Grammar · Lesson 17

Verb + infinitive or -ing: pattern, participant, and meaning

Build the whole message, not only the second verb: Maya plans to teach. She enjoys teaching. She asked Leo to test the projector. She decided not to cancel. The team looks forward to welcoming visitors.

50–60 min coreto + base · verb-ingperson + to · not to · preposition + -ing15–20 min listening and retrieval

NoticeFind the stored pattern and the performer of each action.

DiscoverSeparate infinitive to from prepositional to.

BuildControl objects, negation, questions, and meaning changes.

UseGive a fictional workshop-planning update and answer follow-ups.

Can-do: By the end, you can use common verb + to + base and verb + -ing chunks; add a person who performs the second action; place negation accurately; distinguish infinitive to from prepositional to; and interpret useful meaning contrasts with stop, remember, and try.

Two-minute retrieval

Three checks from earlier lessons

Use the active-now context, singular subject, and prior plan.

1Leo is in the middle of the action now: He is the equipment list now.

2The singular subject projector takes present-simple agreement: The projector after the restart.

3Maya formed this plan yesterday and still intends it: She teach an evening workshop.

Notice six jobs inside one plan

Linden Community Center workshop plan

Chosen action: Maya plans to teach an evening workshop.

Activity as experience: She enjoys teaching adults.

Another performer: She asked Leo to test the projector.

Negative chosen action: She decided not to cancel the session.

Preposition before an activity: The team looks forward to welcoming visitors.

Activity ended: Leo stopped testing at six.

Which patterns use to + base, and which use verb-ing?
Who will test the projector?
Does the second to in looks forward to welcoming behave like infinitive to?

Discovery check: identify the pattern’s job

1In plans to teach, plan selects a .

2In enjoys teaching, enjoy selects an .

3In asked Leo to test, Leo performs the testing, so the pattern is .

4In decided not to cancel, Maya made a decision to keep the session, so the pattern is a .

5In looks forward to welcoming, to belongs to the expression look forward to, so the pattern is .

6In stopped testing at six, testing ended at six, so testing names the .

Get to the root: store the whole pattern with the verb

A first verb allows one or more shapes for the second verb or phrase that follows it. Learn the first verb with a complete chunk and meaning: plan to open, enjoy teaching, ask Maya to wait, look forward to meeting.

common pattern	useful A2 verbs or expressions	example
verb + to + base	want, need, decide, hope, plan, learn, agree	They agreed to help.
verb + verb-ing	avoid, enjoy, finish, keep, mind, practice	They finished checking the room.
verb + person + to + base	ask, tell, want, would like	Maya asked Leo to test it.
preposition + verb-ing	interested in, good at, thanks for, look forward to	We look forward to meeting you.

A meaning tendency can help memory, but it cannot safely predict an unfamiliar verb. Goals often appear with to, and experiences often appear with -ing, but avoid making can describe a future goal and learn to drive can describe an experienced activity. Check and store the actual pattern.

Let the first verb carry tense, agreement, questions, and main negation

job	pattern	example
person and tense	change the first verb; keep the complement form	She plans to teach. She planned to teach.
question	build the question around the first verb	Does she plan to teach?
main negative	negate the first verb	She does not plan to cancel.

Do not add tense or agreement again to the second verb: She wants to go, not she wants to goes. An -ing complement does not need be: She enjoys teaching, not she enjoys is teaching.

Drill 1: complete the stored core pattern

1Leo wants an earlier departure, so he wants by six.

2The team completes the whole room check before lunch: They finish the room before lunch.

3Ask about Maya’s current plan. After Does Maya, use the base form of the first and second verbs: Does Maya the session?

4The tutor requests continued repeated practice: Please the introduction.

5The caller expresses a polite desire for an action: I’d like the room, please.

6The safety goal is to prevent future contact with the hot surface: Avoid the hot surface.

Name the second performer and place negation precisely

With ask, tell, want, and action uses of would like, a person can appear before the to-infinitive. That person performs the second action.

message	pattern	performer of second action
Maya plans to test it.	same subject + to-infinitive	Maya
Maya asked Leo to test it.	verb + person + to-infinitive	Leo
Maya told Leo not to open it.	verb + person + not + to-infinitive	Leo avoids opening

Main-clause negation and complement negation do not say the same thing:

sentence	meaning
Maya did not decide to cancel.	there was no decision to cancel; another outcome may still be open
Maya decided not to cancel.	there was a decision, and its chosen action was to keep the session

Two kinds of to

Infinitive to is followed by a base verb: plan to meet. Prepositional to belongs to an expression and follows the same pattern as other prepositions. If a verb follows that preposition, use -ing: look forward to meeting. The reliable rule is not “every to takes a base verb.”

