What Are Verb Patterns?
Verb patterns are the rules that determine what form a second verb takes when it follows a first verb. In English, when two verbs appear together in a sentence, the second verb must take a specific form — either the infinitive (to + base verb), the gerund (-ing form), or sometimes the bare infinitive (base verb without "to"). Choosing the wrong form is one of the most common errors in English, and unfortunately, there is no single rule that covers every case. Instead, the pattern depends on the first verb.
Consider these three sentences: "I want to go home," "I enjoy going home," and "She made me go home." In each case, the verb "go" takes a different form — infinitive, gerund, and bare infinitive — because the first verb (want, enjoy, make) demands a specific pattern. There is no logical reason why "want" takes the infinitive while "enjoy" takes the gerund; it is simply a feature of each verb that must be learned.
The good news is that verb patterns can be organized into clear categories, and with practice, the most common patterns become second nature. Mastering verb patterns will make your English sound more natural and help you avoid errors that immediately mark speech or writing as non-native.
When two verbs come together, the first verb determines the form of the second verb. Some verbs are followed by the infinitive (to do), some by the gerund (doing), some accept both (with or without a change in meaning), and some take the bare infinitive (do, without "to"). There is no shortcut — the pattern must be learned for each verb.
Overview of Verb Pattern Types
Before diving into the details, here is an overview of all the major verb pattern types in English. Understanding these categories will give you a clear framework for learning individual verbs:
| Pattern | Structure | Example Verbs | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verb + infinitive | verb + to + base verb | want, decide, hope, plan | She decided to leave early. |
| Verb + gerund | verb + verb-ing | enjoy, avoid, finish, mind | He enjoys reading novels. |
| Verb + both (no change) | verb + to do / doing | like, love, hate, prefer, begin, start, continue | I like to cook / like cooking. |
| Verb + both (meaning changes) | verb + to do / doing | remember, forget, stop, try, regret | I stopped to talk ≠ I stopped talking. |
| Verb + object + infinitive | verb + someone + to do | ask, tell, want, expect, advise | She asked me to help. |
| Verb + object + bare infinitive | verb + someone + do | make, let, have | He made me wait. |
| Verb + preposition + gerund | verb + prep + verb-ing | think about, look forward to, insist on | I look forward to meeting you. |
Focus on the first three patterns first: verb + infinitive, verb + gerund, and verbs that take both. These cover the vast majority of verb pattern situations in everyday English. The other patterns (object + infinitive, bare infinitive, preposition + gerund) can be learned as you encounter them.
Verb + Infinitive
Many common English verbs are followed by the infinitive (to + base verb). These verbs often express intentions, decisions, desires, plans, and future-oriented actions. When you see these verbs, the next verb must be in the infinitive form.
Subject + verb + to + base verb
The infinitive form never changes. It is always "to + base verb" regardless of the subject or tense of the first verb.
| Verb | Example |
|---|---|
| want | I want to travel to South America next summer. |
| decide | They decided to postpone the meeting until Friday. |
| hope | She hopes to finish her degree by the end of the year. |
| plan | We plan to visit the new museum in Berlin this weekend. |
| agree | He agreed to help us with the project after work. |
| offer | My neighbour offered to water the plants while we were away. |
| promise | She promised to call me as soon as she arrived in Tokyo. |
| refuse | The manager refused to accept the complaint without evidence. |
| learn | He is learning to play the guitar in his spare time. |
| manage | We managed to catch the last train home from the concert. |
| afford | They cannot afford to buy a new apartment in this market. |
| seem / appear | He seems to understand the problem better now. |
Verbs that take the infinitive cannot take the gerund:
✘ I want going home.
✔ I want to go home.
✘ She decided leaving early.
✔ She decided to leave early.
✘ He promised helping me.
✔ He promised to help me.
Verb + Gerund
Another large group of verbs is followed by the gerund (verb + -ing). These verbs often describe experiences, feelings, completed actions, and ongoing activities. When you see these verbs, the next verb must be in the -ing form.
