Verb forms

Verb forms:

Look at the three sentences below and focus on the verb "wait".

• The manager told us to wait for an hour
• The manager made us wait for an hour
• The manager kept us waiting for an hour.
As you can see, the verb "wait" has taken 3 different forms. The first is to-infinitive form( or full infinitive), the second is the base form (or the bare infinitive) while the third is the gerund (or the –ing form).
The form a verb takes depends on the words that precede it. So, in the first sentence, there is the verb "tell" (which requires a to infinitive verb), in the second there is "make" (which sis sometimes followed by a bare infinitive verb) and in the third there is "keep" (which is often followed by the –ing form).

1- The to-infinitive form:

A- There are many verbs in English which are often followed by the to-infinitive form.
The most common ones are the following:

Ask , tell, order, oblige, force, compel, command, allow, permit, beg, persuade, convince, advise, recommend, forget, remember, remind, need, require, refuse, accept, expect, promise, request, agree, consent, fail, manage, intend, want, wish, appear, seem, try, attempt, decide, plan, pretend, tend, volunteer, urge, enable, encourage, warn, help, cause, wait, struggle.

Note that some of these verbs are followed directly by the infinitive:
He decided to travel abroad
We tried to solve the problem
Other verbs are followed by an object and then an infinitive verb:
He advised me not to get a loan
They didn't allow me to leave.

B- there are certain verbs which can be followed by a WH- word and then a to-infinitive.
the verbs most frequently used in this way are: tell/ show/ think/ know/ wonder/ ask/ decide, forget, remember/ discover/ find out:
• I didn't know what to do
• He showed me how to operate the machine
• Can you tell me where to go?

C- The to-infinitive form can be uses also after certain nouns. The most common ones are: ability/ desire/ willingness/ failure/ ambition/ decision/ attempt/ eagerness/ promise/ effort/ offer/ plan/ wish
• We were amazed at his ability to communicate with the dumb boy.
• I made an effort to solve the problem
• All my attempts to settle the dispute were fruitless.

D-Certain adjectives can also be followed by the to- infinitive form.
Some of these adjectives are: prepared/ ready/ willing/ unwilling/ able/ unable/ determined/ eager/ anxious/ advisable/ necessary/ difficult/ easy/ dangerous/ likely
• He is willing to die for his country
• We are determined to fight the invaders
• It's not easy to learn Chinese.

E- The to-infinitive form is also used with "too…to" , "enough(…) to" , "in order to" and "so as to":
• I was too sick to go to work
• He is clever enough to avoid trouble
• I'm telephoning in order to apologize for not attending the party.
Remember that when the infinitive verb is negative, "not" must precede "to":
They advised me not to sell my car

2- The bare infinitive:

A- The bare infinitive is used after modals (must, can, will…)
• I will not attend the lecture
• We may dine out
B- The bare infinitive is used after the verbs "let" , "make" , "have" , "help".
• My father doesn't let me go to parties.
• I made the servant clean the room twice.
• I'll have the chauffeur wash the car. (have = order)
• I'll help you (to) dig the garden.

3- The gerund:

A- when a verb is placed immediately after a preposition, it must be put in the ing form.
• I'm so sorry for arriving late.
• He is accused of killing his wife.
• He left without locking the door.
• What about going to the zoo?
• Before leaving, don't forget to put off all the lights.
• After eating, we went for a walk.
• Are you interested in gardening?
• She prevented her son from attending the party.
• He insisted on taking a taxi
• They warned him against speeding.
• I'm better than you at jumping
• He earns his living by writing novels
• I'm fed up with teaching
• He didn't look unhappy despite failing all his exams.

B- Some verbs can also be followed by the –ing form. The most common ones are:
Suggest/ propose/ carry on/ keep on/ keep/ find/ spend/ enjoy/ finish/ imagine/ fancy leave/ stop/ cease/ give up/ deny/ admit/ catch/ detest/ dread/ risk/ fish/ avoid/dislike/mind

• I dislike camping
• The police caught him stealing
• I found him sleeping
• He suggested traveling by train
• The man denied killing his wife
• I don't mind cycling to school
• Avoid speaking to him when he is angry.