Drill 2: build participant, negation, and preposition meaning

1Leo, not Maya, will perform the test: Maya asked the projector.

2Leo receives an instruction to avoid opening the cabinet: Maya told the cabinet.

3Maya made a decision, and the decision was to keep the session: She decided the session.

4The report says no cancellation decision was reached; it does not report a firm decision to keep the session: Maya the session.

5After the preposition in, the following verb uses -ing: Leo is interested in about sound systems.

6In look forward to, to is a preposition: The team looks forward to the visitors.

When both shapes are possible, check the meaning

Some verbs license both shapes. The result may overlap, or the pattern may change the relationship between the two actions.

verb group	useful distinction	examples
like, love, hate, prefer	-ing often foregrounds experience or enjoyment; to can foreground a habit, choice, or considered action. Many contexts overlap.	I like swimming. I like to check the doors before leaving.
start, begin, continue	both forms are often possible with little practical difference	It started raining. It started to rain.
would like + action	desired action uses to + base	I’d like to reserve a room.

Do not force a difference where context does not support one, and do not claim the forms are always identical. Learn a complete sentence, the speaker’s purpose, and any contrast together.

Three high-value meaning contrasts

pattern	relationship between actions	example
stop doing	end the named activity	Leo stopped testing at six.
stop to do	pause another activity in order to do this new action	Leo stopped to answer the phone.
remember to do	remember a responsibility, then perform it	He remembered to lock the cabinet.
remember doing	have a memory of a past action	He remembers locking the cabinet.
try to do	make an effort to achieve the action	He tried to restart the projector.
try doing	use the action as a possible method or experiment	He tried restarting the projector.

Drill 3: choose the relationship between two actions

1At 6:00, Leo ended the projector test and went home: He at six.

2While testing, Leo heard the phone, paused the test, and answered it: He the phone.

3The cabinet is secure because Leo did not forget the responsibility: He the cabinet.

4Today Leo can picture yesterday’s past locking action in his memory: He the cabinet yesterday.

5Leo made an effort to restart the projector, but it did not respond: He the projector.

6Maya suggested one possible solution, so Leo used a restart as an experiment: He the projector, and the picture returned.

Sound natural: weaken infinitive to, keep -ing nasal, and stress the contrast

Infinitive to is commonly weak /tə/: plan to teach /ˈplæn tə ˈtitʃ/, I’d like to reserve /aɪd ˈlaɪk tə rɪˈzɝv/. The action usually carries the strongest beat.

In fast casual U.S. speech, want to can sound like /ˈwɑnə/: I want to leave. Keep the standard spelling. Do not use that reduction to remove a person: I want Leo to leave needs Leo before to leave.

The -ing ending finishes with /ɪŋ/, not a separate hard /g/: working /ˈwɝkɪŋ/. Stress can expose a meaning contrast: He stopped WORKing, but He stopped to ANswer.

Listen for pattern, participant, and relationship

Tutor-read listening: Keep the transcript closed. Read each item once naturally and once more after the learner chooses. Do not isolate to or -ing from its complete message.

Six listening decisions

1. Who plans, and who will teach in the first message?

2. Who performs the test in the second message?

3. What does the third message say about Maya’s decision?

4. How does the fourth message use to?

5. What ended in the fifth message?

6. What role does restarting have in the sixth message?

Read the fictional technical update

Linden workshop message at 5:30

Maya still plans to teach tonight. She asked Leo to test the projector before six. Leo enjoys solving technical problems, but the screen stayed dark. He tried to restart the projector twice, but it did not respond. Then Maya suggested a different method. Leo tried reconnecting one cable, and the picture returned. He remembered to lock the equipment cabinet afterward. The team decided not to cancel, and everyone looks forward to welcoming the visitors.

Reading check: use only the update

1. Who performs the projector test?

2. How do the two try patterns function in the update?

3. What did Leo successfully remember to do?

4. What does the final decision mean?

Build the participant and preposition patterns

Drill 4: name the second performer

Report that Maya made the request and Leo performs the test.

Drill 5: recognize prepositional to

Report the team’s positive expectation about welcoming visitors.

