Infinitive vs. Gerund

Verbs can be connected by either infinitives or gerunds. While in some verbs the use of an infinitive or gerund can produce the same meaning, there are also cases where they have completely different meanings.

Infinitive & Gerund have same meaning

Begin

  • We will begin to review the quarterly reports this afternoon.
  • We will begin reviewing the quarterly reports this afternoon.

Continue

  • The manager asked us to continue to work on the project until further notice.
  • The manager asked us to continue working on the project until further notice.

Start

  • She decided to start to implement the new scheduling system next week.
  • She decided to start implementing the new scheduling system next week.

Like

  • I like to collaborate with other departments on big projects.
  • I like collaborating with other departments on big projects.

Love

  • Our team loves to brainstorm ideas during meetings.
  • Our team loves brainstorming ideas during meetings.

Can’t stand

  • I can’t stand to miss important deadlines.
  • I can’t stand missing important deadlines.

Can’t bear

  • He can’t bear to delay the product launch any longer.
  • He can’t bear delaying the product launch any longer.

Prefer

  • I prefer to handle client feedback directly.
  • I prefer handling client feedback directly.

Propose

  • The director proposed to increase the budget for marketing campaigns.
  • The director proposed increasing the budget for marketing campaigns.

Infinitive & Gerund have different meaning

Go on

  • The intern went on to become the CEO of the company 25 years later.
    (The intern eventually, in the future, became the CEO of the company.)
  • After the break, we went on discussing the upcoming project deadlines.
    (After the break, we continued discussing the upcoming project deadlines.)

Quit

  • She plans to quit to pursue a different career in marketing.
    (She plans to quit her current job to pursue a different career in marketing.)
  • John quit handling client complaints after the restructuring.
    (John doesn’t handle client complaints anymore after the restructuring)

Stop

  • We need to stop to review the latest data before presenting it.
    (We need to stop what we are doing to review the latest data before presenting it.)
  • The team stopped working on the outdated software last month.
    (The team no longer works on the outdated software since last month.)

Regret

  • I regret to inform you that the funding request was denied.
    (I feel bad to inform you that the funding request was denied.)
  • She regretted missing the important strategy meeting.
    (She wishes she hadn’t missed the important strategy meeting.)

Forget

  • Don’t forget to submit the final report by Friday.
    (Remind yourself to submit the final report by Friday.)
  • He forgot sending the follow-up email to the client last week.
    (“He didn’t remember that he sent the follow-up email to the client last week.)

Remember

  • Please remember to update the project timeline after the meeting.
    (Please remind yourself to update the project timeline after the meeting.)
  • I remember discussing this issue in last month’s review session.
    (I have a recollection of discussing this issue in last month’s review session.)

Try

  • We will try to simplify the onboarding process for new hires.
    (We will attempt to simplify the onboarding process for new hires.)
  • The team tried restructuring the workflow to improve productivity.
    (The team experimented with restructuring the workflow to improve productivity.)

Verbs commonly followed by Gerunds

Abhor

  • The manager abhors wasting time in unproductive meetings.

Acknowledge

  • She acknowledged missing the deadline and took responsibility.

Admit

  • He admitted forgetting to email the client.

Advise

  • I advise taking detailed notes during the presentation.

Allow

  • The company allows working from home twice a week.

Anticipate

  • We anticipate receiving feedback by Friday.

Appreciate

  • I appreciate you staying late to finish the report.

Avoid

  • He avoids making last-minute decisions.

Be worth

  • It’s worth double-checking the contract before signing.

Can’t help

  • I can’t help feeling excited about the new project.

Celebrate

  • We celebrated reaching our sales target ahead of schedule.

Confess

  • She confessed forgetting to attach the file to the email.

Consider

  • We are considering expanding our office space.

Defend

  • He defended keeping the current marketing strategy.

Delay

  • The team delayed submitting the proposal for further review.

Detest

  • I detest handling repetitive administrative tasks.

Discontinue

  • They discontinued offering free consultations.

Discuss

  • We discussed implementing a new project management tool.

Dislike

  • She dislikes working on tight deadlines.

Dispute

  • The employee disputed being responsible for the error.

Dread

  • I dread giving presentations in front of large audiences.

Endure

  • He endured working overtime during the holiday season.

Enjoy

  • We enjoy collaborating with the design team.

Escape

  • She escaped dealing with customer complaints by transferring departments.

Evade

  • The supervisor evades answering difficult questions directly.

Explain

  • He explained handling complaints as part of his role.

Fancy

  • I fancy leading the next project.

Fear

  • She fears making costly mistakes during audits.

Feel like

  • I feel like taking a break after the long meeting.

Feign

  • He feigned listening to the presentation while replying to emails.

Finish

  • We finished preparing the report ahead of time.

Forgive

  • The manager forgave missing the deadline due to technical issues.

Give up (stop)

  • She gave up trying to resolve the software issue alone.

Keep (continue)

  • We keep refining our marketing strategy to stay competitive.

Keep on

  • He kept on suggesting new ideas during the brainstorming session.

