Gerunds vs Infinitives: When to Use -ing and 'to' in SPM English

What’s the Difference?

A gerund is a verb form ending in -ing used as a noun: swimming, reading, studying An infinitive is “to” + base verb: to swim, to read, to study

Both can follow another verb, but the choice depends on which verb comes first:

• “I enjoy swimming.” (gerund — correct)
• “I enjoy to swim.” (infinitive — WRONG)
• “I want to swim.” (infinitive — correct)
• “I want swimming.” (gerund — WRONG)

There’s no logical pattern — you need to memorise which verbs take which form.

Verbs That Take GERUNDS (-ing)

These verbs are always followed by -ing:

Verb	Example
enjoy	I enjoy reading.
avoid	He avoids eating junk food.
finish	She finished studying at 10 p.m.
mind	Do you mind waiting?
suggest	I suggest taking the bus.
consider	He considered changing schools.
practise	She practises speaking English daily.
keep	Keep trying!
deny	He denied stealing the money.
admit	She admitted making a mistake.
risk	Don’t risk losing marks.
imagine	Imagine living in another country.
miss	I miss playing with my friends.
delay	They delayed announcing the results.
give up	She gave up smoking.

Memory sentence: “Enjoy avoiding finishing? Mind suggesting considering practice!” (First letters: E-A-F-M-S-C-P)

Verbs That Take INFINITIVES (to + verb)

These verbs are always followed by “to”:

Verb	Example
want	I want to study.
need	She needs to improve.
decide	He decided to stay.
hope	I hope to score an A.
plan	We plan to visit Penang.
expect	They expect to pass.
agree	She agreed to help.
refuse	He refused to answer.
promise	I promise to try harder.
learn	She learned to drive.
offer	He offered to carry my bag.
seem	It seems to be raining.
pretend	She pretended to sleep.
afford	We can’t afford to waste time.
manage	He managed to finish on time.

Verbs That Take BOTH (with different meanings)

Some verbs accept both forms but with different meanings:

Remember

• “I remember locking the door.” (I remember that I did it — past action)
• “Remember to lock the door.” (Don’t forget to do it — future action)

Forget

• “I forgot meeting her.” (I don’t remember that we met — past)
• “I forgot to meet her.” (I didn’t meet her because I forgot — past)

Stop

• “He stopped smoking.” (He quit the habit)
• “He stopped to smoke.” (He paused in order to smoke)

Try

• “Try eating more vegetables.” (Experiment with it)
• “Try to eat more vegetables.” (Make an effort to eat them)

Regret

• “I regret telling him.” (I’m sorry I told him — past action)
• “I regret to tell you that you failed.” (Formal — I’m sorry to inform you)

After Prepositions: ALWAYS Use Gerund

When a verb comes after a preposition (in, on, at, for, about, of, by, without), ALWAYS use the gerund:

• “She is good at swimming.” (NOT “at to swim”)
• “I’m interested in learning.”
• “Thank you for helping.”
• “He apologised for being late.”
• “She left without saying goodbye.”
• “I’m tired of waiting.”
• “He succeeded by working hard.”

As Subject of a Sentence: Use Gerund

When the verb is the subject of the sentence, use the gerund:

• “Swimming is good exercise.”
• “Reading improves vocabulary.”
• “Studying hard is the key to success.”

Common SPM Mistakes

1. Using Infinitive After “Enjoy”

Wrong: “I enjoy to read books.” Right: “I enjoy reading books.”

2. Using Gerund After “Want”

Wrong: “She wants going home.” Right: “She wants to go home.”

3. Using Infinitive After Prepositions

Wrong: “She is interested in to learn English.” Right: “She is interested in learning English.”

4. Forgetting “to” in Infinitives

Wrong: “I decided go home.” Right: “I decided to go home.”

5. Confusing “Stop + gerund” and “Stop + infinitive”

“He stopped smoking.” = He quit smoking. “He stopped to smoke.” = He paused his activity in order to smoke.

Practice Exercise

Choose the correct form:

1. She enjoys _____ (cook / cooking / to cook).
2. He wants _____ (study / studying / to study) abroad.
3. They decided _____ (move / moving / to move) to KL.
4. I don’t mind _____ (wait / waiting / to wait).
5. She is good at _____ (draw / drawing / to draw).
6. Remember _____ (bring / bringing / to bring) your books tomorrow.
7. He avoided _____ (answer / answering / to answer) the question.

Answers:

1. cooking (enjoy + gerund)
2. to study (want + infinitive)
3. to move (decide + infinitive)
4. waiting (mind + gerund)
5. drawing (preposition “at” + gerund)
6. to bring (remember + infinitive = future action)
7. answering (avoid + gerund)

Master Verb Patterns

Gerunds and infinitives are tested in grammar questions, cloze passages, and can elevate your essay writing. At SPMEnglish.com.my, we drill these patterns until they feel natural. WhatsApp us to strengthen your grammar.

Related Resources

• Grammar & Sentence Structure — Complete grammar programme
• Tenses Guide — Related verb patterns
• Complex Sentences — Build on verb patterns
• Cloze Passage Tips — Where these are tested