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Блог / Gerund or Infinitive? 16 Real Mistakes with "To" and "-ing"
Gerund or Infinitive? 16 Real Mistakes with "To" and "-ing"
Some English verbs are followed by an infinitive ("decide to go"), some by a gerund ("enjoy going"), and some by a that-clause. There is no simple rule; the patterns have to be learned verb by verb. Other errors come from adding to where it does not belong, or from changing the verb after to. The examples below are real sentences that people sent to Proofread Bot.
The corrections below are written in formal, academic English.
1. Verbs followed by the infinitive
✓ I decided to go to the park.
✓ We like to walk.
✓ It is very typical of Peter not to explain the heart-rending part of the story.
Verbs such as decide, want, hope, plan, agree, refuse, and promise take to + verb.
2. Verbs that do not take a "to" infinitive
✓ She suggested that I consult a doctor.
✓ I want you to be my partner.
Suggest and recommend take a that-clause or a gerund ("She suggested consulting a doctor"), never an object plus infinitive. Want is the opposite: it takes an object plus infinitive, never a that-clause. Both errors are common for speakers of Romance and Slavic languages.
3. No "to" after modal verbs
✓ I must buy a new English book.
✓ User account management will be taken over.
Must, can, will, should, might, and would are followed by the bare verb.
4. The verb after "to" stays in its base form
✓ Someone from Germany wants to send a letter.
✓ Twilio Notify is a new tool to orchestrate push notifications.
✓ I had to smile when I read this piece.
✓ The translators had to think carefully about how to approach certain terms.
✓ It seems to connect with many people.
✓ Regulators forced Microsoft to make its products compatible.
5. The verb after a modal also stays in its base form
✓ 3D-holomesh will deliver stunning holographic images.
✓ Tesla thought this would allow alternating current to be received.
6. Gerund after a preposition
✓ Work on bringing Drupal 8 the same feature set.
After a preposition (on, about, for, without, before), use the -ing form. This includes phrases that end in to as a preposition: "look forward to seeing you," "be used to working."
A note on split infinitives
"To boldly go" splits the infinitive with an adverb. This was once considered an error, but modern style guides accept it when the alternative sounds awkward. "I want to not go" is a different matter: "I do not want to go" is clearer and says what you mean.
Proofread Bot checks verb patterns after common verbs and modals. See also parallel structure mistakes and the possessive before a gerund.