Which verbs are followed by a gerund in English?

A gerund (the -ing form used as a noun) follows enjoy, avoid, finish, mind, suggest, consider, delay, miss, practise, risk, admit, deny, imagine, keep, postpone, give up, and can't stand. She enjoys throwing lids is the model. After a preposition you also need -ing even if the first verb is not on that list: He left without sealing the kiln.

Which verbs are followed by a to-infinitive?

Want, decide, hope, plan, expect, afford, agree, refuse, manage, promise, offer, fail, tend, appear, seem, learn, choose, and arrange take a to-infinitive. They decided to raku-fire the bowls. Many of these can also take a person as object: I want her to bisque the tiles tonight.

Can I use both gerund and infinitive after like, love, and hate?

Yes. I like throwing lids and I like to throw lids are both correct, and the event is the same. Love, hate, prefer, start, begin, and continue all take both forms with no real change of meaning. Keep this set apart from try, stop, and remember, where the two forms name different actions.

Why is I'd like seeing wrong if I like seeing is fine?

Like and would like are different verbs for this purpose. Like sits on the either list. Would like is a polite want and takes only a to-infinitive: I'd like to see the glaze tests. Would prefer follows the same restriction: I'd prefer to wedge by hand, not I'd prefer wedging, in standard usage.

Is there a rule that tells me which list a new verb belongs to?

Not a reliable one. Forward-looking verbs often take a to-infinitive (hope to exhibit, plan to fire), and verbs that treat an activity as a thing often take -ing (enjoy throwing, avoid overfiring), but consider and fancy break the first guess, and they still take -ing. Learn each common verb with one example sentence and you will cover almost every choice you need.

English grammar · Intermediate

Verbs Followed by Gerund or Infinitive: Three Lists

Written by Eleanor Whitfield, Lead English Curriculum Editor · Reviewed September 2026

After many English verbs the next verb is fixed: some take an -ing form (enjoy throwing, avoid overfiring), some take a to-infinitive (want to bisque, hope to exhibit), and a smaller set takes either with little or no change of meaning (like throwing / like to throw, start glazing / start to glaze). The choice belongs to the first verb, not to a general rule about activities versus intentions. A different page covers the pairs whose meaning actually changes (try, stop, remember); this one is the three lists.

She enjoys throwing bowls, and she has decided to raku-fire the tallest one.

enjoy takes -ing; decide takes a to-infinitive

What it is

When one verb follows another, English does not let you pick freely between -ing and to. The first verb selects the form: enjoy, avoid, finish, and mind take -ing; want, decide, hope, and plan take a to-infinitive; like, love, hate, start, begin, continue, and prefer take either, and the meaning stays almost the same. The pattern is lexical, which is why lists beat a single logic. Once a verb is on a list, it stays there in every tense: She enjoyed throwing; she will enjoy throwing; she has enjoyed throwing.

He finished wedging the clay. (finish + -ing) He hopes to exhibit in May. (hope + to-infinitive) He likes throwing lids / He likes to throw lids. (like takes both, same idea)

How to spot it

Find two verbs in a row and ask which form the second one takes. If the second is -ing after enjoy, avoid, suggest, or consider, the first verb is a gerund-taker. If the second is to plus a base verb after want, decide, or refuse, it is an infinitive-taker. If both forms sound natural after like, start, or continue, you are on the either list.

I avoid mixing copper into that glaze. (avoid plus -ing)
They agreed to share the kiln. (agree plus to-infinitive)
We continued packing the saggars. (continue plus -ing, also possible with to pack)
She prefers to wedge in the morning. (prefer plus to-infinitive, also possible with wedging)

After a preposition the next verb is always -ing, even if the same idea could take a to-infinitive elsewhere: She decided to leave, but She left without saying goodbye.

Verbs Followed by a Gerund or an Infinitive Quick Reference

The three lists at a glance

Pattern	Typical verbs	Example
Verb + -ing	enjoy, avoid, finish, mind, suggest, consider, delay, miss, practise, risk, admit, deny, imagine, keep, postpone, give up, can't stand	She enjoys throwing lids.
Verb + to-infinitive	want, decide, hope, plan, expect, afford, agree, refuse, manage, promise, offer, fail, tend, appear, seem, learn, choose, arrange	They decided to raku-fire the bowls.
Either, little change	like, love, hate, start, begin, continue, prefer	He likes wedging / He likes to wedge.
Object + to-infinitive	want, ask, tell, expect, allow, remind, advise, persuade	I want her to bisque the tiles tonight.
Always -ing after a preposition	after, before, without, by, about, of, at, for	He left without sealing the kiln.
Would like / would prefer	fixed with to-infinitive	I'd like to see the glaze tests.

