When to use ing when to use to

Gerunds and infinitives

A The gerund is used in the following cases:

1 as the subject/object/complement of a clause or sentence.

Subject:Reading in the car makes me feel sick.

Object: I find shopping for clothes really boring.

Complement:My favourite sport is swimming.

2 after prepositions.

I'm not very good at making things.

NB

to is a preposition in the following verbs:

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

I can't get used to living without her.

3 after certain verbs.

Peter suggested going for a picnic.

B The infinitive with to is used: to express purpose.

I’m learning English to help me get a better job.

2 after many adjectives, e.g surprised, delighted, disappointed, easy, happy, important, lucky, necessary, normal, possible, surprised.

I was surprised to hear she had failed the exam.

3 after certain verbs.

He offered to give her a lift, but she decided to go by train instead.

C Gerunds and infinitives after verbs

1 Verb + gerund

Have you finished cleaning your room?

The following verbs, like finish, are normally followed by the gerund:

a Certain verbs expressing likes and dislikes: adore, detest, dislike, enjoy, don't mind, can't stand

b Other verbs: admit, avoid, can't help, consider, delay, deny, feel like, forgive, give up, imagine, involve, keep, mind, miss, postpone, put off, practise, prevent, resist, risk, suggest

2 Verb+ infinitive with to

He promised not to tell anyone what she had said.

a The following verbs, like: promise, are normally followed by the infinitive with to: [can't] afford, agree, appear, arrange, ask, attempt, choose, decide, deserve, expect, help, hesitate, hope, learn, manage, offer, prepare, pretend, ref use, seem.

b The infinitive with to is also used after:

would like, would love, would hate, would prefer:

Verb + gerund or infinitive

a   Like, love, hate and prefer are usually followed by the gerund, However, the infinitive is also possible with little, if any, difference in meaning.

I love going/to go for long walks in the hills.

The infinitive is common for specific situations:

I hate to interrupt, but we really must be going.

b Begin, start, continue and intend can be followed by the gerund or infinitive with no change in meaning.

When I arrived, it started to rain/raining.

c Forget, remember, go on, mean, need, regret, stop and try can be followed by the gerund or the infinitive, but with a change in meaning.

remember/forget + gerund = (not) lo recall a previous action

I remember coming here when I was young.

Jill never forget seeing us in concert.

remember/forget + infinitive= (not) to remember what you have to do

We must remember to feed the cat before we go.

Don't forget to phone me if you need any help.

go on + gerund = to continue with the same activity

Some footballers go on playing professionally until they're nearly 40

go on + infinitive = to change to a different activity

After a successful career as a football player;Johan Cruyff went on to become a respected manager.

mean + gerund = to involve

Dieting usually means giving up things you enjoy.

mean + infinitive = to intend

I meant to phone the electrician but I forgot.

need + gerund = (passive meaning)

This house needs painting. (= needs to be painted)

need + infinitive = (active meaning)

I need to get some new shoes.

regret + gerund = to be sorry for a previous action

I regret going to see that film: it was so boring.

regret + infinitive = to be sorry for what you are going to say (formal use)

We regret to inform you that we are unable to repair your washing machine.

stop+ gerund= to stop an activity you are doing

I've stopped smoking:

stop + infinitive = to stop doing one thing in order to do another

If you 're driving long distances, you should stop to have a rest every two hours.

 try + gerund = to experiment in order to see what will happen

Try resting for a while: you might feel better then.

try + infinitive = to make an effort; lo attempt to do something

Alan tried to stop the thief as he ran away.

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