Verb Patterns:

–Base (BE),
-Infinitive (TO BE)
or
-Gerunds–(ing
forms)
 Contents:
1. VERBS FOLLOWED BY GERUND ING
2. EXPRESSIONS FOLLOWED BY GERUND ING
3. VERBS FOLLOWED BY INFINITIVE
4. VERB + OBJECT + INFINITIVE
5. MAKE AND LET + BASE FORM
6. VERBS OF PERCEPTION
7. VERBS FOLLOWED BY GERUND OR INFINITIVE
8. GERUNDS AFTER VERBS OR PREPOSITIONS
9. GERUND AFTER THE PARTICLE TO
10. GERUNDS OR INFINITIVES AS NOUNS
1. VERBS FOLLOWED BY -ING FORM:

 avoid, consider, delay, deny, dislike, enjoy, finish,

can’t stand, can’t help, involve, justify, like, look
forward to, mind, miss, postpone, practice, risk,
suggest.
I look forward to meeting you next week.
I don’t mind staying late.
I enjoyed drinking that milk
He denied killing the man
 Note. In the expression look forward to, the word to
is a preposition. Prepositions (e.g., in, on, at, with,
from, etc.) are always followed by the -ing form rather
than infinitive.
2. EXPRESSIONS BELOW ARE FOLLOWED
BY THE -ING FORM:
 It’s a waste of time/money cleaning the beaches
because people will litter again
 There’s no point (in) buying expensive things
 It’s no use buying metal strips
 It’s worth making an education campaign to clean
the streets
 It's not worth repairing the camera. It
would be cheaper to buy a new one.
3. VERB FOLLOWED BY TO + INFINITIVE:

 Afford, agree, arrange, attempt, claim, decide, demand,

deserve, expect, fail, guarantee, hesitate, hope, learn,
manage, offer, plan, prepare, pretend, promise, refuse,
seem, tend, threaten, train, want, would like.
- I was very happy to see my brother.
- We were very unhappy to have the service they had
provided.
- We refused to pay them.
- Fer promises to be a good son.
- The company is taking on a lot of new staff. They plan to
extend their researches in a new area.
- I learned to work in teams to get a good grade
4. VERB + OBJECT + INFINITIVE:

 There are a number of verbs that can take a direct

object and to + infinitive. Common examples are:
 Advise, allow, ask, enable, encourage, force, invite,
order, persuade, remind, tell, warn
 The court ordered the company to pay.
 My dad / mom advised me to get good grades
 They invited me to speak at the conference
 My mom encourages me to have a baby
 My dad persuaded me to buy new mobile
 Teachers ask students to participate in class
5. MAKE AND LET:

 The verbs make and let are followed by an object and

the bare infinitive:

- She wanted to go home, but her boss made her stay until the work was
finished.
- My boss let me have the afternoon off to go to my sister’s wedding.
- The teacher made me do my homework
- My parents let me get home before midnight
- They let me be myself

 The verb help can be followed by an infinitive with or

without to:
Could you help me (to) put these boxes in the van.
 6. VERBS OF PERCEPTION:

 The verbs of perception (see, watch, notice, hear,

listen, feel) are followed by bare infinitive or by -ing
form (present participle).

 If we want to say that we heard or saw the whole

action from beginning to end, we usually use bare
infinitive:
I saw him sign the cheque.
 If we want to say that only saw or heard part of the
action, we use -ing form:
I saw John waiting in reception.
(I saw John. He was waiting in reception.)
7. VERB + -ING OR INFINITIVE?
 Some verbs can be followed by either -ing form or
the infinitive and the meaning of the verb changes.
Here are some common examples:

* I remember sending them the cheque.

I sent and I can remember now that did it.
* I remembered to send them the cheque.
I remembered, and then I sent it.
* I will never forget meeting the President.
I met him, and he impressed me.
* I won’t forget to give her your message.
I have made a note of it, and I will give it to her when I see
her.
* We have stopped dealing with that firm.
We used to deal with them, but we don't deal with them any
more.

* At 12.00 we stopped to have a break.

We stopped for a break.

* I regret saying that I was not interested in the work.

I said I was not interested in the work, and I now think that
was a
bad mistake.
* I regret to say that we will not be able to give you a
contract.
I am sorry that I have to say this.
* If the printer doesn’t work, try turning everything off
and then starting again.
Do this and see what happens.