Common Verbs Followed by a Gerund or an Infinitive Examples in English

The three lists in use, then the small either-set split between feelings and aspect verbs:

Verbs That Take -ing

She enjoys throwing off the hump.: enjoy plus gerund, never to throw
We avoided overfiring the celadon load.: avoid plus gerund
Have you finished burnishing the slip?: finish plus gerund
Would you mind sharing the banding wheel?: mind plus gerund, a polite request

Suggest, consider, and recommend take -ing (She suggested soaking the plaster). A that-clause is the other option: She suggested that we soak the plaster.

Verbs That Take a To-Infinitive

He wants to bisque the tiles overnight.: want plus to-infinitive
They hope to exhibit the raku pieces in May.: hope plus to-infinitive
We can't afford to replace the kiln elements.: afford plus to-infinitive
She refused to open the kiln early.: refuse plus to-infinitive

Manage, fail, and tend also belong here: She managed to hold cone 9; the glaze tends to crawl on groggy clay.

Like, Love, Hate, Prefer

I like throwing lids. I like to throw lids.: both natural, almost the same meaning
He loves burnishing red slip.: love plus -ing, also love to burnish
She hates packing the kiln in a hurry.: hate plus -ing, also hate to pack
We prefer to wedge before breakfast.: prefer plus to, also prefer wedging

Some speakers feel -ing is more general (I like throwing) and the infinitive more particular (I like to throw lids before the clay skins over). Treat that as a preference, not a meaning change.

Start, Begin, Continue

It started raining over the drying racks.: start plus -ing
It started to rain over the drying racks.: start plus to-infinitive, same event
They began unloading the saggar kiln at dusk.: begin plus -ing, also began to unload
We continued to stir the ash glaze.: continue plus to, also continued stirring

After a progressive form, the infinitive is smoother: It's starting to rain, not it's starting raining. That is a rhythm preference, not a new meaning.

How the Choice Works

The first verb owns the pattern. Learn it as a property of that verb, then keep it in every tense.

The First Verb Picks the Form

There is no reliable meaning test that tells you enjoy must take -ing and decide must take to. The pairing is stored with the verb, the way you store that a noun is countable. Once you know enjoy throwing, you also know enjoyed throwing, has enjoyed throwing, and will enjoy throwing. The second verb never takes tense of its own.

She has always enjoyed throwing lids.

enjoy stays with -ing in the present perfect

List the first verb; the form follows it.

Gerund-Takers Name Activities as Things

The -ing form after enjoy, avoid, finish, and mind behaves like a noun: it is the activity as a thing you can like, delay, or give up. That is why those verbs reject a to-infinitive. Suggest and consider sit in the same group, even when the activity is only proposed.

I considered soaking the plaster overnight.

consider plus -ing, not to soak

Enjoy, avoid, finish, mind, suggest: -ing.

Infinitive-Takers Point at a Later Action

Want, decide, hope, plan, promise, and refuse typically look forward to an action that is not happening yet. The to-infinitive is English's default for that unfinished action. The pairing still has to be learned, because a few forward-looking verbs (consider, fancy) take -ing instead.

They arranged to share the gas kiln next Thursday.

arrange plus to-infinitive

Want, decide, hope, plan, promise: to.

The Either Group Does Not Change Meaning

Like, love, hate, prefer, start, begin, and continue accept both forms, and swapping them does not create a new interpretation. That is the whole point of putting them on a third list. Do not mix them with try, stop, remember, forget, or regret, where the swap does change the meaning.

He continued packing the saggars. He continued to pack the saggars.

both describe the same ongoing action

Like, start, continue: either, same idea.

An Object Goes Before the Infinitive

Want, ask, tell, expect, allow, remind, and persuade can take a person and then a to-infinitive: I want her to bisque the tiles. The object is the subject of the second verb. Gerund-takers do not use this pattern; I enjoy her throwing is possessive, not the same structure.

The tutor allowed us to open the kiln at cone 9.

allow plus object plus to-infinitive

Person + to + verb after want, tell, allow.

Common Mistakes with Verbs Followed by a Gerund or an Infinitive

Incorrect: She enjoys to throw lids.

Correct: She enjoys throwing lids.

Enjoy is a gerund-taker in every tense. The to-infinitive after it is one of the most frequent list errors, because enjoy looks as if it should behave like want.

