‘Try doing’ or ‘Try to do’? Knowing when to use the gerund or infinitive after ‘helping’ verbs.
Helping verbs (also known as auxiliary or linking verbs) are followed by a main verb in either the infinitive form (with or without “to”) or in the gerund (verb+ing) form. Some verbs allow both forms, sometimes with the same meaning, sometimes with a different meaning.
- Verbs Followed by the Bare Infinitive (Infinitive Without “to”)
These verbs must be followed by a bare infinitive (without “to”).
List of Verbs:
- Modal verbs: can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will, would
- Auxiliary verbs: do, does, did (in questions, negatives, and emphasis)
- Let (permission) – “Let me go.”
- Make (causative) – “She made him cry.”
- Help (sometimes takes “to”) – “He helped me (to) fix the car.”
- Hear, see, watch, feel, notice (perception verbs, when used in active voice) – “I saw her leave.”
Example Sentences:
- “You must finish your homework.”
- “She made him apologize.”
- “I heard her sing a song.”
- “They saw the thief run away.”
- Verbs Followed by “to” + Infinitive
These verbs require the full infinitive (to + verb) after them.
List of Verbs:
- Be (in passive constructions) – “He is to be promoted.”
- Have to (obligation) – “You have to study.”
- Ought to – “You ought to know better.”
- Used to (past habits) – “She used to live here.”
- Need to (necessity) – “I need to finish my work.”
- Dare to (challenge or courage) – “He dared to speak up.”
- Want to – “She wants to leave.”
- Hope to – “I hope to travel next year.”
- Plan to – “We plan to move soon.”
- Decide to – “They decided to stay.”
- Promise to – “She promised to help.”
- Agree to – “He agreed to go.”
- Refuse to – “She refused to answer.”
- Learn to – “He learned to swim.”
- Fail to – “He failed to arrive on time.”
- Forget to – “I forgot to call you.”
- Remember to – “She remembered to lock the door.”
- Regret to – “I regret to inform you…”
- Seem to – “He seems to know everything.”
- Appear to – “She appeared to be nervous.”
- Tend to – “He tends to talk a lot.”
- Pretend to – “She pretended to be asleep.”
- Afford to – “I can’t afford to buy it.”
- Manage to – “He managed to escape.”
- Happen to – “She happened to see him.”
Example Sentences:
- “They agreed to help us.”
- “She wants to travel to Europe.”
- “I forgot to send the email.”
- “He pretended to be asleep.”
- Verbs Followed by a Gerund (-ing Form)
These verbs require a gerund (verb+ing) after them.
List of Verbs:
- Verbs of Enjoyment: enjoy, love, like, dislike, hate, prefer, adore, loathe
- Verbs of Repetition & Continuation: keep, continue, practice, avoid, delay, postpone, resist, finish, complete, quit, stop, give up
- Verbs of Mind & Emotions: imagine, consider, suggest, recommend, admit, deny, regret, risk, mind
- Verbs Expressing Necessity or Incompletion: need (in passive meaning: “needs cleaning”), require, deserve, be worth
- Verbs of Involvement: mention, involve, include, discuss, miss
- Verbs Related to Spending Time: spend time, waste time, can’t help
- Verbs of Perception in Passive Voice: see, hear, watch, feel, notice (in passive: “She was seen leaving.”)
Example Sentences:
- “She enjoys swimming in the ocean.”
- “I keep forgetting his name.”
- “They avoid talking about politics.”
- “The house needs painting.”
- Verbs That Can Take Either the Infinitive or the Gerund
Some verbs can be followed by either a gerund (-ing form) or an infinitive (to + verb). The meaning may or may not change.
List of Verbs:
- Same Meaning: begin, start, continue, love, like, hate, prefer
- Different Meaning:
- Remember – “I remember meeting her.” (past memory) / “I remember to meet her.” (task not forgotten)
- Forget – “He forgot meeting her.” (past memory) / “He forgot to meet her.” (neglected to do)
- Stop – “She stopped smoking.” (quit smoking) / “She stopped to smoke.” (paused to smoke)
- Regret – “I regret telling you.” (I wish I hadn’t.) / “I regret to tell you.” (I’m sorry to inform you.)
