Most of the candidates lose their marks in IELTS for one little mistake. They use “I suggest to reduce traffic,” while they should say, “I suggest reducing traffic.” This thought is great. But the grammar isn’t correct. Gerunds and infinitives in IELTS will tell you if your sentence is good or not, and the examiner will see this mistake in a second.
The best thing about this topic is that it is much easier than it seems. You don’t have to remember two hundred verbs. You just need to understand some patterns and practice them until you get used to them. And this is what we do at Tiju’s Academy, the best IELTS coaching center in Kerala, where grammar becomes a part of your everyday routine.
The current essay discusses verb patterns in English grammar in layman’s language with lists, examples, and exercises at the end.
What is the difference between a gerund and an infinitive?
Gerunds are verbs ending with -ing and used as nouns. An infinitive is a combination of “to + base verb.” While both gerunds and infinitives come after the main verb, the main verb determines which should be used.
Two sentences are provided below:
- “I enjoy reading newspapers.” (gerund)
- “I want to read newspapers.” (infinitive)
Both sentences are correct. There is no logic involved here. The verb “enjoy” takes only gerunds. The verb “want” takes only infinitives. That is all there is about “verb patterns made simple.”
Some key points that will answer most of your questions:
- A gerund is different from present continuous. “I am reading” has an “-ing” form for its tense structure. “I enjoy reading” uses “-ing” as a noun.
- The infinitive does not always have “to” in front. After verbs like “let” and “make,” we say “let me go” and not “let me to go.”
- Gerunds can also be used as a sentence subject. “Smoking damages your health” is a classic example of gerunds as subjects from Writing Task 2.
Acceptance of this rule of thumb will allow you to forget about random gerund vs. infinitive rules.
Do Gerunds and Infinitives Affect Your IELTS Band Score?
Indeed, more than one would think. Grammar makes up 25 percent of the Writing section and 25 percent of the Speaking section. The Grammatical Range and Accuracy IELTS assessment is all about getting sentences right. One mistake in grammar ruins the whole sentence.
Here is where it hurts you:
- IELTS Writing Task 2 grammar is full of verbs like “suggest,” “recommend,” “avoid,” “allow,” “consider,” and “propose.” These are exactly the verbs students get wrong.
- In Task 1, you describe trends and processes. “The process involves collecting raw materials” is correct. Involves collecting” is not.
- IELTS Speaking grammar mistakes are heard instantly. If you say, “I am looking forward to meet my family,” the examiner registers it immediately.
At Tiju’s Academy, we start every batch with a band descriptor breakdown session so students know exactly what the examiner is counting. Even those who have good vocabulary knowledge walk into the test center at band 6.5 due to recurring pattern mistakes. Fixing such mistakes is the quickest way to go up half a band.
Which Verbs Take Gerunds and Which Take Infinitives?
Verbs that show likes, dislikes, avoidance, or continuation normally use a gerund. Verbs that denote intentions, plans, and decision-making normally use the infinitive form. It is not a universal rule, but it works well enough to guess correctly when under exam pressure.
Verbs that Use the Gerund Form
The following verbs normally use the –ing form. Learn them as a group.
| Verb | Example sentence |
| enjoy | Many young people enjoy working from home. |
| avoid | Drivers should avoid using phones. |
| consider | The government should consider investing in rail. |
| suggest | Experts suggest limiting screen time. |
| recommend | Doctors recommend walking daily. |
| admit | He admitted making a mistake. |
| deny | She denied taking the money. |
| mind | I do not mind waiting. |
| risk | You risk losing your deposit. |
| imagine | Imagine living without the internet. |
| practise | I practise speaking every evening. |
| finish | We finished writing the report. |
| postpone | They postponed opening the branch. |
| keep | Prices keep rising. |
| involve | The job involves travelling. |
| miss | I miss seeing my old friends. |
| appreciate | I appreciate getting your feedback. |
| delay | The council delayed approving the plan. |
Two of these deserve special attention. Avoid + gerund or infinitive is a question we get almost every week, and the answer is simple: avoid always takes a gerund. The same goes for suggest + gerund IELTS usage. “Suggest to do” is wrong in every context.
