Gerund vs Infinitive: Common Verbs
One of the trickiest aspects of English grammar is knowing whether to use a gerund (verb + -ing) or an infinitive (to + verb) after certain verbs. Many common verbs in English are followed by only one of these forms, and using the wrong one can sound unnatural or even change the meaning of your sentence.
Some verbs are always followed by a gerund. For example: "I enjoy reading books," "She avoids eating fast food," and "They finished working on the project." Other verbs require an infinitive: "I want to learn Spanish," "He decided to leave early," and "We hope to visit Paris someday."
Learning which verbs take gerunds and which take infinitives is largely a matter of memorization and practice. Common verbs that take gerunds include: enjoy, avoid, finish, mind, suggest, and consider. Common verbs that take infinitives include: want, need, decide, hope, plan, and agree. With regular practice, choosing the correct form will become second nature!
Try the quiz to check your knowledge!
Choose the correct word to complete the sentence.
After a long day at work, I like to unwind. I really enjoy ___ podcasts while cooking dinner.
The correct answer is listening.
The verb pattern is enjoy + gerund (-ing form). We always use the -ing form after "enjoy."
Choose the correct word to complete the sentence.
My friend texted me about weekend plans. She decided ___ a new café downtown.
The correct answer is to try.
The verb pattern is decide + to-infinitive (to + base verb). We always use "to + verb" after "decide."
The correct answer is to join.
Decide + to-infinitive: The verb "decide" is always followed by the infinitive (to + base verb). Say: "I decided to join," not "I decided joining."
Choose the correct word to complete the sentence.
I've been studying hard for my exam next week. I hope ___ a good grade! 🤞
The correct answer is to get.
The verb pattern is hope + to-infinitive (to + base verb). We always use "to + verb" after "hope."
The correct answers are taking and driving.
Suggest + gerund: Say "suggest taking," not "suggest to take." Avoid + gerund: Say "avoid driving," not "avoid to drive." Both verbs require the -ing form!
The correct answer is to go.
Error: decide + gerund → Correct: decide + to-infinitive. The verb "decide" must be followed by the infinitive form. Always say "decided to go," never "decided going."
The correct answers are I enjoy relaxing on Sunday mornings and I want to visit the new café downtown.
The pattern is enjoy + gerund and want + to-infinitive. Errors like "enjoy to watch" or "want relaxing" mix up these patterns.
The correct answers are We decided to study together tonight and She suggested meeting at the library.
The pattern is decide + to-infinitive and suggest + gerund. Error: decided studying → Correct: decide + to-infinitive. Error: suggested to meet → Correct: suggest + gerund.
The correct answers are I decided going home early because I was tired and She hopes seeing you at the party tomorrow.
Error: decided going → Correct: decide + to-infinitive (decided to go). Error: hopes seeing → Correct: hope + to-infinitive (hopes to see). The other sentences correctly use agree + to-infinitive and keep + gerund.
The correct answers are I try to avoid eating junk food late at night and I finally finished writing my workout plan!.
The pattern is avoid + gerund and finish + gerund. Error: avoid to drink → Correct: avoid + gerund (avoid drinking). Error: finished to clean → Correct: finish + gerund (finished cleaning).
Drag the correct words to complete the sentences.
🏋️ It's Monday morning and you're planning your week!
I enjoy exercising after work. My friend wants to join me at the gym tonight.
The correct answer for the first blank is exercising.
The pattern is enjoy + gerund (-ing form). We say "enjoy exercising," not "enjoy to exercise."
The correct answer for the second blank is to join.
The pattern is want + to-infinitive. We say "wants to join," not "wants joining."
Drag the correct words to complete the sentences.
📱 You're texting your study buddy about tomorrow's exam.
I decided to study all evening. Can you suggest meeting at the library?
The correct answer for the first blank is to study.
The pattern is decide + to-infinitive. We say "decided to study," not "decided studying."
The correct answer for the second blank is meeting.
The pattern is suggest + gerund (-ing form). We say "suggest meeting," not "suggest to meet."
Drag the correct words to complete the sentences.
✈️ You're chatting with a colleague about your vacation plans.
I hope to visit Spain this summer. I always avoid traveling during peak season—too crowded!
The correct answer for the first blank is to visit.
The pattern is hope + to-infinitive. We say "hope to visit," not "hope visiting."
The correct answer for the second blank is traveling.
The pattern is avoid + gerund (-ing form). We say "avoid traveling," not "avoid to travel."
Gerund
If you've ever said I enjoy to read or good at to swim and wondered why it sounded wrong, you've met the gerund. English is fussy about which structures take -ing and which take to + verb, and getting this wrong is one of the most common giveaways that someone learned grammar from a list rather than from real usage.
A gerund is the -ing form of a verb acting as a noun — reading, swimming, being late. After many common verbs (enjoy, avoid, finish) and after every preposition, English demands the gerund, never the infinitive.
Infinitive
If you've ever written I enjoy to swim or He let me to go and only later learned why both are wrong — you've hit the infinitive's main puzzle. English is fussy: some verbs demand the to-infinitive, some demand the bare infinitive, some demand the gerund, and a few accept multiple options with different meanings (remember to lock vs remember locking).
The infinitive is the basic form of a verb, used non-finitely. The to-infinitive (to go) follows verbs like want, decide, plan; the bare infinitive (go) follows modal verbs (can, will) and causatives (Let him go).
Verb
If grammar feels overwhelming, the fix is almost always to focus on verbs first. They carry the action, the time, the mood, and the voice — a single verb form decides whether your sentence reads as past or present, fact or hypothetical, active or passive. Get verbs solid and the rest of grammar suddenly looks much smaller.
A verb expresses action, state, or occurrence — the engine of every English sentence. Most verbs have five forms (base, -s, past tense, past participle, -ing); be has eight; modal verbs have fewer. Verbs carry tense, aspect, mood, and voice.
A2 | Elementary | Pre-intermediate
If you can order coffee, ask for directions, and tell someone what you did yesterday — but struggle the moment the conversation drifts into anything abstract — you're operating at A2. Knowing this matters: A2 is the level where most learners plateau because they reach for B2 material too early and burn out. Stay here and your foundations get unbreakable.
A2 is the elementary level in the CEFR framework, covering routine communication and the first wave of real grammar: past simple and continuous, present perfect, basic modal verbs, first conditional, and common verb-pattern rules.
B1 | Intermediate
If you can hold a conversation about your weekend, explain why you're late, and follow a short news story without panicking — but still feel lost in fast or technical English — you're probably operating at B1. Knowing this matters: study material at the wrong level either bores you or burns you out, and B1 is the typical target for travel, casual work, and most everyday social English.
B1 is the intermediate level in the CEFR framework, where you handle everyday English independently and start combining ideas with complex sentences, passive voice, and modal verbs.
Difficulty: Easy
If a textbook leaves you confused, sometimes the issue isn't the topic — it's that the practice material is layered with extra complications. Filtering by Easy strips that away. You get one rule at a time, in plain everyday language, with no trick questions. It's how you make a shaky foundation solid before stacking more on top.
The Easy difficulty tag marks beginner-level questions and challenges — typically A1 or early A2. Single-rule focus, short sentences, common vocabulary, one clear correct answer.