Verbs Followed by Infinitive

Many verbs are followed immediately by the infinitive form of the verb. Other verbs are followed by the gerund form of the verb. Finally, other verbs are followed by a noun, noun phrase or pronoun and then the infinitive. All of these verbs follow no specific rules and must be memorized. You can practice your knowledge once you've reviewed this sheet, as well as the other verb pattern reference lists by taking these quizzes:

Verb Form - Gerund or Infinitive Quiz 1

Verb Form - Gerund or Infinitive Quiz 2

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Verbs Taking Gerund or Infinitive With a Change in Meaning

By Kenneth Beare

Gerund or Infinitive? An Interactive Reference Chart and Quiz

The following list provides verbs that are immediately followed by the infinitive form of another verb (verb + to do). Each verb followed by the infinitive is followed by two example sentences to provide context.

1. affordI can't afford to go on vacation this summer.
   Can you afford to buy that sweater?
2. agreeI agreed to help him with the problem.
   Do you think he would agree to take the test again?
3. appearHe appears to think I'm crazy!
   They appear to be available tomorrow.
4. arrangeI arranged to spend the week in New York.
   Mary arranges to meet everyone each time.
5. askShe asked to do the job.
   Franklin will ask to be promoted.
6. begShelley begged to be released as soon as possible.
   The minister begged to donate as much as possible.
7. careDo you care to spend some time with me?
   Tom doesn't care to ask any more questions.
8. claim
9. consentWe consented to adopt the measure in the next year.
   Sherry will consent to marry you. I'm sure!
10. dareThose kids won't dare to break into that house.
    She often dares to break convention.
11. decideI'm going to decide to appoint the teacher next week.
    Mary and Jennifer decided to purchase an old house to fix up.
12. demandThe protesters demanded to see the president about the economy.
    The client demanded to speak with his lawyer before making a statement.
13. deserveI think Jane deserves to get the promotion.
    Our boss deserves to be fired!
14. expectTom expects to finish the job soon.
    The students expect to receive their grades before the end of the day.
15. failSusan never fails to mention that she knows the president personally.
    You shouldn't fail to mail in the form by the end of the week.
16. forget - NOTE: This verb can also be followed by the gerund with a change in meaning.I think Peter forgot to lock the door before he left home.
    We seldom forget to do our homework, but last week was an exception.
17. hesitateI hesitate to mention this, but don't you think ...
    Doug hesitated to tell us about his plan.
18. hopeI hope to see you soon!
    He had hoped to have more success before he lost the election.
19. learnHave you ever learned to speak another language?
    Our cousins are going to learn to mountain climb on vacation.
20. manageTed managed to get his work done on time.
    Do you think we'll manage to persuade Susan to come with us?
21. meanTim certainly meant to finish the job on time.
    They mean to do business here in town.
22. needMy daughter needs to finish her homework before she can come out and play.
    They needed to fill out a number of forms in order to purchase the house.
23. offerJason offered to give Tim a hand with his homework.
    She offers to help students whenever they have a question.
24. planOur class plans to put on a play next semester.
    I'm planning to visit you when I'm in New York next month.
25. prepareOur teachers are preparing to give us a test today.
    The politicians prepared to debate the issues on television.
26. pretendI think he is pretending to be interested in the subject.
    She pretended to enjoy the meal, even though she didn't think it was good.
27. promiseYes, I promise to marry you!
    Our coach promised to give us next Friday off if we win the game.
28. refuseThe students refused to quiet down at the assembly.
    I think you should refuse to do that job.
29. regret - NOTE: This verb can also be followed by the gerund with a change in meaning.I regret to tell you that it is not possible.
    The officer regretted to inform the citizens of the horrific facts about the case.
30. remember - NOTE: This verb can also be followed by the gerund with a change in meaning.Did you remember to lock the doors?
    I hope Frank remembered to telephone Peter about the appointment.
31. seemIt seems to be a beautiful day outside!
    Did he seem to be nervous?
32. struggleThe boys struggled to understand the concepts presented in the lesson.
    I sometimes struggle to stay concentrated when I'm on the job.
33. swearDo you swear, to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?
    Alice swore to help in any way possible.
34. threatenChris threatened to call the police.
    The owner will threaten to kick you out if you don't stop making noise.
35. volunteerI'd like to volunteer to judge the competition.
    Sarah volunteered to take Jim to the piano lesson.
36. waitI'm waiting to hear from Tom.
    She waited to eat until he arrived.
37. wantJack wants to help everyone with the new concepts.
    The principal wanted to put on a teacher workshop.
38. wishI wish to see you soon.
    Franklin wished to come and visit last month.

More Verb Pattern Reference Lists:

Verbs followed by the gerund - Verb + Ing

Verbs followed by a (pro)noun plus the infinitive - Verb + (Pro)Noun + Infinitive

Verbs followed by the infinitive - Verb + Infinitive