Verb Patterns

B1 · IntermediateGerunds & Infinitives

Every English verb that's followed by another verb falls into one of three fixed groups: gerund only, infinitive only, or either form.

What you'll learn

Group 1 — gerund only: avoid, mind, suggest, admit, deny, risk, postpone, can't help...
Group 2 — infinitive only: want, decide, hope, promise, agree, offer, refuse, manage, afford...
Group 3 — either form, with little or no change in meaning: like, love, hate, begin, start, continue...
There's no shortcut rule for which group a verb belongs to — the groups simply have to be learned

Three fixed groups of verbs

When one verb is directly followed by another verb, English forces a choice between the gerund (-ing) and the to-infinitive — and that choice depends entirely on the FIRST verb. Verbs fall into three groups, and memorizing which group a verb belongs to is the only reliable way to get it right.

"She admitted taking the last cookie."

"He refused to sign the contract."

Group 1: gerund only

avoid, mind, suggest, admit, deny, risk, postpone, finish, enjoy, quit, consider, imagine, practice, can't help — always followed by the -ing form, never to + verb.

"They postponed leaving until Friday."

"I can't help laughing when he tells that story."

Group 2: infinitive only

want, decide, hope, promise, agree, offer, refuse, manage, afford, plan, arrange, fail — always followed by to + verb, never the -ing form.

"We managed to finish on time."

"She offered to drive us to the airport."

Group 3: either form works

like, love, hate, prefer, begin, start, continue — these allow both the gerund and the infinitive, usually with little or no difference in meaning.

"I like reading before bed."

"I like to read before bed."

Real English

"I don't mind waiting a few minutes."

"We agreed to meet at noon."

"He risked losing everything."

"I can't afford to take a taxi."

Watch out

✗She admitted to take the last cookie.

✓She admitted taking the last cookie.

Admit belongs to the gerund-only group — it's never followed by a to-infinitive.

✗He refused signing the contract.

✓He refused to sign the contract.

Refuse belongs to the infinitive-only group — it's never followed by the -ing form.

✗They postponed to leave until Friday.

✓They postponed leaving until Friday.

There's no single rule for every verb — postpone is gerund-only, unlike decide or want, which are infinitive-only.

Real life — Organizing an event

"Did everyone agree to help with setup?"

"Most people did. A couple offered to bring extra chairs too."

"Great. Let's avoid leaving anything until the last minute this time."

"Agreed — I don't want to risk running out of time again."

Practice

Exercise 1 · Choose the correct group

'Suggest' belongs to which pattern group?

Exercise 2 · Choose the correct group

'Decide' belongs to which pattern group?

Exercise 3 · Choose the correct sentence

Choose the correct sentence.

Exercise 4 · Choose the correct sentence

Choose the correct sentence.

Exercise 5 · Choose the correct pair

Choose the correct sentence — 'like' allows both patterns with little difference in meaning.

Exercise 6 · Choose the correct sentence

Choose the correct sentence.

Exercise 7 · Choose the correct sentence

Choose the correct sentence.

Exercise 8 · Choose the correct group

'Begin' belongs to which pattern group?

Exercise 9 · Complete the sentence

Complete: 'I can't help ___ (laugh) when he tells that story.'

Exercise 10 · Complete the sentence

Complete: 'She offered ___ (drive) us to the airport.'

Exercise 11 · Sort into groups

avoid

want

mind

hope

deny

offer

0 / 6 sorted

Quick challenge

Five quick questions to check what stuck.

Question 1 / 5

Score: 0/0

Choose the correct sentence.

You learned

Verbs followed by another verb fall into three fixed groups: gerund only, infinitive only, or either form.
Gerund-only verbs include avoid, mind, suggest, admit, deny, risk, postpone.
Infinitive-only verbs include want, decide, hope, promise, agree, offer, refuse.
A few verbs (like, love, hate, begin, start) allow either form with little change in meaning.

IntermediateGerunds & Infinitives

Infinitives

Learn how to + verb expresses purpose, follows certain adjectives, and completes a large group of common verbs.

IntermediateGerunds & Infinitives

Verb + Object + Infinitive

Learn the pattern verb + person + to-infinitive, used with want, ask, tell, advise, and many other verbs.

IntermediateGerunds & Infinitives

Bare Infinitive

Learn when the infinitive drops 'to' — after modal verbs, after let and make, and in a few fixed expressions.

IntermediateGerunds & Infinitives

Gerunds

Learn how the -ing form works as a noun — as a subject, as the object of a verb, and after prepositions.