The Infinitive The verb try, stop, regret, remember, forget, mean, go on can be followed by the gerund or the infinitive, but with a change in meaning With a change of meaning Try Stop Regret Forget/remember Go on Mean

Try + gerund to experiment in order to achieve an objective. Try going to bed earlier and see if that helps + infinitive to attempt a difficult action. Jill’s been trying to get a gob since she left school, but with no success.

Stop +gerund to finish an activity Stop talking and get on with your work! +infinitive to interrupt one activity in order to do another. Roger stopped to have a cup of tea.

Regret +gerund to be sorry about an action in the past Many people regret marrying young. +infinitive to be sorry about what you are going to say. Dr. Taylor regrets to say that he is unable to see patients without an appointment.

Forget/remember +gerund to (not) recall an action. I distinctly remember asking them to come after lunch. I won’t forget seeing Christie win the gold medal as long as I live. + infinitive to not do an action you must do. Ann remembered to lock all the doors when she went on holiday, but she forget to close the bathroom window.

Go on +gerund to continue an action I’ll go on loving you until I die. +infinitive to finish one activity and start another After sever years of study, Andy went on to become a doctor.

Mean +gerund to involve Dieting usually means giving up sweet things. +infinitive to be one’s intention I mean to send you a postcard but I forgot to take my address book.

The infinitive is only possible with mean in perfect and past tenses. The verbs of perception see, feel, hear, smell have a different meaning when they are followed by the infinitive (without to) or a participle. + participle to experience part of an event I noticed a man acting in a strange way. +infinitive without to to experience the Whole event I heard my sister come in at 1 a.m.

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