C- There are also certain phrases with which we use the ing-form. These phrases are: be/get/ used to/ be accustomed to/ look forward to/ can't help (= avoid)/ can't stand (=endure)/be busy/ be worth/ it's not good/ it's no use/ feel like/ have trouble.
• That magazine is not reading
• I can't help laughing whenever I see him
• It's no use complaining to him
• I'm accustomed to driving at night.

D- The gerund can also be used after the conjunctions "when" , "while" , "while" and "since".
• When getting off the bus, I bumped into a woman and fell
• I enjoy sipping tea while reading a paper
• This is the first time he gets a job since getting his diploma.

E- Remember that the gerund can be used as the subject, the complement or the object of the verb:
• Swimming is my favorite leisure activity
• The main cause of car accidents is speeding
• I enjoy surfing the Net.

Note that some verbs take either the full-infinitive or the gerund. With some verbs like begin, start, continue, cease, advise, recommend, allow, permit, need and require, the meaning is almost the same:
• He advised me to take the bus = he advised taking the bus.
• The car needs to be washed = the car needs washing.

But with some other verbs, the use of the gerund or the full infinitive does affect the meaning. The most common verbs which can be mentioned here are: hate, loathe, like, love, prefer, dread, try, stop, regret, remember and forget.
• I like attending parties. (Here it's general and "like" means "enjoy".)
• I like to attend my friend's party. (here it's specific and "like" means "want".)
• I regret failing my exams. (the failure happened at an earlier time than the regret)

Note also that some other verbs can be followed either by the bare infinitive or by the gerund. The most common verbs that can be cited here are: see, hear , watch and feel
• I saw/ watched the girl crossing the street. (I didn't see the complete action).
• I saw/watched you jump over the fence. (I saw the complete action)
• I heard you crying. ( I didn't hear the complete action)
• I heard you unlock the door. (I heard the complete action)
• I felt something moving/ move under my foot. ( here the full infinitive implies that the two actions happened almost at the same time.)

Exercise 1: Put the bracketed verbs in the right form:

Many American parents don't give their children pocket money. They expect them (earn)__________their money by (mow)__________the lawn, babysitting for young sisters and brothers, (wash)__________the dishes or (clean)__________the house. If the child wants (get)__________money but he doesn't do his job, he doesn't get any. This child learns that money doesn't grow on trees and that if he needs some, he must (do)__________something in order to get it.

Some parents let their kids (spend)__________ all the money they get, but others want their kids (save)__________some in their own bank accounts. If the child likes (buy)__________a toy, for instance, he can save his money and pay for himself.

Exercise 2: Underline the best alternative:

Do you think you are too fat? If so, stop (worry/to worry/worrying) and turn to us. Our club was created for people who enjoy (eating/eat/to eat) but hate (being/to be/ be) overweight. Many people have tried unsuccessfully (losing/ to lose/ lose) weight by (give/to give/ giving) up their favorite food, but they couldn't do it on their own. They found it hard (go/to go/ going) on a diet without (being/ be / to be) encouraged. It is also hard (say/ to say/ saying) "no" especially when it means refusing something delicious. We all understand how difficult it is.

We mean to help you (find/ finding/ found) an answer to your problem. So join our club and you won't regret it.

Exercise 3: Correct the underlined mistakes:

Here, in the sidewalks of Bangkok, you can find anything you want ⁽¹⁾ buying: clothes, something ⁽²⁾ eating, a pair of shoes, even fresh fruit.

What you can't ⁽³⁾ finding is a place to walk on the sidewalk. There's no room for pedestrians. The city government is trying ⁽⁴⁾ clean things up by ⁽⁵⁾ movement the vendors out and ⁽⁶⁾ creation once again the place for people to walk. But there is plenty of resistance. "We face serious economic problems", says a vendor". "If they stop us from ⁽⁷⁾ sell, we don't know how else ⁽⁸⁾ earning a living".

Correction
1-………………………………………	5-………………………………………
2-………………………………………	6-………………………………………
3-………………………………………	7-………………………………………
4-………………………………………	8-………………………………………

Exercise 4: Underline the best alternative:

Bradley Weedom is only 10, but he dreads (eat/ to eat / eating) because he is convinced people are trying (poison/ to poison/ poisoning) him. While most children of his age can't wait (tuck/ to tuck/ tucking) into a burger and a can on coke, for Bradley it's an ordeal. He makes his mother (try/ to try/ trying) everything before he eats it to make sure it's not going to harm him. If a bottle of coke or lemonade is already open, he won't (drink/ to drink/ drinking) it in case it's poisoned. He will eat only sweets and crisps if he opens the pocket himself, and although he love peanuts, he avoids (eat/ to eat/ eating) them in case they get stuck in his throat. So Bradley has all the symptoms of Food Avoidance Emotional Disorder, a new (eat/ to eat/ eating) condition which causes children (be/ to be/ being) afraid of food.