In our vocabulary and grammar improvement lessons, students learn these verbs through our Word savvy module, where each new word is stored with its pattern attached instead of on its own.
Verbs Followed by Infinitive
These verbs always take “to” plus the base form.
| Verb | Example sentence |
| decide | She decided to study abroad. |
| agree | They agreed to reduce working hours. |
| refuse | He refused to answer. |
| hope | I hope to score band 7. |
| plan | We plan to launch next year. |
| promise | The company promised to improve safety. |
| manage | She managed to finish on time. |
| offer | He offered to help. |
| afford | Many families cannot afford to buy a house. |
| fail | The scheme failed to attract users. |
| pretend | He pretended to understand. |
| learn | Children learn to read early. |
| expect | We expect to see growth. |
| tend | People tend to spend more online. |
| seem | The plan seems to work. |
| choose | Some workers choose to relocate. |
| arrange | I arranged to meet the tutor. |
| threaten | Pollution threatens to damage crops. |
Notice the pattern. Almost every verb on this list points forward to something not yet done. That mental hook helps in the exam when you cannot recall the list.
The Gerund After Preposition Rule
Any verb that comes directly after a preposition takes the -ing form. No exceptions. This single rule fixes a huge share of common verb pattern errors in IELTS Writing.
Examples:
- Instead of banning cars, cities should improve public transport.
- Despite working hard, he failed the test.
- She is interested in studying medicine.
- The country is capable of producing its own energy.
- After finishing school, most students move to cities.
The trap is the word “to.” Sometimes “to” is a preposition, not part of an infinitive. When that happens, you need -ing.
- I look forward to hearing from you. (not “to hear”)
- We are used to working long hours. (not “to work”)
- She is getting used to living alone.
- He objected to paying the fee.
Put the test to use by seeing whether you can put a noun after “to.” In “I look forward to the holiday,” that shows it to be “looking forward to hearing.” This small trick is part of the checklist we give students during Base camp, our five day orientation programme that sets up the study routine before real practice begins.
Verb + Object + Infinitive
Verbs that require an object before the infinitive should be learned as a group because they occur all the time in opinion essays.
- allow, advise, encourage, permit, persuade, warn, remind, force, enable, expect
Examples:
- The policy allows citizens to access free healthcare.
- Technology enables people to work remotely.
- Teachers should encourage students to think independently.
- The law forces companies to report emissions.
Watch the difference here:
- The school allows smoking in the garden. (no object, so gerund)
- The school allows staff to smoke in the garden. (object, so infinitive)
Both are correct. The structure changes with the object. Our Band 7+ writing templates include ready-made frames using these verbs so students stop rebuilding the same sentence from scratch in every essay.
Infinitive of Purpose IELTS Students Should Use More
If you wish to state your reason for doing something, use the form “to” followed by the base form of the verb. It is called an infinitive of purpose.
- Governments raise taxes to fund public services.
- Students take mock tests to identify weak areas.
- Companies offer flexible hours to retain staff.
For a more formal tone, use “in order to” or “so as to.” Both are useful in Task 2. What you must not do is write “for improve” or “for improving” in this position. “For” plus “-ing” describes the function of a thing, not the purpose of an action. A knife is used for cutting. A government raises taxes to fund services.
