Use of infinitives & verbs with ending “ing”
INFINITIVE WITH “TO”
An infinitive in English is a verb in basic form preceded by “to”:
to come
to see
to read
Appears usually after another verb in sentences:
I want to be alone.
We agree to help him.
Some popular English verbs where the infinitive is used after:
verb | example |
---|---|
agree | The manager agreed to pay in advance. |
decide | We decided to move out. |
learn | I learned to ice skate when I was 4. |
plan | They are planning to build another hotel. |
promise | He promised to leave me alone. |
want | My sister wants to go with us. |
can’t wait | I can’t wait to meet your friend. |
INFINITIVE WITHOUT “TO”
The second verb being put after verbs is usually used as infinitive with “to”, but there are situations in which an infinitive appears without “to.”
Most of all, it concerns auxiliary verbs: can and could:
Mia can sing and play the piano.
I could swim when I was three.
Can you open the window, please?
“ING” FORM AFTER VERBS
There are also verbs, after which another verb is put -not an infinitive, but in a form with ending -ing.
Most common verbs, after which another verb get an ending -ing:
verb | example |
---|---|
dislike | I dislike dancing. |
enjoy | Do you enjoy meeting new people? |
finish | When are you going to finish reading this book? |
give up | I gave up smoking two years ago. |
After some verbs use of another verb both infinitive and with ending -ing is possible. It does not affect the meaning of a sentence:
verb | example |
---|---|
like | I like watching / to watch TV in the evening. |
hate | She hates getting up / to get up early. |
love | Mike loves reading / to read books. |
start | The little girl started crying / to cry. |
prefer | Do you prefer taking / to take a taxi? |
worry | She began worrying / to worry about her son |
GO SKIING
The form with an ending -ing appears often after the verb “to go” and is used to express any physical activities:
verb | example |
---|---|
go shopping | Would you like to go shopping with me? |
go swimming | I often go swimming in the river. |
go skiing | We usually go skiing in the Alps in winter. |
go sailing | They went sailing for the whole month. |