Series ID: EDKS-BASIC-ZH-0061 · Lesson No.061 · B1→B2 Verb Patterns

Gerunds and Infinitives in Everyday English | 动名词与不定式

I enjoy reading. I decided to leave. I’m interested in learning. I stopped to answer the phone.
我喜欢阅读。我决定离开。我对学习感兴趣。我停下来接电话。

English often decides the next verb form according to the word or structure before it. The goal is not to memorise every possible list at once. Build a small set of reliable patterns, then learn important meaning contrasts.

这一课的核心是“动词模式”：前面的词决定后面用 -ing 还是 to + verb。先掌握高频模式，再理解少数会改变意思的对比。

Chinese Edition Hub · 中文版入口 · ← Lesson No.060 · B1 Review and Real-World Performance

The verb-pattern map | 动词模式路线

verb + -ing
verb + to-infinitive
preposition + -ing
adjective + to-infinitive
purpose infinitive
object + to-infinitive
stop / remember / try meaning contrasts
common error diagnosis
Mandarin transfer

1. Gerund form | 动名词形式

verb + -ing

reading
working
travelling
studying

In these patterns, the -ing form functions like a noun-like activity.

2. Infinitive form | 不定式形式

to + base verb

to read
to work
to travel
to study

3. Enjoy + -ing | enjoy + 动名词

I enjoy reading.
She enjoys cooking.
They enjoy travelling together.

4. Avoid + -ing | avoid + -ing

Try to avoid checking your phone during study.
He avoids driving in heavy traffic.

5. Finish + -ing | finish + -ing

I finished writing the report.
Have you finished reading the article?

6. Keep + -ing | keep + -ing

Keep practising.
She kept asking questions.

7. Mind + -ing | mind + -ing

Do you mind waiting?
I don’t mind helping.

8. Suggest + -ing | suggest + -ing

I suggest taking the train.
She suggested meeting earlier.

Do not use suggest to take in this standard pattern.

9. Consider + -ing | consider + -ing

We are considering moving closer to work.
Consider using a shorter example.

10. Imagine + -ing | imagine + -ing

Can you imagine living there?

11. Decide + to-infinitive | decide + to

We decided to leave early.
She decided to study online.

12. Plan + to-infinitive | plan + to

I plan to review this tomorrow.
They plan to travel in June.

13. Want + to-infinitive | want + to

I want to improve my listening.
She wants to change the booking.

14. Need + to-infinitive | need + to

I need to finish this today.
We need to check the timetable.

15. Hope + to-infinitive | hope + to

I hope to see you soon.
She hopes to find a better solution.

16. Learn + to-infinitive | learn + to

He learned to drive last year.
I’m learning to speak more confidently.

17. Promise + to-infinitive | promise + to

I promised to call.
She promised to send the file.

18. Agree + to-infinitive | agree + to

They agreed to meet at six.

19. Refuse + to-infinitive | refuse + to

He refused to sign the form.

20. Preposition + -ing | 介词后通常用 -ing

interested in learning
good at explaining
before leaving
after finishing
without checking

21. Interested in + -ing | interested in

I’m interested in learning Spanish.

22. Good at + -ing | good at

She’s good at explaining difficult ideas.

23. Before / after + -ing | before/after

Check the address before leaving.
After finishing the report, send it to Mei.

24. Without + -ing | without

He left without saying goodbye.
Don’t submit the form without checking it.

25. Look forward to + -ing | look forward to

I look forward to hearing from you.

Here to is a preposition, so use -ing, not a base verb.

26. Adjective + to-infinitive | 形容词 + to

happy to help
ready to start
easy to use
difficult to explain

27. Ready to… | ready to

I’m ready to begin.

28. Easy/difficult to… | easy/difficult to

This app is easy to use.
The idea is difficult to explain.

29. Purpose infinitive | 用 to 表目的

I went to the shop to buy milk.
She called to confirm the booking.

The infinitive explains why the action was done.

30. Object + to-infinitive | 宾语 + to

I asked him to wait.
She told me to call back.
We want you to check the file.

31. Ask/tell + object + to | ask/tell

This connects directly to reported speech:

She asked me to send it.
He told us to wait.

32. Stop doing | 停止正在做的事

I stopped smoking. → I no longer smoke.
She stopped talking. → the talking ended.

33. Stop to do | 停下来去做另一件事

I stopped to answer the phone. → I paused another activity in order to answer.

34. Stop contrast | stop 对比

I stopped working. → work ended.
I stopped to work. → I stopped another activity in order to work.

35. Remember doing | 记得做过

I remember meeting her before.

The memory is about a past event.

36. Remember to do | 记得要做

Remember to lock the door.

The action is still a task to complete.

37. Forget doing | 忘记做过

I’ll never forget visiting that place.

38. Forget to do | 忘记去做

I forgot to send the email.

39. Try doing | 试试看某方法

If the screen is frozen, try restarting the computer.

This means experiment with a possible solution.

40. Try to do | 努力尝试完成

I tried to open the file, but it was damaged.