Subject + verb + verb-ing
The gerund looks identical to the present participle (-ing form), but here it functions as a noun — the object of the first verb.
| Verb | Example |
|---|---|
| enjoy | I enjoy cooking Italian food on the weekends. |
| avoid | She avoids eating fast food as much as possible. |
| finish | Have you finished reading that novel yet? |
| mind | Do you mind closing the window? It is quite cold. |
| suggest | He suggested going to the new café near the park. |
| consider | They are considering moving to a bigger city for work. |
| practise | She practises speaking English with her colleagues every day. |
| keep | He keeps making the same mistake in his essays. |
| risk | Do not risk losing your passport while travelling abroad. |
| deny | The suspect denied stealing the laptop from the office. |
| miss | I really miss living near the beach in Barcelona. |
| give up | He gave up smoking three years ago and has never looked back. |
Whenever a verb follows a preposition (in, on, at, about, of, for, to, etc.), it must be in the gerund form:
She is good at swimming.
He is interested in learning Japanese.
I am tired of waiting.
Thank you for helping me.
This rule has no exceptions. Even the word "to" takes the gerund when it is a preposition (not part of an infinitive).
Verbs That Take Both: Meaning Changes
Some verbs can be followed by either the infinitive or the gerund, but the meaning of the sentence changes depending on which form you choose. These are among the most important verb patterns to master because using the wrong form will communicate the wrong idea entirely.
| Verb | + Infinitive (to do) | + Gerund (doing) |
|---|---|---|
| remember | Remember to lock the door. (Do not forget to do it — the action is in the future) |
I remember locking the door. (I have a memory of doing it — the action is in the past) |
| forget | I forgot to buy milk. (I did not buy it — I failed to do the action) |
I will never forget visiting Rome. (I have a lasting memory of the experience) |
| stop | He stopped to drink water. (He paused in order to drink — purpose) |
He stopped drinking water. (He quit drinking — the action ended) |
| try | Try to open the window. (Make an effort / attempt to do it) |
Try opening the window. (Experiment with this method to see if it helps) |
| regret | I regret to inform you that your application was unsuccessful. (I am sorry to tell you now — formal) |
I regret telling her the truth. (I wish I had not told her — past action) |
| go on | He went on to become a doctor. (He did something different next) |
He went on talking for two hours. (He continued the same action) |
This is the most commonly confused pair:
She stopped to smoke. = She paused what she was doing in order to have a cigarette. (purpose)
She stopped smoking. = She quit the habit of smoking. (the action ended)
These two sentences have completely opposite meanings. Always think carefully about whether you mean "paused in order to" (infinitive) or "quit" (gerund).
Special Patterns
Some verbs require an object (a person or thing) between the first verb and the second verb. These patterns are crucial for giving instructions, making requests, and describing what someone caused or allowed another person to do.
Subject + verb + object + to + base verb
Common verbs: ask, tell, want, expect, advise, encourage, invite, allow, permit, remind, warn, order, teach, persuade
| Verb | Example |
|---|---|
| ask | She asked me to wait outside for a few minutes. |
| tell | The teacher told the students to open their textbooks. |
| want | I want you to listen carefully to these instructions. |
| advise | The doctor advised him to rest for at least a week. |
| encourage | Her parents encouraged her to apply for the scholarship. |
| remind | Please remind me to call the dentist tomorrow morning. |
Subject + make / let / have + object + base verb (no "to")
These three verbs are special: make (force/cause), let (allow/permit), and have (arrange/cause). They are followed by the object and then the bare infinitive — the base form of the verb without "to."
| Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| make | Force or cause someone to do something | The boss made us work overtime on Friday. |
| let | Allow or permit someone to do something | Her parents let her stay up late on weekends. |
| have | Arrange for someone to do something | I will have the mechanic check the brakes tomorrow. |
This is one of the most common verb pattern errors:
✘ She made me to clean the kitchen.
✔ She made me clean the kitchen.
✘ He let me to use his computer.
✔ He let me use his computer.
However, in the passive form, "make" takes the full infinitive: I was made to clean the kitchen.
Verb patterns are the hidden architecture of fluency: they cannot be guessed, they must be learned — but once mastered, they transform hesitant sentences into natural, confident English.
