Infinitive vs -ing Form

Learn how to avoid grammar errors with the infinitive vs -ing form.

Table of contents

Example errors
What are the grammar rules?
Corrected errors
Quiz

Example errors

Look at the example errors below. Can you fix them?

Incorrect
– The Federal Reserve agreed raising interest rates.
– Recruit study participants can be very challenging.
– The teacher gave the students a test for checking their understanding.

What are the grammar rules?

1. Verbs can have different forms. There are many rules, but we’ll focus on the most common errors with the infinitive (e.g. think) and the -ing form (e.g. thinking).

2. We use the infinitive (without to) after the auxiliary verbs do and did, as well as after modal verbs such as should, can and would.

– Do you think our paper will be published?
– More research should be conducted.
– This may lead to an increase in crime.

3. We also use the infinitive (with to) to express purpose.

– Professor Dupont came here to study frogs.
– To begin the test, press the Enter key.

4. We use the -ing form as the subject or object of a verb.

– Conducting research is very enjoyable.
– I dislike supervising PhD candidates.

5. We also use the -ing form after propositions such as in, on, at and about.

– He’s good at writing.
– The government had a discussion about increasing immigration.

6. We use the infinitive (with to) after many (but not all) adjectives.

– Many retirees are pleased to offer their time as volunteers.
– Be careful not to procrastinate.

7. After some verbs, we use the infinitive (usually with to). We use the -ing form after other verbs.

Incorrect	Correct
– I’m trying learning Chinese.	– I’m trying to learn Chinese.
– I enjoy to study at university.	– I enjoy studying at university.

8. When you learn a new verb, make it a habit to write down the verb pattern and an example. A good learner’s dictionary will usually give you this information.

promise to do sth.
e.g. She promised to help her brother with this homework.

Here’s a short list to get you started.

Verb + infinitive (with to)	Verb + -ing form
afford to do sth.	admit doing sth.
manage to do sth.	enjoy doing sth.
promise to do sth.	give up doing sth.
prefer to do sth.	involve doing sth.
hope to do sth.	put off doing sth.

9. Some verbs, most notably make, let, see and hear, are followed by an infinitive without to.

– The teacher made us do our homework.
– Professor Zheng let us go home early.
– I saw him cheat during the exam.

Corrected errors

Here are the corrected errors from the start of the lesson.

Incorrect	Correct
– The Federal Reserve agreed raising interest rates.	– The Federal Reserve agreed to raise interest rates.
– Recruit study participants can be very challenging.	– Recruiting study participants can be very challenging.
– The teacher gave the students a test for checking their understanding.	– The teacher gave the students a test to check their understanding.

Quiz

Try the questions below to test what you’ve learnt about the infinitive vs -ing form.

Remember: If you’re not sure what form you need to use after a specific verb, you can check in a learner’s dictionary.

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Select the correct form of the verb for each blank.

Given the remarkable complexity of a language, one might expect that a language would be an especially arduous task. Indeed, for those of us trying a second language as adults, this might seem true. In fact, many adults stop classes once they realise just how difficult it is a language as an adult. However, young children master language very quickly with relative ease. Skinner proposed that language is learnt through reinforcement. Chomsky criticised this behaviourist approach, asserting instead that the mechanisms underlying language acquisition are biologically determined. The use of language develops in the absence of formal instruction and appears a very similar pattern in children from vastly different cultures and backgrounds. It would seem, therefore, that we are born with a biological predisposition to acquire a language. Moreover, it appears that there is a critical period for language acquisition, such that this proficiency at language is maximal early in life. Generally, as people age, the ease with which they acquire and master new languages diminishes. This means that they require more time and effort proficient.

__________

“Psychology” by OpenStax is licensed under CC BY 4.0. A small excerpt was extracted from Chapter 7 and edited. This textbook can be downloaded free from https://openstax.org/details/books/psychology.

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Feedback

Click below for the answers.

Given the remarkable complexity of a language, one might expect that mastering a language would be an especially arduous task. Indeed, for those of us trying to learn a second language as adults, this might seem to be true. In fact, many adults stop attending classes once they realise just how difficult it is to learn a language as an adult. However, young children master language very quickly with relative ease. Skinner proposed that language is learnt through reinforcement. Chomsky criticised this behaviourist approach, asserting instead that the mechanisms underlying language acquisition are biologically determined. The use of language develops in the absence of formal instruction and appears to follow a very similar pattern in children from vastly different cultures and backgrounds. It would seem, therefore, that we are born with a biological predisposition to acquire a language. Moreover, it appears that there is a critical period for language acquisition, such that this proficiency at acquiring language is maximal early in life. Generally, as people age, the ease with which they acquire and master new languages diminishes. This means that they require more time and effort to become proficient.