Verbs with “to“ and “-ing“ | Learn English | Canguro English
Join Maria and I as we learn about which verbs in English to use in the infinitive and which verbs to use in the gerund. See you in class!
-
Stay updated on how to learn English:
Canguro English newsletter:
-
Official Facebook group:
Instagram:
Listen to the podcast:
Twitter:
-
Buy official Canguro English merchandise here:
-
Have you noticed that sometimes in English we use “to go“ and other times we use “going“? In this class you are going to learn about whether to use the infinitive or the gerund version of a verb.
WHAT ARE INFINITIVES AND GERUNDS?
Infinitive simply means that we use the verb with to, and without conjugation. For example here are some infinitives:
to be
to go
to eat
Gerund simply means that we remove the “to“ and we add -ing to the end of the verb, for example:
being
going
eating
INFINITIVE OR GERUND?
There are two categories of verbs in English, those that are used in the infinitive and those that are used in the gerund, when used with other verbs. For example:
I want to eat pizza (infinitive).
I avoid eating pizza (gerund).
There are also some verbs that can be used in both forms:
I hate to eat pizza (infinitive).
I hate eating pizza (gerund).
So how do you know which one to use? Well, the first thing to remember is that the vast majority of verbs take the infinitive, and all modal verbs take the infinitive too. So, really all you need to do is memorise the verbs that take the gerund. Here is a non-comprehensive list:
admit
avoid
consider
deny
dislike
enjoy
escape
finish
imagine
keep
practise
remember
stop
suggest
understand
Now the list above should be sufficient for most people, and for most situations, but there are some verbs can take both infinitive or gerund, and sometimes this can change their meaning completely. Let’s look at the most important examples.
MODAL VERBS
There is also a special category of verbs called modal verbs, which use neither the infinitive, nor the gerund. There are less than 10 common modal verbs in English, and they are:
can
could
might
must
should
will
would
With these verbs we use the infinitive, but without the “to“, for example:
I can eat a lot of pizza.
They should eat less pizza.
Now you should be a true master of verb conjugations. See you in class!
2 views
259
68
5 days ago 00:06:39 1
Sports and Hobbies and more - Pre A1 Fun for Starters vocabulary Cambridge English YLE Exams
6 days ago 00:03:13 1
Are You Living an Insta Lie? Social Media Vs. Reality
6 days ago 00:10:52 1
Exploring the Jack White Collection: The Pano Verb | Artist Signature Series | Fender
6 days ago 00:06:17 1
English Vocabulary: Talking about RAIN
6 days ago 00:18:23 1
10 MOST COMMON Grammar Mistakes English Learners Make 😭😭😭
6 days ago 00:18:44 1
Английские сериалы для обучения смотреть онлайн, английский сериал That’s Life с субтитрами серия 06
1 week ago 00:10:38 1
Harris vs Trump 🇺🇸 Learn English with the News - 5 Stories!
1 week ago 00:03:15 1
Imagine - John Lennon & The Plastic Ono Band (w The Flux Fiddlers) (Ultimate Mix 2018) - 4K REMASTER
1 week ago 00:03:37 1
Yes, I Can! | Animal Song For Children | Super Simple Songs
1 week ago 00:03:39 1
Action Songs for kids | The Singing Walrus
1 week ago 00:02:37 1
ONE-MINUTE ENGLISH: dwell on LEARN WITH LEXICAL LAB
1 week ago 00:02:38 1
Personal Pronouns Quiz for Kids (he, she, it, they)
1 week ago 00:03:46 1
Grammar: Using stative verbs in the continuous tense
1 week ago 00:03:41 1
Learn English ESL Irregular Verbs Grammar Rap Song! StickStuckStuck with Fluency MC!
2 weeks ago 00:00:26 1
5 things you can do with a phone #shorts
2 weeks ago 00:06:15 1
Как делать интересные задания БЕСПЛАТНО и САМОСТОЯТЕЛЬНО? | без регистрации и смс