry to .. / surprised to…etc.
You can use adjective + to … to say how somebody reacts to something:
I’m sorry to hear that your mother isn’t well.
You can use many other adjectives in this way. For example:
glad | pleased | relieved | suprised | amazed | sad | disappointed |
The first / the next (etc) + to…
You can use to… after the first / second / third etc, and also after the last / the next / the only
- If I have any more new, you will be the first (person) to know
- The next train to arrive at platform 4 will be the 10.50 to Liverpool.
- Everybody was late except me. I was the only one to arrive on time.
You can say that something is sure / certain / likely / bound to happen:
- Carla is a very good student. She’s bound to pass the exam. (= she is sure to pass)
- I’m likely to get home late tonight. (= I will probably get home late).
66. To… (afraid to do) and preposition + -ing (afraid of -ing)
Afraid to (do) and afraid of (do)ing
I am afraid to do something = I don’t want to do it because it is dangerous or the result could be bad.
We use afraid to do for thing we do intentionally; we can choose to do them or not:
This part of town is dangerous. People are afraid to walk here at night. (= they don’t want to walk here because it is dangerous - so they don’t)
I am afraid of something happening = it is possible that something bad will happen (for exampl, an acciden)
We do not use afraid of -ing for thing we do intentionally:
The path was icy, so we walked very carefully, We were afraid of falling. (= it path possible that we would fall - not we were afraid to fall)
So, you are afraid to do something because you are afraid of something happening as a result.
I was afraid to go near the dog because I was afraid of being bitten.
Interested in (do)ing and interested to (do)
I’m interested in doing something = I’m thinking of doing it, I would like to do it:
Let me know if you’re interested in joining the club. (not to join)
We use interested to… to say how somebody reacts to what they hear / see / read / learn / know / find. For example. ‘I was interested to hear it’ = I heard it and it was interesting for me.
I was interested to hear that Tanya left her job.
This structure is the same as surprised to… / glad to… etc. (see Unit 65C):
I was surprised to hear that Tanya left her job.
Sorry to (do) and sorry for / about (do)ing
We use sorry to… to say we regrey something that happens(see Unit 65C):
We also say sorry to… to apologise at the time we do something:
I’m sorry to phone you so late, but I need to ask you something.
You can use sorry for or sorry about (doing something) to apologise for something you did before.
I’m sorry for (or about) shouting at you yesterday. (not sorry to shout)
You can also say:
I’m sorry I shouted at you yesterday.
we say: | ||
---|---|---|
I want to (do) / I’d like to (do) | but | I’m thinking of (do)ing / I dream of (do)ing |
I failed to (do) | but | I succeeded in (do)ing |
I allowed them to (do) | but | I prevented them from (do)ing |
I stopped them from (do)ing |
67. See somebody do and see somebody doing
I saw him do something = he did something (past simple) and I saw this. I saw the complete action from beginning to end:
- He fell off the wall. I saw this. > I saw him fall off the wall
- The accident happened. Did you see it? > Did you see the accident happen?
I saw him doing something = he was doing something (past continuous) and I saw this. I saw gim when he was in the middle of doing it. This does not mean that I saw the complete action:
- He was walk along the street. |||| U saw this when I drove past in my car.
- I saw him walking along the street.
Sometimes the difference is not important and you can use either form:
I’ve never seen her dance. or I’ve never seen her dancing.
We use these structures with see and hear, and a number of other verbs:
- I didn’t hear you come in. (you came in - I didn’t hear this)
- Did you notice anyone go out?
- I could hear it raining. (it was raining - I could hear it)
- Can you smeel something burning?
68. -ing clauses (Feeling tired, I went to bed early)
- Joe hurt his knee playing football.
- Feeling tired. I went to bed early.
If the -ing clause is at the beginnig of the sentence (as in the second example), we write a comma (,) after it.
When two things happen at the same time, you can use an -ing clause:
- Kate is in the kitchen making coffee. (= she is in the kitchen making coffee)
- A man ran out of the house shouting. (= he ran out of the house and he was shouting)
We also use 0ing when one action happens during another action. We use -ing for the longer action.
- Joe hurt his knee playing football. (= while he was playing)
- Did you cut yourself shaving? (= while you were shaving)
You can also use -ing after while or when:
- Joe hurt his knee while playing football.
- Be careful when crossing the road. (= when you are crossing)
When one action happens before another action, we use having (done) for the first action:
- Having found a hotel, we looked for somewhere to have dinner.
- Having finished her work, she went home.
You can also say after -ing:
After finishingher work, she went home.
If one short action follows another short action, you can use the simple -ing form (doing instead of having done) for the first action:
Taking a key out of his pocket, he opened the door.
These structures are used more in written English than in spoken English.
You can use an -ing clause to explain something, or to say why somebody does something.
The -ing clause usually comes at the beginning of the sentence:
- Feeling tired, I went to bed early. (= because I felt tired)
- Being unemployed, he doesn’t have much money. (= because he is unemployed)
- Noy having a car, she finds it difficult to get around. (= because she doesn’t have a car)
Use having (done) for something that happened before something else:
Having already seen the film twice, I didn’t want to see it again. (= because I had already seen it twice)
These structures are used more in written English than in spoken English.