Verb + To-Infinitive or -ing Form: A Change of Meaning

Verb + to-Infinitive or -ing Form: A Change of Meaning

Some verbs can be followed by either the to-infinitive or the -ing form. The choice can change the meaning of the sentence.

Future action vs. past experience

With verbs such as remember, forget and regret, the form can show whether we are talking about an action that comes after the first verb or an action that has already happened.

to + infinitive	-ing
Remember to lock* the door.* → Future action.	I remember locking* the door.* → The locking happened before. You remember the past experience.
Don't forget to call* Mum.* → Future action.	I’ll never forget meeting* her.* → Past experience.
We regret to inform* you that your application was unsuccessful.* → Future action.	I regret leaving* my old job.* → Past experience.

Stopping vs. changing activity

With stop, the two forms describe two different situations:

I want to stop smoking.
→ stop + -ing = finish an activity
= I want to finish the activity of smoking.
I stopped to get some petrol.
→ stop + to-infinitive = stop one activity so you can do another
= I stopped what I was doing because I wanted to get petrol.
She stopped talking.
= She finished talking.
She stopped to talk to me.
= She stopped another activity in order to talk to me.

Trying something vs. trying to achieve something

With try, the two forms often show a difference between experimenting with an idea and making an effort to achieve something.

Try adding a little more salt.
→ try + -ing = experiment with a possible solution
= Experiment with this idea and see what happens.
I tried to open the window, but it was stuck.
→ try + to-infinitive = make an effort to do something
= I made an effort to open it, but I couldn't.
Try using a different password.
= This is a possible solution worth testing. (experiment)
He tried to explain what had happened.
= He made an effort to explain it. (effort)

Activity vs. intention or next step

Other verbs show different meanings depending on whether the -ing form describes an activity or the to-infinitive introduces an intention, result or new action.

mean + -ing = involve
This job means working at weekends.
mean + to-infinitive = intend
I didn't mean to hurt you.

go on + -ing = continue the same activity
The teacher went on speaking.
go on + to-infinitive = move to a new activity
She went on to explain the next part.

Need

With need, the two structures can describe the same basic need from different perspectives.

We need to clean the kitchen.
= Someone needs to do the cleaning.
The kitchen needs cleaning.
= The kitchen needs to be cleaned.