- Try – “He tried opening the window.” (experiment) / “He tried to open the window.” (effort)
- Mean – “This means leaving early.” (consequence) / “I meant to call you.” (intended action)
- Go on – “He went on talking.” (continued) / “He went on to talk about history.” (changed subject)
Example Sentences:
- “She started crying.” / “She started to cry.”
- “I regret telling him.” / “I regret to tell you the bad news.”
- “He tried opening the window.” / “He tried to open the window.”
Final Summary
Bare Infinitive:
✅ Modal verbs (can, must, shall, etc.), causative (make, let), perception (see, hear, feel)
To + Infinitive:
✅ Most verbs of decision, intention, obligation, perception in passive voice, some modals (need to, have to)
Gerund (-ing):
✅ Enjoyment, repetition, emotion, necessity, perception in passive voice, spending time
Both (Infinitive or Gerund):
✅ Some verbs allow both with the same meaning (begin, start, continue)
✅ Others have a different meaning (stop, remember, forget, try, regret, mean)
If you feel confident about what you’ve learnt here, try completing the sentences below. You can then copy and paste your answers and return them to me for review, using the comments box below. Good luck!
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Exercise: Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb in parentheses.
(Use the correct verb form: bare infinitive, full infinitive (“to” + verb), or gerund (-ing).)
- She made me ___ (apologize) for my mistake.
- I happen ___ (know) the answer to that question.
- He can’t afford ___ (buy) a new car.
- I saw them ___ (run) down the street.
- She enjoys ___ (read) novels in her free time.
- He managed ___ (find) a good hotel.
- We ought ___ (tell) him the truth.
- I remember ___ (meet) him at the party.
- She kept ___ (talk) even though the teacher asked for silence.
- His parents encouraged him ___ (study) harder.
- I heard him ___ (shout) from the other room.
- I don’t mind ___ (wait) for a few minutes.
- Please remember ___ (call) me before you leave.
- She refused ___ (give) me an answer.
- I’ll never forget ___ (visit) Paris for the first time.
- Try ___ (add) some sugar to see if it tastes better.
- I can’t help ___ (laugh) at his joke.
- He decided ___ (move) to another city.
- You need ___ (finish) your work before leaving.
- She stopped ___ (smoke) because it was unhealthy.
- She stopped ___ (buy) a newspaper on the way home.
- We regret ___ (inform) you that your application was not successful.
- You should ___ (study) harder for the exam.
- I heard them ___ (sing) a beautiful song.
- He pretended ___ (be) asleep.
- I regret ___ (tell) you the truth.
- The house needs ___ (paint).
- He tends ___ (talk) too much.
- She promised ___ (help) me with the project.
- They saw him ___ (steal) the wallet.
- She let her son ___ (stay) up late last night.
- They can ___ (leave) whenever they want.
- He failed ___ (arrive) on time.
- I tried ___ (open) the door, but it was locked.
- I suggested ___ (take) a different route.
- She was seen ___ (leave) the building.
- You must ___ (listen) carefully to the instructions.
- We happened ___ (find) an old book in the attic.
- I prefer ___ (watch) movies rather than reading books.
- He stopped ___ (answer) the phone to focus on his work.
- Don’t forget ___ (lock) the door before you go out.
- She avoided ___ (mention) the problem.
- He dared not ___ (speak) in front of the crowd.
- He watched them ___ (play) in the park.
- I hope ___ (travel) to Japan next year.
- I can’t stand ___ (wait) in long lines.
- She agreed ___ (meet) us at 6 p.m.
- He admitted ___ (cheat) on the test.
- We went on ___ (talk) for hours after dinner.
- He happened ___ (see) her at the airport.
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