Verbs Followed by Gerund or Infinitive With Change in Meaning
Verbs of a select few categories accept both forms; however, their meaning becomes entirely different. These verbs make the difference between a band 6.5 candidate and a band 7.5 one, and they appear frequently in Reading passages as well.
| Verb | With gerund | With infinitive |
| stop | stopped smoking = quit the habit | stopped to smoke = paused in order to smoke |
| remember | remember locking the door = recall a past action | remember to lock the door = do not forget a duty |
| forget | I will never forget visiting Rome = the memory | I forgot to call him = I did not do it |
| regret | I regret telling her = I am sorry I did it | I regret to inform you = polite bad news |
| try | try adding salt = experiment | try to lift it = make an effort |
| mean | it means working late = involves | I meant to call you = intended |
| go on | went on talking = continued the same thing | went on to become a doctor = moved to something new |
“Stop doing” vs. “stop to do” is the classic exam trap. “He stopped to help her” means he paused what he was doing so he could help. “He stopped helping her” means he no longer helps.
Remember doing vs remember to do works the same way. The gerund looks backwards. The infinitive looks forwards.
There is also a group where the meaning barely changes at all: begin, start, continue, like, love, hate, and prefer. Both forms are accepted, so you can relax with these. The only tip is to avoid double -ing forms. Write “It started raining” rather than “It was starting raining.”
One more useful case is “need.” “The report needs editing” means the same as “The report needs to be edited.” The first version is shorter and sounds more advanced in Task 1 descriptions.
How to Know When to Use Gerund or Infinitive?
Learn the verb together with its pattern, and stop trying to reason it out mid-sentence. There is no logic to find. There is only a habit to build. Here is the method we use with every batch at Tiju’s Academy, the best IELTS training centre in Kerala.
- Store the pattern with the word
Do not write “suggest” in your notebook. Write “suggest + -ing.” Do not write “decide.” Write “decide + to.” This one change removes most errors within a few weeks.
- Run the preposition test
Before you write -ing or “to,” check the word in front. If it is a preposition, you need -ing every time.
- Keep an error log
Two columns. What you wrote, and what is correct. Most students repeat the same five or six verbs, so the log becomes short and very useful. Our Progress tracking system does this for students automatically after each submission.
- Focus on the fifteen verbs that actually appear
You do not need the full list for the exam. Prioritise suggest, recommend, avoid, consider, allow, enable, decide, aim, tend, manage, look forward to, be used to, involve, continue and encourage.
- Rehearse sentence frames
Fixed structures are faster than building sentences from zero under time pressure. Our Blank2Brilliant technique trains students to generate essay ideas quickly, and each idea slots into a frame that already has the correct pattern built in.
- Proofread for one error type only
In your last two minutes, read your essay again and check verb patterns alone. Looking for everything at once catches almost nothing. Looking for one thing catches a lot. We build this into our Time management strategies sessions.
Students who follow this routine with our Daily practice tasks usually clear their pattern errors in three to four weeks.
IELTS Grammar for Speaking Part 3
In Speaking, verb pattern errors are more damaging than in Writing because you cannot go back and correct them. Part 3 is where they appear most, since the questions push you into opinions, predictions and comparisons.
Common slips we hear:
- “I am interested to join the course.”
Correct: interested in joining.
- “People should avoid to eat junk food.”
Correct: avoid eating.
- “I am looking forward to start my career.”
Correct: looking forward to starting.
- “The government must allow people using cycles.”
Correct: allow people to use.
Our Fluent sphere sessions target this directly. The students ask a question, make mistakes in real time, and then repeat their answers using the proper structure. With our Brain spark method to generate ideas quickly, the test-takers will no longer be stuck when answering the Part 3 questions and will stop making repeated mistakes in grammar. Every session includes Speaking practice with feedback from a trainer, not a recording.
Verb Pattern Error Correction Exercise IELTS Students Can Try Now
Correct the mistake in each sentence. Two of them are already correct, so read carefully. Answers follow.
- I suggest to build more public transport.
- She avoided to answer the question.
- I look forward to hear from you.
- He decided studying abroad.
- We are used to work long hours.
- The government should allow people using cycles.
- I am considering to apply for the course.
- They managed finishing the project on time.
- Despite to work hard, he failed.
- This method involves to collect data.
- Many people enjoy travelling alone.
- She promised to send the documents.
Answers
- I suggest building more public transport. “Suggest” always takes a gerund.
