Verbs Followed by Gerunds or Infinitives (with a significant change in the meaning)
(The verbs are arranged alphabetically. Each verb is followed by an example. forget He forgot opening the window. (Meaning: He opened the window, but he forgot doing so.) He forgot to open the window. (Meaning: he was supposed to open the window, but he forgot.) regret She regrets quitting her job. (She quited her job, and now she regrets it.) She regrets to quit her job. (She is sorry to quit her job.) stop He stopped chatting. (He was chatting, and then he stopped.) He stopped to chat. (He was doing something else, and then he stop in order to chat.) remember I remembered locking the storage. (I had a memory in my mind of locking the storage.) I remembered to lock the storage. (I locked the storage as I should have.) try They tried moving to Australia. (They moved to Australia for some time to see if it works out for them.) They tried to move to Australia. (They made an attempt to move to Australia, but it wasn't successful. They didn't move to Australia after all.)
Part III
So when you need to decide which one to use, first check whether the main verb is limited only to gerunds, or only to infinitives. If the verb is not on any of the lists, you can use the following guidelines:
The word "go" + sports or recreational activities usually take a gerund. Examples: "Let's go shopping", "They went skiing".
After a preposition you should use a gerund. Examples: "I will talk with you before going to lunch" "I am looking forward to working with you".
Expressions with the words "have", "spend" and "waste" take a gerund. Examples: "She had fun skiing", "He wasted all his time worrying".
In many cases, the infinitive form is used to show the intention or purpose. Examples: "We are here to help", "He left to catch the train".
The infinitive form is also used to show the reason. Examples: "we were sad to hear about your difficulties", "She was shocked to learn the truth".
If neither of these guidelines applies, simply use the principle in Part I above. Does it describe a concrete action? Then use a gerund. Does it describe a general or potential action? Then use an infinitive. Examples: "As a painter, I truly love painting", "I love to paint. I wish I would paint more often".
Anyhow, whenever you are in doubt, you can always use a dictionary to help you out! Oxford Advanced Learner's dictionary is a really good one to use. It shows you whether the verb requires a gerund, and infinitive, or can take both. Just look at the data bellow the definition.
Practice Gerunds & Infinitives with these tests:
Gerunds and Infinitives – Exercise 01
Change the verb in brackets into the correct form (note that in some cases both forms can be correct).
Начало формы
1. He is
determined
(win)
that race.
2. He lay in bed
(plan)
the days to come.
3. We went
(run)
in the morning.
4. Her fear of spiders made
(travel)
difficult.
5. They don't mind
(wait)
outside.
6. The problem is
(get)
there on time.
7. I am accustomed to
(take
care) of myself.
8. I want him
(paint)
the wall.
9.
(be),
or
(not
be), that is the question.
10. This guy is known for
(break)
the rules.
11. Sue enjoys
(dance).
12.
The advantages of
(go)
by train were clearly visible.
13. Your advice
(plan)
ahead was excellent.
14. Your addiction to
(drink)
will not serve you well.
15. I am pleased
(meet)
you.