GERUND Vs. INFINITIVE THE GERUND (-ING) is used: a).

after verbs commonly followed by the ing form: admit, advise, allow, anticipate, appreciate, avoid, consider, contemplate, dislike, delay, deny, detest, dread, endure, enjoy, escape, excuse, face, fancy, finish, forbid, forgive, hate, imagine, intend, involve, mention, mind, miss, pardon, permit, postpone, practise, recollect, remember, regret, resent, resist, risk, save, start, stop, suggest, try, understand, like, love, begin, confess, continue, quit, prevent e.g. He suggested going to the cinema. Try to avoid using the car. b). after verbs with prepositions: accuse of, aim at, agree with, approve /disapprove of, consist in, count on, excuse from, insist on, prevent from, rely on, succeed in, decide against, apologize for, think of/about, suspect of, congratulate on, thank for, forgive for, warn against , result in c). after phrasal verbs: to go on, to keep on, to give up, to put off, to get through, to leave off d). after the expressions: cant help, cant stand, cant bear, its no fun / good / use, to be looking forward to, to be worth (while), to feel like, to have difficulty in, its a waste of money / time, spend / waste (time), to be accustomed to, to be used to, burst out (laughing, crying), to keep (somebody waiting) , to have trouble, theres no point in e.g. I am used to waiting for the bus for a long time. We are looking forward to receiving your reply. e). after be/get + adj / past participle + preposition: to be afraid of, to be agreeable to, to be annoyed at, to be capable of, to be intent on, to be interested in, to be responsible for, to be surprised at, to be/get used to, to be tired of/fed up with, to be keen on / fond of, to be enthusiastic about, to be experienced in, to be good / clever / skilful at, to be opposed to, to be bored with, to be afraid / scared of , to be suitable for, to be/get accustomed to e.g. Our friend is interested in collecting stamps f). Go and come can be followed by the ing form when used in expressions connected with sports and other (mainly physical) activities: e.g. Why dont you come skating with me. I usually go shopping on Friday afternoons

THE INFINITIVE a). verbs commonly followed by the to infinitive:

afford, agree, appear, arrange, attempt, care, choose, consent, decide, determine, endeavor, fail, happen, hesitate, hope, learn, manage, neglect, offer, plan, prepare, pretend, promise, refuse, seem, swear, undertake Notice the negative form with NOT TO. e.g. They agreed to leave in the morning. He happened to meet Paul at the station. Ill pretend not to see you. I wouldnt dare (to) ask him. But: I darent tell him what happened. b). verbs commonly followed by an object + infinitive: want, ask, expect, help, mean (intend), would like, would prefer e.g. Can somebody help him (to) move this table? Everyone wanted him to win the race. Tell, remind, force, enable, persuade, order, warn, invite, teach, get (persuade) e.g. I got Jack to repair my car. Advise, recommend, encourage, allow, permit, forbid, force e.g. He doesnt allow anyone to smoke in this house. (BUT He doesnt allow smoking in this house). Make, let (verb + infinitive) e.g. They made me do it Let them go. GERUND OR INFINITIVE? Need need + Infinitive = it's necessary e.g. He needs to work harder. Need + Gerund = it needs to be done e.g. This jacket is rather dirty. It needs cleaning. Begin, cease, start are followed by the infinitive when they express a mental activity. e.g. At last, the boy began to understand. Begin, cease are usually followed by the Infinitive when expressing an involuntary action. e.g. It began to snow. Begin, cease are usually followed by the Gerund when it expresses a deliberate action. e.g. The man began eating. Chance Chance + to Infinitive = din intamplare e.g. He chanced to find the letter while he was looking for a book. Chance = Gerund implica actiune voluntara e.g. As they were running he chanced jumping into the water. Go on Go on + Infinitive = refers to a new aspect e.g. Anne turned on the light and went on to read. Go on + Gerund = to continue the activity

e.g. We went on looking at the pictures. (am continuat sa) stop stop + Infinitive = in order to e.g. When he saw us, he stopped to look at us. Stop + Gerund = to cease e.g. The girl stopped singing. Try Try + Infinitive = to make an effort / attempt e.g. Please try to be quiet when you come home because everyone will be asleep. Try + Gerund = to try the alternative, make the experiment e.g. Paul has got a terrible headache. He tried taking an aspirin, but it didnt help. Remember Remember + Infinitive = not forget e.g. Please remember to post the letter. Remember + Gerund = you remember doing something after you did it e.g. I clearly remember locking the door before I left. (I locked it and now I clearly remember this) like like + Infinitive = to prefer, to want e.g. I like to do something = I find it good or right to do something. like + Gerund = I enjoy e.g. Do you like cooking? ( = do you enjoy it?) I dont like swimming. (= I dislike, I hate) I dont like driving. ( = I dont enjoy it)