Verbs followed by infinitives


2 = verb followed by an infinitive OR an optional noun + an infinitive
3 = verb followed by a gerund OR an infinitive with a difference in meaning
4 = verb followed by a gerund OR an infinitive with no difference or little difference in meaning

 

afford He can’t afford to buy that car
agree Tom agreed to help me.
appear His health appeared to be better.
arrange Naomi arranged to stay with her cousin in Miami.
ask [2] She asked to leave.  
begin [3] He began to talk.  
can't bear [4] He can't bear to be alone.
can't stand [4] Nancy can't stand to work the late shift.
care He doesn't care to participate in the activity.
choose [2] I chose to help.
claim She claimed to be a princess.
continue [4] She continued to talk.
decide We decided to go to Hawaii.
demand He demanded to speak to Mr. Harris.
deserve He deserves to go to jail.
expect [2]  They expect to arrive early.
fail He failed to get enough money to pay for the new project.
forget [3] I forgot to lock the door when I left.
get (be allowed to) Debbie gets to go to the concert next week! Why can't I?
happen She happened to be at the bank when it was robbed.
hate [4] He hates to clean dishes.
hesitate She hesitated to tell me the problem.
hope I hope to begin college this year.
intend We intend to visit you next spring.
learn I learned to speak Japanese when I was a kid. 
like [4] Samantha likes to read.  
love [4] We love to scuba dive.
manage He managed to open the door without the key. 
need [2,3] I need to study.  
offer Frank offered to drive us to the supermarket.
plan We plan to go to Europe this summer.
prefer [4] He prefers to eat at 7 PM.
prepare [2] They prepared to take the test.
pretend The child pretended to be a monster.
promise [2] She promised to stop smoking.
propose [4] Drew proposed to pay for the trip.
refuse The guard refused to let them enter the building.
regret [3] I regret to inform you that your application was rejected.
remember [3] Did you remember to lock the door when you left?
seem Nancy seemed to be disappointed. 
start [3] Marge started to talk really fast.
stop [3] She stopped to rest for a few minutes.
swear She swore to tell the truth.
tend He tends to be a little shy.
threaten [2]  He threatened to leave forever.
try [3] Mary tried to lift the table, but it was too heavy.
wait She waited to buy a movie ticket.
want [2] I want to study Spanish.
wish [2] I wish to stay.  

would like [2]

(meaning "wish" or "want")

We would like to start now.