Verbs that change meaning with -ing or to
Stopped smoking or stopped to smoke, regret to say, went on to win, needs cutting: one verb, two meanings.
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A few verbs can be followed by -ing or by to + verb, and the meaning changes. At B1 you met remember, forget, stop and try. This page goes over them again in more detail and adds regret, go on, mean and need. A useful key for remember, forget, stop and regret: to looks forward to an action that comes later, -ing looks at an action that is already happening or has already happened.
Verb | + to | + -ing |
|---|---|---|
remember | a task: remember to call | a memory: remember calling |
stop | in order to: stop to rest | no more: stop smoking |
try | make an effort: try to lift it | test an idea: try restarting it |
regret | bad news: we regret to say | sorry about the past: regret saying it |
go on | the next step: go on to win | continue: go on talking |
mean | intend: I meant to call | involve: it means waiting |
need | it is necessary: I need to cut it | passive meaning: it needs cutting |
Remember and forget: a task or a memory
With to, you remember (or forget) first, and then do the action, or don't. With -ing, the action came first, and you have a memory of it. Forget + -ing is used mostly in I'll never forget + -ing.
- Remember to take your passport. (Don't forget to do it.)
- I forgot to send the email, so I'll do it now.
- I remember meeting him at a party years ago.
- I'll never forget swimming in the sea at night.
- Incorrect: I remember to meet him at a party years ago.
- Correct: I remember meeting him at a party years ago.This is a memory of something that happened, so use -ing.
Stop: no more, or a pause in order to
Stop + -ing means that the activity ends. Stop + to means that you stop what you are doing in order to do something else: the to is the reason.
- I stopped smoking three years ago, and I feel much healthier.
- We stopped to look at the view.
(We stopped walking or driving so that we could look.)
- Incorrect: I stopped to smoke three years ago, and now I feel much healthier.
- Correct: I stopped smoking three years ago, and now I feel much healthier.To say that you don't smoke any more, use stop + -ing.
Try: an effort or an experiment
Try + to means "make an effort to do something difficult". You may not succeed. Try + -ing means "do something to see what happens", usually to solve a problem.
- I tried to open the window, but it was stuck.
- "The printer isn't working." "Try turning it off and on again."
- If you can't sleep, try reading for half an hour.
In informal English, especially British, try and + verb often means try to: I'll try and call you tonight. It works only when try has no ending: not tried and, tries and or trying and.
Regret: bad news, or something you did
Regret + to is a formal way to give bad news, usually with say, tell or inform. Regret + -ing (or having + past participle) means that you are sorry about something you did, or didn't do, in the past.
- We regret to inform you that your flight has been cancelled.
- I regret not studying harder at school.
- She regrets having sold the house.
- Incorrect: I regret to tell her the truth yesterday.
- Correct: I regret telling her the truth yesterday.You are sorry about something you did in the past, so use -ing.
Go on: continue, or the next step
Go on + -ing means continue the same activity. Go on + to means do something new after finishing something else, often the next stage of a life or a talk.
- She went on talking for an hour, and nobody could stop her.
- He played for a small local club and later went on to play for England.
- After the introduction, the speaker went on to explain the plan.
Mean: involve, or intend
Mean + -ing says what something involves or will result in. The subject is usually a thing or a situation. Mean + to means intend or plan, and the subject is a person.
- The new job means travelling a lot.
- Missing this train means waiting another hour.
- Sorry, I meant to call you yesterday, but I forgot.
- Incorrect: The new job means to travel a lot.
- Correct: The new job means travelling a lot.What a job involves: mean + -ing.
Need: to, or a passive meaning with -ing
Need + to says that it is necessary for the subject to do something. Need + -ing has a passive meaning: something needs to have something done to it. The -ing form is common in British English; need to be done means the same.
- I need to cut my hair.
- My hair needs cutting. / My hair needs to be cut.
- The windows need cleaning.
- Incorrect: The car needs to wash.
- Correct: The car needs washing. / The car needs to be washed.The car doesn't wash anything. It is washed, so use -ing or to be + past participle.