Mention

  • They mentioned reviewing the policy at the next meeting.

Mind (object to)

  • I don’t mind staying late to help the team.

Miss

  • She misses collaborating with her old team.

Necessitate

  • The role necessitates handling confidential information.

Omit

  • He omitted including the latest figures in the presentation.

Permit

  • The company permits taking extended breaks during long shifts.

Picture

  • I picture myself working in a leadership role in the future.

Postpone

  • They postponed launching the new product.

Practice

  • We practiced presenting our proposals to improve confidence.

Prevent

  • The software prevents copying sensitive data.

Put off

  • She put off completing the task until the next day.

Recall

  • I recall meeting that client last year.

Recollect

  • He recollected discussing the issue during the training session.

Recommend

  • I recommend starting the project early.

Report

  • They reported seeing errors in the database.

Resent

  • He resents working weekends without compensation.

Resist

  • She resisted accepting extra responsibilities.

Resume

  • We resumed working on the project after lunch.

Risk

  • He risked losing the deal by negotiating too aggressively.

Shirk

  • The employee shirked taking responsibility for the failure.

Shun

  • They shun attending unnecessary meetings.

Suggest

  • I suggest reviewing the terms before proceeding.

Support

  • The manager supports implementing flexible work policies.

Tolerate

  • She tolerates working long hours to meet deadlines.

Understand

  • I understand needing more time to complete the project.

Urge

  • The director urged following the updated guidelines.

Warrant

  • The situation warrants conducting a full investigation.

Verbs commonly followed by Infinitives

Agree

  • The team agreed to meet the client’s deadline.

Appear

  • She appears to handle multiple tasks effortlessly.

Arrange

  • I will arrange to schedule the meeting for next week.

Ask

  • He asked to leave early for a doctor’s appointment.

Attempt

  • We attempted to resolve the issue before the presentation.

Beg

  • The intern begged to join the leadership workshop.

Can/can’t afford

  • We can’t afford to lose another client this quarter.

Can/can’t wait

  • I can’t wait to present the final proposal.

Care

  • She cares to ensure that every detail is accurate.

Chance

  • We will chance to pitch the idea to upper management.

Choose

  • They chose to implement the new software immediately.

Claim

  • He claims to have completed the report ahead of time.

Come

  • The CEO came to appreciate the team’s hard work.

Consent

  • The director consented to approve the new budget.

Dare

  • She dared to question the supervisor’s strategy.

Decide

  • We decided to expand the project scope.

Demand

  • The client demanded to receive a revised contract.

Deserve

  • You deserve to be recognized for your contributions.

Determine

  • The board determined to increase funding for research.

Elect

  • He was elected to lead the new initiative.

Endeavor

  • We endeavor to improve communication across departments.

Expect

  • The manager expects to finish the project by Friday.

Fail

  • They failed to deliver the materials on time.

Get (opportunity)

  • I got to present our findings to the leadership team.

Grow up

  • She grew up to be a distinguished figure of leadership.

Guarantee

  • We guarantee to meet the project specifications.

Hesitate

  • Don’t hesitate to reach out with questions.

Hope

  • We hope to secure the new contract by next quarter.

Hurry

  • The team hurried to submit the application before the deadline.

Incline

  • He is inclined to support the new policy.

Learn

  • She learned to manage multiple teams effectively.

Manage

  • They managed to fix the technical issue quickly.

Mean

  • We mean to improve efficiency with this software update.

Need

  • You need to complete the compliance training by Friday.

Neglect

  • He neglected to inform the team about the schedule change.

Offer

  • She offered to help with the new project.

Pay

  • The company paid to upgrade the office equipment.

Plan

  • We plan to launch the new product in March.

Prepare

  • The team prepared to present their findings.

Pretend

  • He pretended to understand the complex report.

Profess

  • She professed to know the industry inside out.

Promise

  • The manager promised to review the policy changes.

Prove

  • The results proved to be beneficial to the company.

Refuse

  • They refused to accept the initial offer.

Remain

  • He remained to oversee the final stages of the project.

Request

  • The department requested to extend the deadline.

Resolve

  • We resolved to address the concerns raised by staff.

Say

  • She said to expect an update by noon.

Seek

  • The company seeks to expand its global reach.

Seem

  • He seems to understand the requirements well.

Shudder

  • I shudder to think about missing the deadline.

Strive

  • We strive to create a positive workplace environment.

Struggle

  • The team struggled to meet the new quotas.

Swear

  • She swore to finish the project by Friday.

Tend

  • He tends to focus on small details during meetings.

Threaten

  • They threatened to pull out of the partnership.

Turn out

  • The event turned out to be a great success.

Venture

  • We ventured to propose a new marketing strategy.

Volunteer

  • She volunteered to lead the next client meeting.

Wait

  • We waited to receive approval from the director.

Want

  • I want to join the leadership development program.

Wish

  • He wishes to transfer to another department.

Would like

  • I would like to discuss the budget changes.

Yearn

  • They yearn to achieve better work-life balance.