41. Try contrast | try 对比

Try using another browser. → test this method
Try to finish before six. → make an effort

42. Like/love/hate + -ing or to | 两种模式

I like reading.
I like to read before bed.

Both can occur; emphasis and variety affect preference. Do not invent a rigid rule where real English allows both.

43. Start/begin + -ing or to | start/begin

It started raining.
It started to rain.

Both are possible in many contexts.

44. Used to + base verb | used to

I used to work there.

This is a past-habit structure, not a gerund/infinitive choice.

45. Be used to + -ing/noun | be used to

I’m used to working early.
She’s used to the noise.

Here to is a preposition.

46. Used to vs be used to | 对比

I used to work nights. → past habit, no longer true
I’m used to working nights. → familiar/accustomed now

47. Verb-pattern notebook | 动词模式笔记

Record verbs as chunks:

enjoy doing
decide to do
interested in doing
ask someone to do

Do not store only the single verb.

48. Learn with one example | 每个模式配一句

avoid doing → I avoid checking messages while studying.

49. Mandarin transfer: 中文动词后形式变化少 | 英语模式更明显

Mandarin often does not mark the following verb in the same morphological way. English learners therefore need to learn patterns as chunks.

50. Mandarin transfer: “去做”不总是 to-infinitive | 不要机械翻译

Chinese meaning alone does not predict whether English uses -ing or to + verb.

51. Reading practice A | 阅读 A

Mei enjoys learning languages and has decided to study Korean next year. She plans to practise for twenty minutes a day and hopes to join a conversation group. She is also interested in watching short videos without subtitles.

Find three to-infinitive patterns.
Find two -ing patterns.

52. Reading practice B | 阅读 B

David tried restarting his laptop because the screen had frozen. When that did not work, he tried to open the file on another computer. He remembered to save a backup before making any more changes.

Why is the first try followed by -ing?
Why is the second followed by to?
What did David remember?

53. Speaking practice: pattern interview | 模式口语

Answer:

What do you enjoy doing?
What do you plan to do?
What are you interested in learning?
What do you avoid doing?

54. Writing practice: four pattern families | 四类模式

Write:

five verb + -ing sentences
five verb + to sentences
five preposition + -ing sentences
three meaning-contrast pairs

55. Error clinic | 常见错误

Error	Better English
I enjoy to read. ✗	I enjoy reading. ✓
I decided going. ✗	I decided to go. ✓
I’m interested to learn. ✗	I’m interested in learning. ✓
She suggested to take the train. ✗	She suggested taking the train. ✓
I look forward to hear from you. ✗	I look forward to hearing from you. ✓

56. First weak link diagnosis | 第一个卡点诊断

I choose randomly between -ing/to → pattern memory.
I know lists but not speaking → chunk retrieval.
I misunderstand stop/remember/try → meaning contrast.
I treat every to as infinitive → preposition recognition.
I produce forms but collocations sound wrong → pattern+context practice.

57. Retrieval lab | 提取练习

我喜欢阅读。 → ______
我决定早点走。 → ______
我对学习感兴趣。 → ______
记得锁门。 → ______
我记得见过她。 → ______
试试看重启电脑。 → ______

Suggested answers: I enjoy reading. / I decided to leave early. / I’m interested in learning. / Remember to lock the door. / I remember meeting her. / Try restarting the computer.

58. Seven-day training cycle | 七天训练

Day 1	verb + -ing	动名词
Day 2	verb + to	不定式
Day 3	preposition + -ing	介词
Day 4	adjective/purpose infinitive	功能
Day 5	stop/remember	意义对比
Day 6	try/used to	意义对比
Day 7	five-minute verb-pattern conversation	综合

59. Self-test | 自测

Use ten high-frequency -ing verbs, ten to-infinitive verbs, five preposition + -ing phrases, three adjective + to patterns; explain stop/remember/try contrasts; distinguish used to from be used to; correct ten common pattern errors.

60. For parents and teachers | 给家长和老师

Teach verb patterns as lexical chunks, not only grammar categories.

Use contrast sentences when meaning changes, especially stop, remember and try.

For Mandarin speakers, explicitly show that English morphology marks these patterns even when Chinese does not.

61. Final real-world challenge | 最终真实任务

Use ten verb + -ing patterns.
Use ten verb + to patterns.
Use preposition + -ing naturally.
Use purpose infinitive.
Use ask/tell + object + to.
Contrast stop doing/to do.
Contrast remember doing/to do.
Contrast try doing/to do.
Write a 150-word learning-plan paragraph.
Hold a five-minute conversation using at least fifteen target patterns.

Next: Lesson No.062 | 下一课

The next lesson moves from hypothetical present/future choices to hypothetical past: what would have happened if a past event had been different.

Lesson No.062 · Third Conditional for Past Hypotheticals · 第三条件句与过去假设

Reference floor: British Council B1 Intermediate · British Council B1–B2 Grammar.

Small Group Tutorials

How to Learn Basic English (Chinese Edition) | Lesson No.061 | Gerunds and Infinitives in Everyday English | 动名词与不定式