This lesson is organized into three parts, with two parts focusing on verbs with gerunds as objects and one part focusing on verbs with infinitives as objects.
Verb + Gerund (ex. "she enjoys cooking")
Verb + Preposition + Gerund (ex. "we are thinking about getting a dog")
Verb + Infinitive (ex. "they decided to sell their house")
Part 1: Verbs that use a gerund (ex. "doing") as an object
First Verb | Meaning of Gerund Object | Example |
Accept | the action that is okay | he accepted working for less pay |
Admit | the action that the subject says he/she did | she admitted stealing the money |
Appreciate | the action that the subject is thankful for or sees value in | he appreciates having time off from work to spend with his kids |
Avoid | the negative action that the subject doesn't like | she avoids taking public transportation |
Consider | the situation that the subject has not made a decision about yet | he is considering quitting his job. |
Confirm | the situation that the subject says did indeed happen | the journalist confirmed interviewing the gang leader last month. |
Delay / Postpone | the action that will happen later than originally planned | the city delayed opening the new library |
Deny | the action that the subject says did not happen | The President denies spreading lies about her political opponent |
Discuss | the topic of discussion | They discussed going on a trip together someday |
Dislike | the action that the subject doesn't like | He dislikes speaking in front of groups |
Enjoy | the action that the subject likes | She enjoys spending time with her family |
Experience | the situation that the subject is part of | I experienced surfing when I was in Hawaii |
Finish | the situation that the subject ended | We finally finished painting our new home. |
Go | the recreational activity that the subject does | She goes skiing a lot in the winter |
Imagine | the situation that is in the subject's imagination | While I was walking around the city, I imagined living there |
Include | the activity that is part of the subject | The trip includes hiking up the local volcano |
Involve | a feature or characteristic of the subject | Being a manager involves resolving conflicts between employees |
Mention | something that is spoken about | He mentioned having some family members who live in our town. |
Mind | something that is a problem for the subject (or not a problem if used in the negative) | I mind driving there (this is a problem for me) I don't mind driving there (this is not a problem for me) |
Miss | something that the subject wishes they could do again | I miss being a child sometimes |
Permit | something that the subject allows | My company permits wearing casual clothes |
Practice | something that the subject does repeatedly to improve | I practiced giving my speech before my wedding day |
Quit/Stop | something that the subject doesn't do anymore | I want to stop/quit eating fast food |
Recommend / Suggest | something that the subject thinks is a good idea | I suggest making a reservation for the restaurant because it's quite popular |
Resist | something that the subject can stop themself from doing | I somehow resisted yelling at him even though I was extremely angry. |
Resume/Continue | something that the subject stopped but then starts again | We continued negotiating the contract after lunch. |
Regret | a mistake that the subject made in the past | I regret buying a big house because it requires so much cleaning. |
Risk | something that could be a negative consequence | She risked getting arrested by protesting against the dictator in her country. |
Spend/Waste time or money | something that the subject does with their time or money (spend = neutral, waste = bad) | He spends a lot of time sleeping / She wastes her time looking at her phone all day / They spend their money traveling / They waste their money gambling |
Tolerate | something uncomfortable that the subject can accept | I can tolerate sitting for long periods of time during a long distance flight |
Try | something that the subject does for the first time to see if it's good or successful | He tried adding almond milk to his coffee but he didn't like it / She tried skydiving last weekend and loved it. |
Part 2: Verbs that use a preposition and then a gerund
First Verb + Preposition | Meaning of Gerund Object | Example |
adapt to | the new situation that requires adaptation | I'm adapting to living alone |
apologize for | the mistake that the subject feels sorry about | I apologized for being late |
believe in | the concept that the subject feels is important or good | She believes in donating to charity |
commit to | something that the subject has a dedication towards | He is committed to being a good father to his son |
complain about | something that the subject is unhappy about | She always complains about getting slow service at the bank |
concentrate / focus on | something that the speaker gives their attention to | I'm focusing on improving my English grammar these days |
consist of | something that is a part or component of the subject | My job consists of giving people financial advice for their life |
insist on | something that the subject strongly wants to do | Our neighbor insisted on cooking dinner for our family |
look forward to | something that the speaker is anticipating with a positive feeling | I look forward to celebrating my 40th birthday next week. |
relate to | something that has a connection to the subject | the car accident was related to someone driving under the influence of alcohol |
rely / depend on | something that the subject needs | Our team depends on receiving accurate information to make a good decision |
