Part B: GERUND OR INFINITIVE?
B. Verbs where there is a clear difference in meaning:
Verbs marked with an asterisk* can also be followed by a that-clause.
come
forget*
go on
mean*
regret*
remember*
stop
try
Come:
Come + gerund is like other verbs of movement followed by the gerund, and means that the subject is doing something as they move:
* She came running across the field.
Come + to-infinitive means that something happens or develops, perhaps outside the subject's control:
* At first I thought he was crazy, but I've come to appreciate his sense of humour.
* How did you come to be outside the wrong house?
* This word has come to mean something quite different.
Forget, regret and remember:
When these verbs are followed by a gerund, the gerund refers to an action that happened earlier:
* I remember locking the door (= I remember now, I locked the door earlier)
* He regretted speaking so rudely. (= he regretted at some time in the past, he had spoken rudely at some earlier time in the past.)
Forget is frequently used with 'never' in the simple future form:
* I'll never forget meeting my boss for the first time.
When these verbs are followed by a to-infinitive, the infinitive refers to an action happening at the same time, or later:
* I remembered to lock the door (= I thought about it, then I did it.)
* Don't forget to buy some eggs! (= Please think about it and then do it.)
* We regret to announce the late arrival of the 12.45 from Paddington. (= We feel sorry before we tell you this bad news.)
Go on:
Go on + gerund means to continue with an action:
* He went on speaking for two hours.
* I can't go on working like this - I'm exhausted.
Go on + to-infinitive means to do the next action, which is often the next stage in a process:
* After introducing her proposal, she went on to explain the benefits for the company.
* John Smith worked in local government for five years, then went on to become a Member of Parliament.
Mean:
Mean + gerund expresses what the result of an action will be, or what will be necessary:
* If you take that job in London it will mean travelling for two hours every day.
* We could take the ferry to France, but that will mean spending a night in a hotel.
Mean + to-infinitive expresses an intention or a plan:
* Did you mean to dial this number?
* I mean to finish this job by the end of the week!
* Sorry - I didn't mean to hurt you.
Stop:
Stop + gerund means to finish an action in progress:
* I stopped working for them because the wages were so low.
Stop tickling me!
Stop + to-infinitive means to interrupt an activity in order to do something else, so the infinitive is used to express a purpose:
* I stopped to have lunch. (= I was working, or travelling, and I interrupted what I was doing in order to eat.)
* It's difficult to concentrate on what you are doing if you have to stop to answer the phone every five minutes.
Try:
Try + gerund means to experiment with an action that might be a solution to your problem.
* If you have problems sleeping, you could try doing some yoga before you go to bed, or you could try drinking some warm milk.
* 'I can't get in touch with Carl.' 'Have you tried e-mailing him?'
Try + to-infinitive means to make an effort to do something. It may be something very difficult or even impossible:
* The surgeons tried to save his life but he died on the operating table.
* We'll try to phone at 6 o'clock, but it might be hard to find a public telephone.
* People have to try to live together in harmony.
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