Grammar essentials: Verbs followed by TO + VERB or VERB-ING can change the meaning
By
Kevin
on October 12 2019
Some verbs can be followed by either an infinitive (to + verb) or a gerund (verb-ing). For instance, these sentences are both grammatically correct: "Remember to study", and "Remember studying." However, the meanings are quite different, as you shall see.
Here are 12 of the most common of these verbs:
| stop |
remember |
forget |
regret |
| try |
mean |
go on |
dread |
| need |
want |
hate |
like |
Let's investigate each one. Some of the meanings are clear and don't need explanation. Others may be confusing, so I have added short explanations where necessary.
1. Stop
| STOP doing |
|---|
End an activity.
|
| Mike stopped smoking last month. |
(Mike doesn’t smoke anymore.) |
|
I stopped going to that restaurant because the prices were ridiculous.
|
(I don’t go to that restaurant anymore.)
|
| STOP to do |
|---|
Stop one activity and then do something else.
|
| I stopped to buy some petrol at the filling station. |
(I was driving, then I stopped and bought petrol.)
|
| She stopped to look at something in a shop window. |
(She was walking along the street, then she stopped and looked in the shop window.) |
2. Remember
| REMEMBER doing |
|---|
Remember something that you did before.
|
| I remember meeting him at a party in London. |
(I met him in the past, and now I remember it.) |
| Where are my keys? I remember putting them on top of the microwave. |
(I put the keys there before, and now I remember it.) |
| REMEMBER to do |
|---|
Remember and then do something.
|
| Don't worry. I remembered to turn off the cooker before we left the house. |
(I remembered, and then I turned off the cooker.) |
| Did you remember to phone for a taxi? |
(Did you remember, and then phone for a taxi?) |
3. Forget
| FORGET doing |
|---|
Forget something that you did in the past.
|
| I’d forgotten telling you that piece of news, but if you say I did, I must have! |
(I told you that piece of news, then I forgot that I had told you.) |
| I'll never forget travelling by plane for the first time. |
(I travelled by plane sometime before, and now I won’t forget it.) |
| She can’t forget trying snails for the first time. |
(She tried snails in the past, and she can’t forget the experience.) |
| FORGET to do |
|---|
Forget, and as a result, not do something.
|
| Oh, no! I forgot to phone Tom and tell him I can't meet him tonight. |
(I was supposed to phone Tom, but then I forgot so I didn’t phone him.) |
| You forgot to pay the electricity bill, and now they’ve cut us off. |
(You were supposed to pay the electricity bill, but you forgot and didn’t do it.) |
4. Regret
| REGRET doing |
|---|
Be sorry about something you did in the past.
|
| I regret spending all my money yesterday. Now I can't afford to go out tonight. |
(I’m sorry I spent all my money yesterday.) |
| I really regret taking this job. |
(I’m really sorry that I took this job.) |
| REGRET to do |
|---|
Be sorry about something you are about to do.
|
| I regret to say that your job application has been unsuccessful. |
(I’m sorry to say this, but your job application has been unsuccessful.) |
| British Airways regrets to announce a delay in the departure of flight BA007 to Calcutta. |
(British Airways is sorry to announce the fact that there is a delay in the departure of flight BA007 to Calcutta.) |
5. Try
| TRY doing |
|---|
Do something as an experiment. The action is possible, but the result is unknown.
|
| It's hot in here. Let’s try opening a window and see if it makes any difference. |
(It’s possible to open a window, so we’ll do that as an experiment.) |
| If your coffee is bitter, try putting more milk in it. |
(Put more milk in, which is easy to do, then see what the result is.) |
| TRY to do |
|---|
Make an attempt—do one's best. It is not certain whether the action is actually possible or not.
|
| I've left my house key inside so I'll have to try to open one of the windows. |
(I’m not sure if I can open a window, but I’ll attempt to do so.) |
| Tony’s going to try to put 6 hardboiled eggs into his mouth to set a new world record. |
(Tony’s not sure if he can actually put 6 eggs into his mouth, but he’s going to attempt it.)
|
6. Mean
| MEAN doing |
|---|
Involve; require.
|
| I won't take the job if it means moving away from my family. |
(I won't take the job if it requires me to move away from my family.) |
| Flying from here to Bali means changing planes twice. |
(Flying from here to Bali requires you to change planes twice.) |
| MEAN to do |
|---|
Intend to do.