specialize in | something that the subject has specific knowledge or skill with | She specializes in recruiting executives for big companies |
succeed in | something that the subject is successful with | We succeeded in saving $10,000 last year so we can go on a trip |
think about | something that is on the subject's mind | I often think about changing my career to something different |
worry about | something that makes the subject nervous | I worry about getting sick even when I'm perfectly healthy |
Part 3: Verbs that use an infinitive verb (ex. "to do") as an object
First Verb | Meaning of Infinitive Verb | Example |
Can Afford | something that you have enough money or time to do | I can afford to buy a car. |
Agree | something that the subjects have the same opinion about | We agreed to split the cost 50/50. |
Aim | something that is a goal for the speaker | I'm aiming to start my business next summer. |
Ask | something that the speaker wants another person's permission | I asked to use her washroom while I was at her house. |
Decide | a decision that the subject made | My husband and I decided to move to Canada. |
Forget | something that the subject didn't do because they forgot about it | I forgot to use my coupon before it expired. I didn't realize that I had it. |
Expect | something that the subject thinks will happen | We expect to feel very tired when we arrive after our 12 hour flight. |
Get | a positive opportunity that the subject has | I got to sit in a Ferrari at the car show that I attended last week. |
Be Going | a future intention for the subject | I'm going to leave in a few minutes |
Happen | an unexpected event that the subject experiences | I happened to see my former high school teacher at the grocery store. |
Hesitate | something that the subject does not have confidence to do | I always hesitate to start talking with someone that I don't know |
Hope | something that the subject wants to happen in the future | I hope to go to Brazil someday. |
Learn | something that the subject learns | My son is learning to ride a bike. |
Manage | something that the subject does successfully | We managed to visit all of the popular sites in the city. |
Mean | something that the subject intends to do | I meant to fall down because I knew it would make my 2-year-old son laugh. |
Offer | something that the subject says that they will do for another person | My friend offered to organize a birthday party for me. |
Plan | something that the subject is making plans about | My wife and I plan to paint our house white. |
Promise | something that the subject says that they will do for sure | My daughter promised to call me if she needed any help. |
Remember | something that the subject does because they remember it first | I always remember to lock the front door when I leave. |
Try | a goal that the subject wants to achieve | I'm trying to learn Japanese. |
Used (only about the past) | something that was true about the subject in the past but not anymore | My hair used to be brown (but now it's grey). |
Practice
Choose the correct option based on the information provided above. Remember that if there is a preposition before the blank, the answer will be a gerund:
I happened finding/to find an old family photo when I was cleaning the basement.
We agreed meeting/to meet on Friday afternoon.
I don't want to risk upsetting/to upset him right now, so I'll tell him later.
They succeeded in convincing/to convince me to join them.
Sorry, I didn't mean taking/to take your bag. I thought it was mine.
She apologized for bringing/to bring us the wrong meal.
Can you imagine having/to have six kids? I don't know how they do it!
Do you mind helping/to help me with this?
Remember bringing/to bring your ticket with you when you come.
My dog somehow managed opening/to open the box of dog treats.
My boss recommends taking/to take a vacation to rest for a while.
I finally got seeing/to see my favorite band perform live!
My job consists of inspecting/to inspect products for any quality issues.
We can't afford taking/to take a trip this year. We need to save more money first.
Please avoid feeding/to feed the animals while at the zoo.
He believes in giving/to give people second chances so he's quick to forgive.
I need to stop saying/to say "yes" to things that I don't want to do.
Don't hesitate contacting/to contact me if you have any questions.
I'm considering quitting/to quit my job soon.
The company should focus on improving/to improve the speed of their service.
Answers
I happened to find an old family photo when I was cleaning the basement.
We agreed to meet on Friday afternoon.
I don't want to risk upsetting him right now, so I'll tell him later.
They succeeded in convincing me to join them.
Sorry, I didn't mean to take your bag. I thought it was mine.
She apologized for bringing us the wrong meal.
Can you imagine having six kids? I don't know how they do it!
Do you mind helping me with this?
Remember to bring your ticket with you when you come.
My dog somehow managed to open the box of dog treats.
My boss recommends taking a vacation to rest for a while.
I finally got to see my favorite band perform live!
My job consists of inspecting products for any quality issues.
We can't afford to take a trip this year. We need to save more money first.
Please avoid feeding the animals while at the zoo.
He believes in giving people second chances so he's quick to forgive.
I need to stop saying "yes" to things that I don't want to do.
Don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.
I'm considering quitting my job soon.
The company should focus on improving the speed of their service.
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