Verb + gerund or infinitive

No change in meaning

The following commonly used verbs may be followed by a gerund or an infinitive, with little or no difference in meaning:

begin

hate

love

continue

like

start

Example sentence: I love skiing. I love to ski.

Change in meaning

With a few verbs, the choice of a gerund or an infinitive changes the meaning dramatically:

forget

remember

stop

try

Example sentence: She stopped speaking to Lucia. [She no longer spoke to Lucia.] Example sentence: She stopped to speak to Lucia. [She paused so that she could speak to Lucia.]

Example sentence: He stopped mixing the reagent when the solution turned orange. Example sentence: He stopped to mix the reagent when the solution turned orange.

Example sentence: He remembered parking behind the theater. Example sentence: He remembered to park behind the theater.

Example sentence: He tried putting fertilizer in the soil mix. He tried to put fertilizer in the soil mix.

Exercises:

Verbs followed by gerunds or infinitives 1

Verbs followed by gerunds or infinitives 2