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.”