Verb patterns – Introduction

Verb patterns – Introduction

When one verb follows another, the form of the second verb depends on the first verb. 

  • I enjoy attending business conferences.
  • They plan to launch a new product next month.
  • We advised our employees to improve their communication skills.
  • The investor made the company reevaluate its financial goals.

Here are some common verb patterns with explanations and examples: 

VERBS FOLLOWED BY VERB +ING 

Use this pattern with certain verbs and verb phrases including:

  • avoid: We avoid making hasty decisions in our business. 
  • imagine: Imagine working on innovative projects that disrupt the market.
  • consider: We are considering expanding our product line to reach new markets. 
  • keep: Keep improving your skills to stay competitive in the industry. 
  • risk: We don’t want to risk losing our loyal customers. 
  • dislike: She dislikes dealing with difficult clients.
  • mind: Do you mind proofreading this document before I send it out? 
  • suggest: I suggest contacting the potential client to arrange a meeting. 
  • enjoy: Enjoy networking at the business event tonight.
  • practise: It’s essential to practice delivering persuasive presentations.
  • finish: Let’s finish drafting the proposal by the end of the day. 
  • recommend: I recommend reviewing the market trends before making any decisions.

The negative form of this pattern is: not + verb with –ing 

  • I suggest not procrastinating on your business plan. 

VERBS FOLLOWED BY TO +ING 

Most of the time we use the infinitive after to, but in certain cases we use -ing. 

The reason is that the -ing form of the verb, called gerund, acts like a noun. This pattern is used with: be used to, get used to and look forward to. 

  • I am used to working long hours during peak seasons. 
  • We are getting used to using the new project management software. 
  • I look forward to attending the conference and networking with industry professionals.

VERBS FOLLOWED BY INFINITIVE WITH TO

Use this pattern with certain verbs and verb phrases including:

  • want: I want to schedule a meeting to discuss the new project.
  • need: We need to improve our customer service.
  • plan: The company plans to launch a new product line next quarter.
  • hope: I hope to secure a partnership with a major supplier. 
  • expect: We expect to receive the contract signed by the end of the week.
  • decide: The board of directors decided to invest in research and development.
  • promise: She promised to deliver the project proposal by Friday.
  • agree: We agreed to collaborate on the marketing campaign. 
  • aim: The team aims to achieve quarterly sales targets.
  • arrange: We will arrange to meet with the client next week.
  • intend: He intends to expand the business into new markets.
  • choose: We chose to outsource the IT services to streamline operations.
  • learn: I am learning to use the new software for data analysis.
  • manage: She managed to secure a substantial investment for the startup.
  • prepare: We are preparing to present the annual report to the shareholders.
  • would like: ​​We would like to express our interest in collaborating on the upcoming project.

VERBS FOLLOWED BY OBJECT + INFINITIVE WITH TO

Use this pattern with certain verbs and verb phrases including:

  • allow: The manager allows employees to work from home occasionally.
  • ask: I asked my colleague to review my proposal before submitting it.
  • encourage: The supervisor encourages the team to take on new challenges. 
  • force: The company cannot force employees to work overtime without compensation.
  • tell: She told the team to prepare a detailed sales report.
  • remind: Please remind the staff to submit their timesheets by the end of the day. 
  • persuade: We persuaded the client to reconsider their pricing strategy. 
  • teach: The trainer teaches the new hires to use the CRM software effectively. 
  • invite: We invited the key stakeholders to attend the product launch event. 
  • remind: Don’t forget to remind the participants to RSVP for the workshop.

Notice how some verbs, such as: want, would like, expect and need, are followed either by infinitive with to or by object and infinitive with to:

  • I want to discuss the proposal with the team. 
  • I want the team to discuss the proposal. 
  • She would like to attend the conference. 
  • She would like her team to attend the conference. 
  • We expect to receive the payment by the end of the month. 
  • We expect the client to make the payment by the end of the month. 
  • They need to hire more employees to meet the growing demand. 
  • They need the HR department to hire more employees. 

VERBS FOLLOWED BY INFINITIVE WITHOUT TO

This pattern is typical of causative verbs such as let and make. It is also used after modal verbs. 

  • Let the team handle the project independently. 
  • The CEO made the employees work overtime to meet the deadline. 
  • We must finish the financial report before the board meeting. 
  • We can’t finalize the contract by tomorrow.
  • You should review the contract carefully before signing it.

Notice the object in the first two sentences with let and make.

The exact pattern here is: verb + object + infinitive without to

  • Let the team handle the project independently. 
  • The CEO made the employees work overtime to meet the deadline. 

These verbs also follow this pattern: 

  • feel: I felt the tension rise during the negotiation.
  • hear: We heard the client express their concerns about the pricing.
  • notice: We noticed the client sign the contract with satisfaction.
  • see: She saw the employee complete the task efficiently. 
  • watch: He watched the employees collaborate on the project. 

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.