Verbs Followed
Only by Infinitives

(The verbs are arranged alphabetically.
Each verb is followed by an example.)

Jump to: Verbs Followed Only by Gerunds

Jump to: Verbs Followed by Gerunds or Infinitives
(with a significant difference in the meaning)


agree
They agreed to give him a try.

appear

He appeared to know everything.

arrange

I have arranged to meet him on Monday.

ask

She asked to see her doctor.

care

He doesn't care to answer.

choose

We chose to ignore it.

claim

He claims to be an expert.

decide

She decided not to go to the party.

demand

I demand to see the person in charge!

deserve

He deserves to win the contest.

expect

He expected to be home sooner.

fail

They failed to follow the instructions.

get

It's not fair that she gets to see him before the others.

happen

I happened to pass by, so we had a chat.

hesitate

Don't hesitate to call.

hope

I hope to see you soon.

intend

She didn't intend to hurt you.

know how
He knows how to run a business.

learn

He learned to speak Spanish very quickly.

manage

We managed to finish everything on time.

offer

He offered to go for a walk.

plan

You planned to meet us here.

prepare

We were preparing to leave when the phone rang.

pretend

He pretended not to hear a word.

promise

She promised to take us with her next time.

refuse

I refuse to cooperate.

seem

It seems to be broken.

swear

He swore to take revenge.

tend

These plants tend to grow slowly.

threaten

He has threatened to hurt us.

undertake
She undertook to design the new collection.

wait

The runners were waiting to start.

want

I want to speak with you in private.

wish

I wish to change my address.

would
like
I would like to add something before we continue.

yearn

She yearns to go free.

Jump to: Verbs Followed Only by Gerunds

Jump to: Verbs Followed by Gerunds or Infinitives
(with a significant difference in the meaning)


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