- She avoided answering the question. “Avoid” always takes a gerund.
- I look forward to hearing from you. Here “to” is a preposition.
- He decided to study abroad. “Decide” always takes an infinitive.
- We are used to working long hours. Again, “to” is a preposition.
- The government should allow people to use cycles. Object plus infinitive.
- I am considering applying for the course. “Consider” takes a gerund.
- They managed to finish the project on time. “Manage” takes an infinitive.
- Despite working hard, he failed. “Despite” is a preposition.
- This method involves collecting data. “Involve” takes a gerund.
- Correct as written.
- Correct as written.
Score yourself. Ten or more correct means verb patterns are not holding your band back. Six to nine means you should start the error log today. Below six means you need to drill the two main lists before your next mock test.
Students in our Testfinity programme get unlimited mock tests under exam conditions, and every essay comes back with personalized essay correction through our 250in60 writing feedback system. Our 40in60 reading and Listenlock listening explanations do the same, they tell you why something is correct rather than just saying it is wrong.
Conclusion
Verb patterns cannot be worked out in the exam room. They are part of your vocabulary that you bring to the test. You learn each verb together with its pattern, apply the preposition test before you write anything down, and make notes of all your mistakes. If you do all this, then in less than a month gerunds and infinitives will not be a problem for IELTS band 7 anymore.
If you want structured help, Tiju’s Academy is here for you. There is a reason why we are called the best IELTS coaching online. Each and every student receives their target band plan, an IELTS preparation program, live and video lectures, methods for reading and listening, and a group of peers to keep practicing consistently. We finish with our 4-in-1 program covering all four modules, the TenX exam batch for final revision, and Mic drop day, our confidence session on the day before your test.
Start with our Base check assessment. A trainer will mark a sample essay, identify your personal grammar patterns, and tell you exactly what to fix first.
Frequently Asked Questions:
A: A gerund is a verb ending in -ing that works like a noun, such as "reading." An infinitive is "to" plus the base verb, such as "to read." Both follow a main verb, and that main verb decides which form you must use.
A: Yes, more than most candidates expect. Grammar makes up 25 percent of your Writing score and 25 percent of your Speaking score. Grammatical range and accuracy IELTS marking rewards error-free sentences, and one wrong verb pattern spoils the whole sentence.
A: The most common verbs followed by gerund are enjoy, avoid, consider, suggest, recommend, admit, deny, mind, risk, imagine, practise, finish, postpone, keep and involve. These appear often in Writing Task 2 and Speaking Part 3, so learn this group first.
A: The main verbs followed by infinitive are decide, agree, refuse, hope, plan, promise, manage, offer, afford, fail, pretend, learn, expect, tend, seem and choose. Almost all of them point forward to something not yet done, which makes them easier to remember.
A: It is "look forward to seeing." In this phrase, "to" is a preposition and not part of an infinitive. Test it by adding a noun. You can say "look forward to the holiday," which proves the gerund after preposition rule applies here.
A: Yes. Stop, remember, forget, regret, try, mean and go on take both forms, but the meaning changes completely. Begin, start, continue, like, love, hate and prefer also take both, with almost no change in meaning, so those are safe.
A: “He stopped smoking” means he quit the habit. “He stopped to smoke” means he paused what he was doing so he could smoke. The gerund shows an activity that ended. The infinitive shows the reason for stopping.
A: Any verb that comes straight after a preposition takes the -ing form, with no exceptions. This covers in, on, of, about, for, after, before, despite and instead of. It also applies when "to" acts as a preposition, as in "used to working."
A: Both, with different meanings. "I used to smoke" describes a past habit and takes the base verb. "I am used to smoking" means you are accustomed to it and takes a gerund. Check whether "be" appears before "used."
A: Record your Part 3 answers, listen back, and note every slip. Most students repeat the same five or six verbs. Correct those, then say the full answer again with the right structure until it sounds automatic instead of calculated.