Incorrect: They suggested to soak the plaster.

Correct: They suggested soaking the plaster.

Suggest, recommend, and consider take -ing or a that-clause, not a to-infinitive. They suggested that we soak the plaster is the other correct option.

Incorrect: I want going to the glaze sale.

Correct: I want to go to the glaze sale.

Want is an infinitive-taker. Going would only be possible after a gerund-taker such as fancy or after a preposition (I'm looking forward to going).

Incorrect: I'd like seeing the raku pieces.

Correct: I'd like to see the raku pieces.

Like can take -ing, but would like cannot. Treat would like as a separate verb that always takes a to-infinitive.

Prefer, Would Prefer, and Would Like

Prefer sits on the either list; would prefer and would like do not.

Prefer takes both; would prefer takes to

Prefer throwing and prefer to throw are both fine. Would prefer almost always takes a to-infinitive, and it often sets up a comparison with rather than plus -ing.

I prefer wedging by hand.: prefer plus -ing
I'd prefer to wedge by hand.: would prefer plus to-infinitive
I'd prefer to wedge rather than use the pug mill.: to-infinitive compared with rather than plus base or -ing

Would rather takes a bare infinitive, not to: I'd rather wedge than pug. That pattern belongs with would, not with this list.

Would like is an infinitive verb

Like takes both forms; would like takes only a to-infinitive, and it is the standard polite want.

I'd like to see the glaze tests.: would like plus to-infinitive
Would you like to share the kiln on Thursday?: invitation, still to-infinitive
I'd like you to bisque the tiles tonight.: would like plus object plus to-infinitive

I'd like seeing the glaze tests is not standard. Keep would like on the infinitive list even though like itself is on the either list.

Help takes a to-infinitive or a bare infinitive

Help is not on the three lists above. It takes a to-infinitive or, very often, a bare infinitive, with no change of meaning.

Can you help me pack the saggar?: help plus object plus bare infinitive
Can you help me to pack the saggar?: the same request with to
The extra shelf helped to save the load.: help plus to-infinitive, no object

Help plus -ing is possible in some varieties (help packing) but sounds informal and is best avoided in careful writing.

Quick Check: Verbs Followed by a Gerund or an Infinitive

Put the verb in brackets into the -ing form or the to-infinitive.

1. She enjoys ___ (throw) bowls off the hump.

Answer: throwing

enjoy is a gerund-taker

2. They decided ___ (raku-fire) the tallest vase.

Answer: to raku-fire

decide is an infinitive-taker

3. Would you mind ___ (share) the banding wheel?

Answer: sharing

mind plus -ing

4. I'd like ___ (see) the celadon tests this afternoon.

Answer: to see

would like takes only a to-infinitive

5. It started ___ (rain) over the drying racks. (either form)

Answer: raining or to rain

start is on the either list

Verbs Followed by a Gerund or an Infinitive FAQs

Which verbs are followed by a gerund in English?: A gerund (the -ing form used as a noun) follows enjoy, avoid, finish, mind, suggest, consider, delay, miss, practise, risk, admit, deny, imagine, keep, postpone, give up, and can't stand. She enjoys throwing lids is the model. After a preposition you also need -ing even if the first verb is not on that list: He left without sealing the kiln.
Which verbs are followed by a to-infinitive?: Want, decide, hope, plan, expect, afford, agree, refuse, manage, promise, offer, fail, tend, appear, seem, learn, choose, and arrange take a to-infinitive. They decided to raku-fire the bowls. Many of these can also take a person as object: I want her to bisque the tiles tonight.
Can I use both gerund and infinitive after like, love, and hate?: Yes. I like throwing lids and I like to throw lids are both correct, and the event is the same. Love, hate, prefer, start, begin, and continue all take both forms with no real change of meaning. Keep this set apart from try, stop, and remember, where the two forms name different actions.
Why is I'd like seeing wrong if I like seeing is fine?: Like and would like are different verbs for this purpose. Like sits on the either list. Would like is a polite want and takes only a to-infinitive: I'd like to see the glaze tests. Would prefer follows the same restriction: I'd prefer to wedge by hand, not I'd prefer wedging, in standard usage.
Is there a rule that tells me which list a new verb belongs to?: Not a reliable one. Forward-looking verbs often take a to-infinitive (hope to exhibit, plan to fire), and verbs that treat an activity as a thing often take -ing (enjoy throwing, avoid overfiring), but consider and fancy break the first guess, and they still take -ing. Learn each common verb with one example sentence and you will cover almost every choice you need.