— The Grammar GazetteExample Sentences
Common Verbs Grouped by Pattern
Use this reference table to quickly check which pattern a verb requires. The verbs are organized by their pattern for easy lookup:
| Pattern | Verbs |
|---|---|
| Verb + infinitive | afford, agree, appear, arrange, ask, choose, dare, decide, demand, deserve, expect, fail, hope, learn, manage, need, offer, plan, prepare, pretend, promise, refuse, seem, tend, threaten, want, wish |
| Verb + gerund | admit, avoid, consider, delay, deny, detest, dislike, enjoy, escape, fancy, finish, give up, imagine, involve, keep, mention, mind, miss, postpone, practise, put off, quit, recommend, resist, risk, suggest, tolerate |
| Verb + both (little or no change) | begin, can’t bear, can’t stand, continue, hate, intend, like, love, prefer, propose, start |
| Verb + both (meaning changes) | forget, go on, mean, need, regret, remember, stop, try |
| Verb + object + infinitive | advise, allow, ask, beg, cause, challenge, command, convince, enable, encourage, expect, force, hire, instruct, invite, order, permit, persuade, remind, teach, tell, urge, want, warn |
| Verb + object + bare infinitive | have, help (both forms), let, make |
There is no grammar rule that predicts which pattern a verb uses — it must be memorized. The best strategy is to learn new verbs together with their patterns, not as isolated words. Instead of learning "suggest = önermek," learn "suggest + -ing". Keep a vocabulary notebook organized by pattern, and every time you encounter a new verb, add it to the correct group.
Help + object + (to) + base verb
The verb help is unique because it accepts both the infinitive and the bare infinitive with no change in meaning:
She helped me to carry the boxes. ✔
She helped me carry the boxes. ✔
Both are correct. The version without "to" is more common in everyday speech.
Common Mistakes
Verb pattern errors are extremely common among English learners. Here are the most frequent mistakes and how to correct them:
✘ I enjoy to swim in the ocean.
✔ I enjoy swimming in the ocean.
✘ She decided leaving the company.
✔ She decided to leave the company.
✘ We avoid to eat processed food.
✔ We avoid eating processed food.
✘ The teacher made us to repeat the exercise.
✔ The teacher made us repeat the exercise.
✘ Will you let me to explain?
✔ Will you let me explain?
After a preposition, always use the gerund, never the infinitive:
✘ I am interested in to learn photography.
✔ I am interested in learning photography.
✘ She is good at to cook.
✔ She is good at cooking.
✘ I look forward to meet you.
✔ I look forward to meeting you. ("to" is a preposition here, not part of an infinitive)
He stopped to smoke. = He paused in order to have a cigarette. (He started smoking.)
He stopped smoking. = He quit the habit. (He no longer smokes.)
Using the wrong form completely reverses the meaning.
Some verbs require an object before the infinitive:
✘ She told to leave early. (told whom?)
✔ She told me to leave early.
✘ I asked to help. (asked whom?)
✔ I asked him to help.
Quick Reference Summary
Use this table to compare all the major verb patterns at a glance:
| Pattern | Formula | Key Verbs | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verb + infinitive | V + to + base V | want, decide, hope, promise | I want to go. |
| Verb + gerund | V + V-ing | enjoy, avoid, finish, suggest | I enjoy reading. |
| Both (no change) | V + to do / V + doing | like, love, hate, start, begin | I like to swim / swimming. |
| Both (meaning changes) | V + to do ≠ V + doing | remember, forget, stop, try | Stop to talk ≠ stop talking. |
| V + object + infinitive | V + obj + to + base V | ask, tell, want, advise | She told me to wait. |
| V + object + bare infinitive | V + obj + base V | make, let, have | He made me laugh. |
| V + preposition + gerund | V + prep + V-ing | look forward to, think about | I look forward to seeing you. |
1. When in doubt, check whether the first verb takes the infinitive or the gerund — there is no shortcut, but learning the most common 30–40 verbs will cover 90% of situations.
2. After a preposition, always use the gerund — no exceptions, even when the preposition is "to."
3. After make and let, use the bare infinitive (no "to") — but in the passive voice, "make" takes the full infinitive ("was made to do").
In grammar exams and tests, these are the patterns most likely to be tested:
1. suggest + gerund (NOT "suggest to do")
2. look forward to + gerund (NOT "look forward to do")
3. make + object + bare infinitive (NOT "make someone to do")
4. stop to do vs stop doing (completely different meanings)
5. remember to do vs remember doing (future action vs past memory)
If you master these five, you will avoid the most common traps in exams and in real communication.