⚙️ Grammar · Verb Patterns: -ing & Infinitives
Gerunds vs. Infinitives
Some verbs demand “-ing”, some demand “to” — the rule, the pattern list, the classic mistakes, and practice to lock it in.
Grammar › Verb Patterns: -ing & Infinitives › Gerunds vs. Infinitives
The rule in one sentenceAfter some verbs the next verb must be a gerund (the -ing form used as a noun), after others it must be an infinitive (to + base verb) — there’s no single logic that predicts which, so each verb’s pattern has to be learned individually.
What’s the difference between a gerund and an infinitive?
A gerund is the “-ing” form of a verb doing the job of a noun — practising, failing, directing. An infinitive is “to” plus the base verb — to become, to direct, to win. Both can follow another verb, but which one is correct depends entirely on the first verb, not on meaning or logic.
Some verbs are always followed by a gerund. In Whiplash, Andrew Neiman enjoys practising alone at night, and later he keeps trying to prove himself to Fletcher — “enjoy” and “keep” never take an infinitive. Some verbs are always followed by an infinitive: Andrew wants to become one of the greatest drummers of his generation, and Fletcher decides to recruit him — “want” and “decide” never take a gerund. A small handful of verbs can take either, almost always with the same meaning: at Andrew’s final competition, it started raining or it started to rain outside the concert hall — either is fine.
🎬 Compare: “Miles Teller trained for months to learn real drumming for the role” (infinitive — the purpose of training) vs. “He enjoyed learning the physical side of the character” (gerund — the activity itself, as required after “enjoy”).
The verb before decides the form, not the surrounding meaning.
The most reliable strategy in English isn’t a rule — it’s simply memorising each verb’s pattern as you meet it, the way native speakers do. A handful of high-frequency verbs cover most everyday sentences, so learning those first gets you a long way.
How the verb patterns work
Verb + gerund (-ing)
Andrew enjoys practising the drums late at night.
He avoids talking about his fear of failure.
Does Fletcher keep pushing every student this hard?
Verb + infinitive (to + base)
Andrew wants to become one of the greats.
He refuses to give up, even after the crash.
Did Fletcher decide to recruit him for the wrong reasons?
Verbs that take either
Fletcher’s studio band starts playing right on cue.
Fletcher’s studio band starts to play right on cue.
When to use which
Gerund — the activity itself
- After verbs of feeling about an activity: Andrew enjoys drumming more than almost anything else.
- After verbs of stopping or continuing an action: He never finishes practising before midnight.
- Always after a preposition: Andrew is afraid of failing in front of Fletcher.
Infinitive — a plan, hope, or purpose
- After verbs of wanting, planning, or deciding: Fletcher plans to push Andrew past his limits.
- After adjectives describing a plan or purpose: Andrew is determined to succeed.
- To explain why someone did something: He drives back to collect his sticks.
The tricky pair: stop doing vs. stop to do
🛑 Stop + gerund = end an activity. “Andrew stops seeing his girlfriend” = the relationship ends.
🛑 Stop + infinitive = pause in order to do something else. “Andrew stops to check the time” = he pauses briefly, in order to check the time.
These two look almost identical but mean genuinely different things — watch for this pair especially.
A few other verbs behave the same tricky way — remember, forget, and try can all change meaning depending on the form that follows, which is exactly why native speakers rely on memorised patterns rather than logic alone.
Visual guide
Teacher Teddy’s illustrated guide to this rule is being drawn — the full swipe-through infographic will appear here soon.
Common mistakes
❌ Andrew wants becoming a great drummer.
✅ Andrew wants to become a great drummer.
“Want” is always followed by the infinitive, never the -ing form.
❌ Fletcher enjoys to shout at his students.
✅ Fletcher enjoys shouting at his students.
“Enjoy” is always followed by the gerund, never the infinitive.
❌ Andrew is afraid of to fail in front of the whole band.
✅ Andrew is afraid of failing in front of the whole band.
After any preposition, the next verb is always a gerund, never an infinitive.
Exceptions & tricky cases
Three cases where the pattern gets genuinely difficult — knowing these is what pushes B1 towards B2.
1. Meaning-change verbs. “Remember,” “forget,” and “try” mean different things depending on the form. Andrew remembers to bring his sticks (he doesn’t forget the task) vs. Andrew remembers bringing his sticks (a memory of the past action).
2. “Try” changes emphasis, not just grammar. Fletcher tries shouting louder (an experiment, to see what happens) vs. Fletcher tries to shout over the music (a difficult effort, possibly failing).
3. Some verbs need an object before the infinitive. Verbs like “want,” “tell,” and “ask” can take a person, then the infinitive. Fletcher wants Andrew to succeed, not “wants that Andrew succeeds.”
Practice: choose the right form
Eight quick questions. Pick the answer you’d actually say — you get the explanation either way.
1. Andrew ___ one of the greatest drummers of his generation.
“Want” always takes the infinitive.
2. Fletcher genuinely ___ his students on stage.
“Enjoy” always takes the gerund.
3. Andrew is afraid ___ in front of the whole studio band.
After a preposition (“of”), always use the gerund.
4. Fletcher ___ Andrew into the top studio band.
“Decide” always takes the infinitive.
5. It ___ raining right as Andrew arrived for the final competition.
“Start” can take either form — “starts raining” and “starts to rain” both work, but the -ing form must stay -ing, not a mixed form.
6. Andrew ___ practising even after his hands begin to bleed.
“Keep” is followed directly by the gerund, with no “to.”
7. Andrew stops ___ his girlfriend, choosing drumming over the relationship.
“Stop + gerund” means the activity (the relationship) ends.
8. On the way to the final concert, Andrew stops ___ his lost sticks.
“Stop + infinitive” means he pauses one activity in order to do another.
Movie spotlight: Whiplash
Whiplash follows Andrew Neiman, a first-year drumming student who wants to become one of the greatest jazz drummers of his generation, and Terence Fletcher, the demanding conductor who decides to recruit him into the conservatory’s top studio band. Nearly every sentence about Andrew’s obsessive pursuit of greatness naturally uses one of these patterns — wanting, deciding, enjoying, avoiding, stopping — which makes the film an unusually rich way to hear gerunds and infinitives used correctly, again and again, in real context.
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