SPYMASTER | Mission 30: The Infinitive vs the -ING Form 2

45 min

The Infinitive vs
the -ING Form 2

1 topic

1 task

SPYMASTER

Mission 30

In the previous mission, we discussed verbs that are used with either an infinitive or an -ING form. There are adjectives like that as well.

1. ACCUSTOMED TO, COMMITTED TO

These two are unusual since TO can be seen as either a particle or a preposition.

I’m not accustomed to give personal information about myself to strangers.
I’m not accustomed to giving personal information about myself to strangers.
He’s committed to provide for his family.
He’s committed to providing for his family.

2. AFRAID

To talk about fear of things that happen accidentally, we prefer afraid of -ING.

I don’t like to drive fast because I’m afraid of crashing.
Why are you so quiet? — I'm afraid of waking the children.

In other cases, we can use afraid of -ING or afraid + infinitive with no difference in meaning.

I’m not afraid to tell her the truth.
I’m not afraid of telling her the truth.

3. CERTAIN AND SURE

Certain / sure of -ING are used to refer to the feelings of the person one is talking about.

Before the game she felt certain of winning, but after a few minutes she realised it wasn’t going to be so easy.
You seem very sure of passing the exam. I hope you’re right.

Certain / sure + infinitive refer to the speaker’s or writer’s own feelings.

The repairs are certain to cost more than you think.
Jackson’s sure to win — the other guy hasn’t got a chance.
He is sure to succeed. = I am sure that he will succeed.

4. INTERESTED

To talk about reactions to things one learns, interested + infinitive is commonly used.

I was interested to read in the paper that scientists have found out how to talk to whales.
I’m interested to see that Alice and Jake are going out together.
I shall be interested to see how long it lasts.

To talk about a wish to find out something, both interested in -ING and interested + infinitive are common.

I’m interested to find out what she did with all that money.
I’m interested in finding out what she did with all that money.

Aren’t you interested to know whether I’m pregnant?
Aren’t you interested in knowing whether I’m pregnant?

To talk about a wish to do something, we use interested with an -ING form.

I’m interested in working in Switzerland.

5. SORRY

Sorry for / about -ING is used to refer to past things that one regrets. That-clauses are also very common in an informal style.

I'm sorry for losing my temper this morning.
I'm sorry about losing my temper this morning.
I'm sorry that I lost my temper.

More formally, sorry + perfect infinitive can be used with the same meaning.

I'm sorry to have woken you up.= I'm sorry that I woke you up.

Sorry + infinitive is used to apologise for current situations – things that one is doing or going to do, or that one has just done.

Sorry to disturb you – could I speak to you for a moment?
I'm sorry to tell you that you failed the exam.
Sorry to keep you waiting – we can start now.

With some verbs, it's possible to use either form, usually with a difference in meaning. Here are the most common examples.

1. ADVISE, RECOMMEND, FORBID, PERMIT and ALLOW

Those are followed by an infinitive when there is an object:

I advise you to stay out of their way.
I wouldn't advise you to take the car.
We don't allow / permit people to smoke in the lecture room.
The headmistress has forbidden children to sing in the corridors.

They are followed by -ING when there is no object:

I advise staying out of their way.
I wouldn't advise taking the car.
We don't allow/permit smoking in the lecture room.
The headmistress has forbidden singing in the corridors.

2. ATTEMPT, INTEND, CONTINUE, CAN'T BEAR

After these verbs we can generally use either an -ING form or an infinitive without much difference in meaning.

I intend telling her what I think.
I intend to tell her what I think.

3. BEGIN AND START

Begin and start can be followed by infinitives or -ING forms with no important difference.

She began playing the guitar when she was six.
She began to play the guitar when she was six.
He started talking about golf, but everybody went out of the room.
He started to talk about golf, but everybody went out of the room.

However, infinitives are preferred after continuous forms.

I’m beginning to learn karate. (NOT ~~I’m beginning learning karate~~.)

Infinitives are also preferred with understand, realise and know.

I slowly began to understand how she felt. (not ~~began understanding~~)
He started to realise that if you wanted to eat you had to work. (not ~~started realising~~)

4. DREAD

Dread is followed by an infinitive with think and contemplate:

I dread to think what will happen.
I dread to contemplate what he is capable of.

In other uses of dread we use the -ING form:

I dread getting ill when I'm abroad.
I dread being late for work.

5. FORGET AND REMEMBER

When these have meanings that are 'forward looking', we use an infinitive:

Don't forget to send them a Christmas card.

When forget and remember have meanings that are 'backward looking', we use -ING:

I remember them teasing me about my skinny legs.

There are some more verbs like that.

6. GO ON

Go on + -ING means 'continue':

I ignored her calling and went on reading my paper. (= continued)

Go on + an infinitive means 'start a new activity':

He left Oxford and went on to train as a lawyer.

7. LEARN AND TEACH

These verbs (and others with similar meanings) are mostly followed by -ING forms when we are referring to lessons or subjects of study.

She goes to college twice a week to learn typing.
Mr Garland teaches skiing in the winter.

Infinitives are preferred when we talk about the result.

She learned to read German at school, but she learned to speak it in Germany.
I taught myself to type.

8. MEAN

Mean in the sense of 'involve' is followed by an -ING form.

If you want to pass the exam it will mean studying hard. (Involve studying hard)

Mean in the sense of 'intend', is followed by an infinitive.

I don’t think she means to get married for the moment.

9. REGRET

Regret + infinitive is a polite or formal form of apology:

I regret to inform you that you were turned down. (= I am sorry I have to inform you)

When we use regret with -ING it means we wish something hadn't happened:

I really regret speaking to Jack like that. (= I wish I hadn't spoken...)

10. STOP: -ING FORM OR INFINITIVE OF PURPOSE

I stopped running.(= stopped the activity)
I stopped to rest. (= stopped in order to rest)

11. TRY

When we talk about doing something to see what will happen we use try + -ING.

I tried sending her flowers, writing her letters, giving her presents, but she still wouldn't speak to me.

When we talk about making an effort to do something difficult, we can use either try + infinitive or try + -ING, although an infinitive would be more common.

I tried changing the wheel, but my hands were too cold.
I tried to change the wheel, but my hands were too cold.

In some cases, the difference is insignificant.

I tried calling him. (= tried dialling his number)
I tried to call him. (= tried to get through to him)

VERB + -ING OR BARE INFINITIVE

One group of verbs connected with observation, e.g. see, observe, sense, feel, hear, watch, perceive, can be followed by either -ing or a bare infinitive:

I noticed him sneak out at lunchtime.
I noticed him sneaking out at lunchtime.
We heard the alarm bell ring and rushed out to see what was happening.
We heard the alarm bell ringing and rushed out to see what was happening.

We normally use a bare infinitive when the action is completed. We use the -ing form when the action is still in progress, which is similar to Continuous tenses.

Note that in corresponding passive structures, the bare infinitive is replaced with a to-infinitive.

He was noticed to sneak out at lunchtime.
He was noticed sneaking out at lunchtime.
The alarm bell was heard to ring, and we rushed out to see what was happening.
The alarm bell was heard ringing, and we rushed out to see what was happening.