Notice and repair three different errors

Drill 6: repair the core complement

The note describes an activity Leo likes: Leo enjoys to solve technical problems. Tap the complement that does not follow enjoy.

Drill 7: connect the second performer

Maya wants Leo, not herself, to perform the action: Maya wants Leo test the projector. Tap the part that is missing its connector.

Drill 8: preserve the relationship between actions

The report means Leo ended work at six: Leo stopped to work at six. Tap the complement that creates the wrong relationship.

Oral transforms: keep performer, pattern, and meaning

Say each complete sentence before revealing it. Follow the requested relationship.

1 Maya has a plan. Maya will teach. Combine with plan.

Maya plans to teach.

2 Leo solves technical problems and enjoys the activity. Use enjoy.

Leo enjoys solving technical problems.

3 Maya made the request. Leo will wait. Use ask.

Maya asked Leo to wait.

4 Maya made a decision to keep the session. Use decide and cancel.

Maya decided not to cancel the session.

5 Leo ended the testing. Use stop.

Leo stopped testing.

6 A restart is one possible solution. Use experimental try.

Try restarting the projector.

Play and practice

Games and a short reading that recycle this lesson. Use them as a warm-up, a fast finisher, or homework. Each one checks itself.

Read

Saturday’s kitchen class

Read once for meaning. Then read again and do the tasks below.

Message to class helpers116 wordsAbout 1 min

Hi everyone, here’s a quick update on Saturday’s kitchen class. Chef Amara plans to teach three new recipes, and she enjoys working with beginners. She asked me to buy the vegetables, so I finished shopping this afternoon. The class is in Room 4 this time.

Please avoid using the small oven, because it doesn’t heat evenly. Dev is interested in learning knife skills, and Lina is good at baking bread, so they’ll work together. We need to start at ten. Please bring your own apron and a clean towel.

Thanks again for helping last week. We all look forward to meeting the new students! If you can’t come, please send me a message before Friday. Nadia

Find it

Tap the 7 -ing verbs that follow a verb or a preposition. Skip the to + base verbs.

Check your understanding

1. Who bought the vegetables?

2. Why should people avoid the small oven?

3. What is Lina good at?

Sort it

to + base or -ing?

Which pattern does each verb take before a second verb? Tap a verb, then tap its pattern. Press Check when the tray is empty.

Unscramble

Build the whole pattern

Tap the words in order to build the sentence. Tap a placed word to send it back.

1. She made the request; I do the buying.
2. Here to is a preposition.
3. The checking is complete.
4. Ask about an activity someone likes.

Crossword

Second verb forms

Click a clue or a square, then type. Press Check when you finish.

Across

Down

Communicate: brief a fictional workshop team

You never need to disclose your real work, school, home, location, schedule, goals, hobbies, abilities, performance, health, finances, family, relationships, travel, mistakes, habits, or plans. Use the Linden workshop, invent a neutral event, or share personal information only when you freely choose.

Prepare the roles: Choose a fictional coordinator, technician, greeter, and visitor. Decide who plans, enjoys, requests, avoids, and looks forward to each action.

Final production: give a 45–60 second fictional workshop update. Include one to + base chunk, one -ing chunk, one person plus to-infinitive, one complement negation, one preposition plus -ing, and one accurate stop, remember, or try contrast.

Meaning check: Ask the listener who performs two actions and what relationship one complement expresses. Then reformulate one sentence when the listener changes the intended meaning.

Final check

Four decisions with one defensible target

1. The message describes an activity Leo likes. Which sentence uses the stored complement after enjoy?

2. Maya makes the request, but Leo performs the test. Which sentence names both roles accurately?

3. Which sentence correctly treats to as part of the expression look forward to?

4. The report means the testing activity ended at six. Which sentence preserves that relationship?

Reflect and retrieve

Explain the decision path without looking back

Which pattern does the first verb take? Who performs the second action? Is the sentence negating the first decision or the chosen action? Is to an infinitive marker or a preposition? If both forms are possible, what relationship does the context require?

Return tomorrow before rereading. Complete the five-minute next-day retrieval, then revisit only the stored pattern, performer, negation scope, kind of to, or meaning relationship that still feels slow.

Next-day retrieval

Choose from memory before looking back

1The activity itself is enjoyable to Leo: Leo enjoys technical problems.

2Maya requests the action, but Leo performs it: Maya asked the projector.

3Here to is part of the expression look forward to: The team looks forward to visitors.