Gerunds vs Infinitives: When to Use -ing or to + Verb

Reviewed by the Grammarlyzer Editorial Team · Our Review Standards · Published January 29, 2026 · Updated June 13, 2026

Master the Rules Once and Never Second-Guess Again

📌 Quick Answer
A gerund is the -ing form of a verb used as a noun (Swimming is fun). An infinitive is to + verb (I want to swim). Some verbs take only gerunds (enjoy, avoid), some only infinitives (decide, want), and some change meaning depending on which form follows (stop, remember, forget).

Memory Trick: Verbs about feelings and past actions often take gerunds (enjoy swimming, regret saying). Verbs about plans and future actions often take infinitives (decide to go, plan to study).

💡 Key Difference

When a verb changes meaning depending on gerund or infinitive (like stop or remember), the choice completely changes what the sentence means.

Quick Comparison

Form Use It For Quick Check
Gerund (-ing) verb acting as a noun Follows enjoy, avoid, finish, mind and any preposition.
Infinitive (to + verb) verb naming an aim or intention Follows want, decide, hope, need, agree.

Which Verbs Take Which? A Working Reference

There's no single rule that covers every verb, but the patterns below handle the vast majority. The third group — verbs that change meaning — is where even advanced writers slip.

Group Common verbs Example
Gerund only enjoy, avoid, finish, mind, consider, suggest, miss, deny, practice She avoided answering.
Infinitive only want, decide, hope, plan, need, agree, refuse, promise, manage, learn They agreed to wait.
Either, same meaning begin, start, continue, like, love, hate, prefer It started raining / to rain.
Either, meaning changes stop, remember, forget, try, regret, mean remember to lock vs remember locking

The Meaning-Change Verbs in Detail

For this group, gerund vs infinitive isn't style — it flips the meaning. These are worth memorising as pairs.

Remember / forget

Remember to call = don't forget to do it (the task is still ahead). Remember calling = you have a memory of having done it (it's in the past). "Forget" works the same way: "I forgot to lock it" (didn't do it) vs "I'll never forget meeting her" (the memory).

Stop

Stop smoking = quit the habit. Stop to smoke = pause another activity in order to smoke. The gerund is the thing you end; the infinitive is the purpose of stopping.

Try

Try restarting the router = experiment with that as a solution. Try to restart the router = make the effort, which may be difficult. Tech support instructions almost always want the gerund ("try clearing your cache").

Regret

We regret to inform you = a formal, bad-news lead-in about something happening now. I regret telling him = you're sorry about a past action. The infinitive points forward; the gerund points back.

Common Mistakes

Using an Infinitive After "Enjoy"

❌ Incorrect:

"I enjoy to swim in the morning."

✓ Correct:

"I enjoy swimming in the morning."

"Enjoy" always takes a gerund, never an infinitive. The same rule applies to: avoid, finish, miss, and consider.

Using a Gerund After "Decide"

❌ Incorrect:

"She decided going to Paris for the conference."

✓ Correct:

"She decided to go to Paris for the conference."

"Decide" always takes an infinitive. Other verbs in this group: want, plan, hope, refuse, manage, and agree.

Confusing "Stop + Gerund" vs "Stop + Infinitive"

❌ Ambiguous / Wrong context:

"He stopped to smoke, so he is healthier now." (Incorrect logic)

✓ Correct:

"He stopped smoking, so he is healthier now."

"Stop smoking" means he quit. "Stop to smoke" means he paused something to have a cigarette — the opposite meaning entirely.

🎯 Test Your Knowledge

1. "She enjoys ____ in the lake every summer."

2. "He managed ____ the report before the deadline."

3. "We stopped ____ coffee on the way to the office." (We made a stop for coffee)

4. "Please remember ____ the client back tomorrow." (it's a future task)

5. "Try ____ the app if it freezes." (test it as a fix)

See It Live: Check a Sentence With Our Engine

Try the rule against a real sentence. This widget runs Grammarlyzer's in-browser engine, so nothing you type leaves your device. The starter sentence (“I enjoy to swim in the morning.”) already contains a slip—edit it or paste your own to watch the engine react.

The correct version is: "I enjoy swimming in the morning.".

Honest limits: the engine reliably flags the mechanics—spelling, agreement, punctuation—but whether a sentence is clear is a judgment call. Use the gerunds vs infinitives guidance above to decide if the structure actually serves the reader.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a gerund and an infinitive?

A gerund is the -ing form used as a noun (Swimming is fun). An infinitive is to + verb (I want to swim). The key is knowing which verbs require which form after them.

