Look at these examples to see how these verb patterns work.
The bus stopped picking up the children.
The bus stopped to pick up the children.I want to try studying with a friend to see if it helps us stay more motivated.
I'm trying to study but it's impossible with all this noise.
Try this exercise to test your grammar.
Read the explanation to learn more.
Grammar explanation
Some verbs have a different meaning depending on whether they are followed by an -ing form or to + infinitive.
stop
Stop + -ing means the action is not happening any more.
I've stopped buying the newspaper because now I read the news online.
Stop + to + infinitive means that someone or something stops an activity so that they can do something else.
He stopped the video to ask the students some questions.
try
Try + -ing means that you are trying something as an experiment, especially as a possible solution to a problem, to see if it works or not.
Have you tried turning the computer off and on again?
Try + to + infinitive means that something is difficult but you are making an effort to do it.
I'm trying to learn Japanese but it's very difficult.
remember/forget
Remember + -ing and forget + -ing refer to having (or not having) a memory of something in the past.
I remember watching this film before.
I'll never forget meeting you for the first time in this café.
Remember + to + infinitive and forget + to + infinitive refer to recalling (or not recalling) that there is something we need to do before we do it.
Please remember to buy some milk on the way home.
He forgot to lock the door when he went out.
Do this exercise to test your grammar again.
hi!
i have a question about the infinitive forms. can we use them in different tenses. for example the "simple infinitive"
"i expect to pass the exam"
"i expected to pass the exam" ( can we use expected as a past simple form)
the same for continuous infinitive
"they appear to be gossiping about her"
" they appeared to be gossiping about her"( can i use appeared instead of appear)
and i also want to know the difference in using of "the continuous infinitive" and " perfect continuous infinitive" and "perfect infinitive"
as far as i know we use the continuous infinitive to express that the action is happening around the time expressed by the main verb of the sentence.
we use the perfect infinitive that something happened before the main verb and that thing is not something that was in progress at that time.
and we use the perfect continuous infinitive to express an action in progress or happening over a period of time and this is also happening before the main verb in the sentence.
i hope you can check if i have understood it right and if not i hope you can explain it to me. thank you
Hi nino23,
Yes, that's right. It seems you've got a good understanding of these structures :)
Jonathan
LearnEnglish team
Hello. Verbs which are followed by to+ verb can be in any tenses like past, past perfect, future. It doesn't matter
The rule is the same.
Hello,
Can you help with this sentence?
Many people worry that texting will make people forget how to write well.
Why is "forget" and not "to forget"?
Thank you.
Hello Laura3000,
There are many verb patterns in English. Some verbs are followed by an -ing form, for example, while others are followed by an infinitive with to an the infinitive without to.
The verb make here has the following pattern: make + object + bare infinitive > make people forget.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
That is called "causative verbs". Please, take a look at, it will clarify you a lot.
Causative verbs, like "let", "get", "help", "make" (among others) follow the pattern
causative_verb + pronoun + other_verb + predicate.
The "to" can be omited. Example:
"This will help you improve your English "
or
"Make them finish their homework soon".
Hope this helps.-
Hi. The verb 'make' is not causative. We use make before another verb to mean forcing! In other words, we force someone to do something.
I have a question about the following sentence.
- Can you tell me the key to getting a good grade?
I thought I should add the regular verb's form after "to", so it might be " to get ", but why is it " to getting" in this case?
Hello Cindylin00000,
The word 'key' is not a verb, but rather a noun that can be followed by the preposition 'to'. Prepositions are followed by nouns, and so we use the '-ing' form of a verb (which can be used like a noun) if the word or phrase after 'to' begins with a verb.
For example, we can say 'the key to success' -- 'success' is a noun and so can go directly after 'to' with no change in form. But in your example, 'get' is a verb and so it must change to the 'getting' form.
A similar phrase is 'look forward to'. In this case, 'look forward' is the verb and 'to' is a preposition. This is why we say 'I look forward to seeing you' and not *'I look forward to see you'.
I hope this helps you understand this better.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
"getting" here means a noun (made from a verb). "Getting a good grade" means the act of the fact consisting in that you are successful in the goal you proposed.
So, I think it would be almost equivalent to say "the key to getting a good grade", or "the key to get a good grade". But, the former reveals a higher level of comprehension of the English language.