Gerund and Infinitive Verb Patterns
It
is
important to remember that these are only a few of the verbs that
act in this way. For more comprehensive lists, consult a good grammar
book such as "Recycling Advanced English" by Clare West,
"Advanced Language Practice" by Michael Vince, or "Grammar in Context"
by Hugh Gethin.
A good monolingual dictionary such
as the "Macmillan English Dictionary", should tell you which verb
pattern is correct for individual verbs.
Infinitive
Verb Patterns
The following verbs can be followed by
the infinitive: agree, decide, offer, manage, hope, tend,
decide, fail, wish and
refuse, e.g. "The audience refused to leave the lecture theatre."
The following verbs can be followed by
an object/object
pronoun then the bare
infinitive (without
"to"): help,
let, make
and know e.g. "The
doctor made me give up smoking."
The following verbs can be followed by
an object/object
pronoun then the full
infinitive
(with "to"): help,
instruct, forbid, challenge, beg, compel, lead, oblige and inspire e.g. "This
article led me to believe you are mistaken."
Gerund
Verb Patterns
The following verbs can be followed by
the gerund: risk, involve, finish, deny, entail, mind,
consider, postpone, mention and keep e.g. "My
daughter never mentioned needing more money."
The following verbs can be
followed by an object/object
pronoun or a possessive pronoun then the gerund: stop, prevent, forgive, excuse and anticipate e.g. "You cannot stop
your children growing up."
The verb find can be followed by an object/object pronoun then the gerund e.g. "I
found my degree results waiting on the doormat."