Which verbs take only gerunds?

Common gerund-only verbs: enjoy, avoid, admit, consider, deny, finish, keep, miss, practice, suggest, quit, and stop (meaning to quit). Example: "She enjoys reading." "He admitted making the error."

How does "stop" change meaning?

"Stop + gerund" means to quit: "He stopped smoking" (he quit). "Stop + infinitive" means to pause in order to do something: "He stopped to smoke" (he halted what he was doing to have a cigarette).

Can "like", "love", and "hate" take both forms?

Yes. "Like swimming" and "like to swim" are both correct. "Like to + infinitive" often implies a habit: "I like to exercise daily." "Like + -ing" describes general enjoyment: "I like swimming in the sea."

Verbs That Take Only Gerunds

These verbs must always be followed by a gerund (-ing), never an infinitive.

Examples

  • "She enjoys hiking in the mountains on weekends." (Casual)
  • "The committee considered postponing the meeting." (Professional)
  • "He admitted making the error in the report." (Professional)
  • "You should avoid using jargon in client emails." (Professional)
  • "The researchers suggested replicating the experiment." (Academic)
  • "I miss living near the coast." (Casual)

Verbs That Take Only Infinitives

These verbs must always be followed by an infinitive (to + verb).

Examples

  • "The team decided to postpone the launch." (Professional)
  • "She wants to study computational linguistics." (Academic)
  • "He refused to sign the contract without legal review." (Professional)
  • "They managed to complete the project under budget." (Professional)
  • "I hope to hear from you soon." (Casual)
  • "The study failed to demonstrate a significant correlation." (Academic)

Word Origins & Etymology

Gerund comes from Latin 'gerundium' (that which is to be carried on), from 'gerere' (to carry, perform). A gerund is the -ing form of a verb used as a noun: 'Swimming is fun.'

Infinitive derives from Latin 'infinitivus' (unlimited, indefinite), because infinitives don't specify person or number. The 'to + verb' form: 'to swim.'

🔗 The Connection

Some verbs take only gerunds (enjoy swimming), some take only infinitives (want to swim), and some take both with different meanings (stop smoking vs stop to smoke).

Real-World Examples

📏 Gerund Only:

I enjoy swimming in the ocean.

Enjoy + gerund (never: enjoy to swim)
📏 Infinitive Only:

She wants to travel to Japan next year.

Want + infinitive (never: want traveling)
⚠️ Both (different meaning):

He stopped smoking. (quit) vs He stopped to smoke. (paused in order to smoke)

Same verb, different meaning based on gerund vs infinitive
⚠️ Both (same meaning):

I like swimming. = I like to swim. (same meaning)

Some verbs accept both with no change in meaning
💡 Common Gerund Verbs:

enjoy, avoid, finish, consider, suggest, mind + gerund

These verbs ONLY take gerunds
💡 Common Infinitive Verbs:

want, need, decide, plan, hope, agree + infinitive

These verbs ONLY take infinitives

Why Do People Confuse Them?

There is no logical rule for which verbs take gerunds vs infinitives. It must be memorized or absorbed through exposure. ESL learners from languages without this distinction (Korean, Japanese, Chinese) find it particularly challenging. The key pairs to master are the 'meaning-change' verbs: stop, remember, forget, try, regret.

Practice with Related Guides

Keep practicing with closely related guides: Modal Verbs of Probability: Must, Might, Could & Can't and Relative Clauses: Who, Which & That Explained.

Gerund and Infinitive Decision Map

Use this guide when the verb after another verb sounds wrong: enjoy doing, decide to do, avoid doing, hope to do. The issue is usually the controlling verb, not the meaning of the second verb by itself.

It helps English learners, editors, and workplace writers fix sentences where grammar is correct only with one verb pattern.

Verb pattern memory

Group verbs by the form they require: enjoy/avoid/consider + -ing, decide/hope/plan + to + verb.

Meaning change

Watch pairs such as stop doing and stop to do, where both are grammatical but the meaning changes.

Tense connection

Use action and state verbs when the sentence also has a tense or aspect problem.

Common Mistake Pattern

Using the wrong complement

Incorrect:

She avoided to answer the question.

Correct:

She avoided answering the question.

Avoid takes a gerund complement. The infinitive form sounds unnatural because the first verb controls the second form.

Before You Choose a Sub-Guide

  • Identify the first verb before editing the second verb.
  • Check whether both forms are possible with different meanings.
  • Use the checker for likely pattern errors, then verify idioms and academic style manually.

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