Verb Patterns – Changes in Meaning

VERBS FOLLOWED BY -ING / INFINITIVE

with similar meaning

The following verbs can be followed by either gerund or infinitive with to, without a significant change in the meaning of a sentences: 

  • begin / start
  • continue
  • prefer
  • like
  • love
  • hate

VERBS FOLLOWED BY -ING / INFINITIVE

with different meaning

The following verbs can be followed by either gerund or infinitive with to, but the meaning of a sentence changes depending on the verb pattern used: 

forget

  • She forgot submitting the report. (Gerund)
  • She forgot to submit the report. (Infinitive) 

The first sentence implies that she did submit the report, but she has no memory of it. The second sentence indicates that she didn’t submit the report because she didn’t remember to do so.

remember 

  • He remembered calling the client. (Gerund) 
  • He remembered to call the client. (Infinitive) 

The first sentence suggests that he recalls making a phone call to the client. The second sentence indicates that he didn’t forget to make the call, and he did it as planned. 

try

  • We tried completing the project ahead of schedule. (Gerund) 
  • We tried to complete the project ahead of schedule. (Infinitive) 

The first sentence implies an actual attempt was made to finish the project early. The second sentence suggests that there was an intention or effort to complete it early, but it may not have been achieved. 

go on

  • The meeting went on discussing the budget. (Gerund) 
  • The meeting went on to discuss the budget. (Infinitive) 

The first sentence indicates that the meeting continued while discussing the budget. The second sentence suggests that the meeting moved forward to discuss the budget after something else. 

stop 

  • They stopped attending the conference. (Gerund) 
  • They stopped to attend the conference. (Infinitive) 

The first sentence implies that they were attending the conference but then stopped doing so. The second sentence suggests that they stopped what they were doing to attend the conference. 

regret

  • I regret saying John’s application wasn’t perfect. (Gerund) 
  • I regret to say your application wasn’t successful on this occasion. (Infinitive) 

The first sentence indicates being sorry about something the speaker did. The second sentence is a way of giving bad news in a formal situation.