|
| I mean to study hard and pass all my exams. |
(I intend to study hard and pass all my exams.) |
| The company means to implement cost-cutting measures as of the next quarter. |
(The company intends to implement cost-cutting measures as of the next quarter. |
7. Go on
| GO ON doing |
|---|
Continue doing the same thing, longer than expected.
|
| Janet went on working all afternoon. |
(Janet continued working all afternoon.) |
| The guy at the party went on talking about his hobby for nearly an hour. |
(The guy at the party continued talking about his hobby for nearly an hour.)
|
| GO ON to do |
|---|
Finish doing one activity, and then start to do something else.
|
| She finished painting the house then went on to repair the garage window. |
(She finished painting the house then, later, repaired the garage window.) |
| Professor Smith described the causes of WW1 then went on to talk about the consequences. |
(Professor Smith described the causes of WW1, then, continuing her lecture, spoke about the consequences.) |
8. Dread
| DREAD doing |
|---|
Be scared of doing something.
|
| She really dreads going to the dentist. It makes her very anxious. |
(She is really scared of going to the dentist. It makes her very anxious.)
|
| I used to dread getting my school report at the end of each term. |
(I used to be terrified of getting my school report at the end of each term.) |
| DREAD to do |
|---|
Not want to do something.
|
| I dread to think what the boss is going to say when she finds out what you have done. |
(I absolutely do not want to think about what the boss is going to say when she finds out what you have done.)
|
| Nigel dreaded to imagine how his mother would react on hearing the bad news. |
(Nigel really did not want to imagine how his mother would react on hearing the bad news.) |
9. Need
| NEED doing |
|---|
Needs to be done—passive meaning.
|
| The oil in my car really needs checking. |
(The oil in my car really needs to be checked.) |
| I think our garage door needs replacing. |
(I think our garage door needs to be replaced.) |
| NEED to do |
|---|
Have a necessity to do something—active meaning.
|
| I really need to check the oil in my car. |
(I definitely have to check the oil in my car.) |
| We need to replace our garage door. |
(We definitely have to replace our garage door.) |
10. Want
| WANT doing |
|---|
Need to be done—passive meaning.
|
| These windows want cleaning—they're filthy. |
(These windows need to be cleaned.) |
I have some shoes that want repairing.
|
(I have some shoes that need to be repaired.)
|
| WANT to do |
|---|
Would like to do—active meaning.
|
| I want to leave early tomorrow morning as I have an important meeting. |
(I would like to leave early tomorrow morning as I have an important meeting.) |
| Do you want to book a taxi to the airport tomorrow? |
(Would you like to book a taxi to the airport tomorrow?) |
11. Hate
| HATE doing |
|---|
Dislike very much.
|
| I hate arriving late for appointments. |
(I intensely dislike arriving late for appointments.) |
Beryl really hates waking up early.
|
(Beryl really, really doesn't like waking up early.)
|
| HATE to do |
|---|
a) Dislike very much.
|
| I hate to arrive late for interviews. |
(I intensely dislike arriving late for interviews.) |
| Most people hate to wait in long queues. |
(Most people really do not like to wait in long queues.) |
b) Be sorry about what you are going to say or do because you think it is unpleasant or not correct to do.
|
| I hate to interrupt, but I need to speak to you for a second. |
(I know it's not correct to interrupt, and I don't want to, but I need to speak to you for a second) |
| I hate to say it, but I’m pretty sure this plan won’t work. |
(I know this isn't a pleasant thing to say, but I’m pretty sure this plan won’t work.) |
12. Like
| LIKE doing |
|---|
Enjoy doing.
|
| Mary likes sitting in the garden on a summer day. |
(Mary enjoys sitting in the garden on a summer day.)
|
| I like going to the zoo. |
(I enjoy going to the zoo.) |
| LIKE to do |
|---|
a) Enjoy doing (especially in American English).
|
| We like to visit galleries while we are on holiday. |
(We enjoy visiting galleries while we are on holiday.)
|
| No one likes to work at the weekend! |
(No one enjoys working at the weekend!) |
b) Think it correct or wise; choose to; be in the habit of.
|
| I like to go to the dentist twice a year for a check-up. |
(I don't enjoy going to the dentist, but I think it's wise to go twice a byear for a check-up.) |
| Frank likes to work on his accounts on Sunday mornings. |
(Frank doesn't enjoy working on his accounts, but he has to, so he chooses to do it on Sunday mornings.) |
It may be useful to bookmark this page and refer back to it as necessary. Try to review this grammar point tomorrow, and remember to be careful with these verbs!