* I will try to negotiate a better deal.

I will make an effort to do this.

* This advertisement needs redesigning.

This advertisement needs to be redesigned.
* We need to increase productivity.
It’s necessary to increase productivity.
8. Use a gerund as the object of a preposition

 We can go to a movie instead of watching TV.

 Thanks for asking.
 They believe in being honest.
 I am interested in taking a masters degree
 I am afraid of failing my English course
 I look forward to going to Canada next year
 I feel worried about living the future
 I am excited about buying my own car
 Adjective + Preposition
 angry about doing too much homework
 excited about going to the U.S.
 sad about leaving her hometown
 afraid of staying in the dark
 sick/tired of going to work
 bored with staying in traffic
 Verb + Preposition
 complain about working long hours
 talk about visiting Japan
 worry about taking the mid-term exam
 apologize for being late
 believe in telling the truth
 object to buying a new car
Ted is an extrovert. Like most extroverts,
he’s direct. And he’s honest; he believes 1.
in telling the truth.

At his job, he works with other people and

he never complains 2. about working long
hours. He doesn’t worry 3. about having to
work on weekends or holidays.

He has a few fears, though. Most of all, he’s

afraid 4. of flying.
Ted’s wife, Nicole, on the other hand, is an
introvert. But she doesn’t object 5. to talking
about herself from time to time.

Right now, she’s bored 6. with being a student,

and she’s sick and tired 7. of writing so many
long reports and 8. of taking exams every few
weeks! She’s angry 9. about having to spend so
much time in front of a computer.

But she’s excited 10. about going on vacation.

Unlike Ted, she’s not at all afraid 11. of flying.
9. TO + -ING OR INFINITIVE?

 The word to can be part of infinitive (I want to see

you). However, in the following examples, to is a
preposition, so it is followed by the -ing form:

 look forward to, object to, be used to, get used to,
react to, in addition to, respond to.
 GERUNDS AS NOUNS

Voting CAN BE A VERB OR AN IDEA

people are
now voting
Let’s discuss for a
VOTING FOR president
teens
 Running for Office 1

Voting is an important responsibility.

I will keep
fighting
Let’s discuss for a new
improving our hospital.
schools.
 Running for Office 2

Choosing a candidate takes time.

I enjoy
working for
the people. Do you resent
paying higher
taxes?
 Form
A gerund is the base form of a verb + -ing.
Gerunds can be used as nouns.

verb
verb + -ing
-ing = noun
noun

work + -ing = working

pay + -ing = paying

improve + -ing = improving

 Gerunds as Subjects
A gerund can be the subject of a sentence. It is
always singular. Use a third-person singular verb
after a gerund.

singular subject

Voting is an important responsibility.

Choosing a candidate takes time.

 Be Careful!
Don’t confuse gerunds with the
present progressive verb form.

present progressive

I am voting today.

verb

gerund

Voting is an important responsibility.

subject
 Complete the sentences
Practice 1 with gerunds.

Example: Windsurfin is very exciting.

__________
g

1. __________ makes me laugh.

2. __________ gives me a headache.
3. __________ isn’t polite.
4. __________ is popular in my country.
5. __________ destroys the environment.
6. Not __________ can be dangerous.
 Gerunds as Objects

A gerund can be the object of certain verbs.

verb object

suggest I suggest improving our schools.

verb object

enjoy I enjoy working for the people.

 Complete the dialogues
Practice 2 with gerund phrases.

Example:
A: Why do Christophe and Hiro go hiking so often?
watching
B: They both enjoy ____________.
birds
1. A: I need a ride to the airport.
B: I don’t mind ____________.

2. A: Dad, can I go outside and play?

B: Have you finished ____________.

3. A: Why did Javier look so sad today?

B: I think he really misses _____________.
 Gerunds with Go
We often use go + gerund to describe
activities.

Our family goes bowling every Saturday.

Ali went jogging with his dog.

 Ask a partner how often he or
Practice 3 she does these activities.

How
Howoften
oftendo
doyou
you II go
godancing
dancing
go
godancing?
dancing? every
everynight.
night.

1. 2.
 Ask a partner how often he or
Practice 4 she does these activities.

4.

3. 5.
Quiz # One