Exercise 5: Put the bracketed verbs in the right form.

One in five girls skips breakfast every day in a misguided attempt (stay)__________ slim, says a survey. Among 15 and 16 year-olds, 18 per cent leave for school without (eat)__________anything, compared with six per cent of children in other age groups. They think it will help them (loosing)__________weight. But experts say it is more likely (lead)________ to poor performance in class, unhealthy snacking and eating disorders.

If you eat breakfast, dieticians say, you are less likely to want (eat)__________ crisps and snacks during the morning. They insist that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and advise everyone (eat)__________it.

Key:

Exercise 1: Put the bracketed verbs in the right form:

Many American parents don't give their children pocket money. They expect them to earn their money by mowing the lawn, babysitting for young sisters and brothers, washing the dishes or cleaning the house. If the child wants to get money but he doesn't do his job, he doesn't get any. This child learns that money doesn't grow on trees and that if he needs some, he must do something in order to get it.

Some parents let their kids spend all the money they get, but others want their kids to save some in their own bank accounts. If the child likes to buy a toy, for instance, he can save his money and pay for himself.

Exercise 2: Underline the best alternative:

Do you think you are too fat? If so, stop (worry/to worry/worrying) and turn to us. Our club was created for people who enjoy (eating/eat/to eat) but hate (being/to be/ be) overweight. Many people have tried unsuccessfully (losing/ to lose/ lose) weight by (give/to give/ giving) up their favorite food, but they couldn't do it on their own. They found it hard (go/to go/ going) on a diet without (being/ be / to be) encouraged. It is also hard (say/ to say/ saying) "no" especially when it means refusing something delicious. We all understand how difficult it is.

We mean to help you (find/ finding/ found) an answer to your problem. So join our club and you won't regret it.

Exercise 3: Correct the underlined mistakes:

Here, in the sidewalks of Bangkok, you can find anything you want ⁽¹⁾ buying: clothes, something ⁽²⁾ eating, a pair of shoes, even fresh fruit.

What you can't ⁽³⁾ finding is a place to walk on the sidewalk. There's no room for pedestrians. The city government is trying ⁽⁴⁾ clean things up by ⁽⁵⁾ movement the vendors out and ⁽⁶⁾ creation once again the place for people to walk. But there is plenty of resistance. "We face serious economic problems", says a vendor". "If they stop us from ⁽⁷⁾ sell, we don't know how else ⁽⁸⁾ earning a living".

Correction
1-to buy	5- moving
2- to eat	6- creating
3-find	7- selling
4-to clean	8- to earn

Exercise 4: Underline the best alternative:

Bradley Weedom is only 10, but he dreads (eat/ to eat / eating) because he is convinced people are trying (poison/ to poison/ poisoning) him. While most children of his age can't wait (tuck/ to tuck/ tucking) into a burger and a can on coke, for Bradley it's an ordeal. He makes his mother (try/ to try/ trying) everything before he eats it to make sure it's not going to harm him. If a bottle of coke or lemonade is already open, he won't (drink/ to drink/ drinking) it in case it's poisoned. He will eat only sweets and crisps if he opens the pocket himself, and although he love peanuts, he avoids (eat/ to eat/ eating) them in case they get stuck in his throat. So Bradley has all the symptoms of Food Avoidance Emotional Disorder, a new (eat/ to eat/ eating) condition which causes children (be/ to be/ being) afraid of food.

Exercise 5: Put the bracketed verbs in the right form.

One in five girls skips breakfast every day in a misguided attempt to stay slim, says a survey. Among 15 and 16 year-olds, 18 per cent leave for school without eating anything, compared with six per cent of children in other age groups. They think it will help them (to) loose weight. But experts say it is more likely to lead to poor performance in class, unhealthy snacking and eating disorders.

If you eat breakfast, dieticians say, you are less likely to want to eat crisps and snacks during the morning. They insist that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and advise everyone to eat it.