Article for translators: To ING or not to ING, that is the question!

To ING or not to ING, that is the question!

By Jackie Walters
EuroLogos.com
www.eurologos.com

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"Are you finished cooking supper?" " I decided to order a pizza."
Why do we say "finished cooking" and "decided to order"? For some reason when two English verbs are used together in a sentence, the second verb will either be an "-ing" form or an infinitive form (to + verb).

People who grow up in English-speaking countries seem to learn these patterns automatically. They just know that some things "sound right" and other things do not. If you have grown up speaking another language, then each one of these verbs will be a problem because there is no pattern or system to learn.

Every example must be memorised. However, the more you read and listen to English, the closer you will come to being able to "feel" which usage is right. Practice, practice, practice

Need -ing verbs	Example	Use TO + verb	Example
Imagine	Can you imagine owning a Porsche?	offer	Did you offer to mow the grass?
Admit	Henry admitted robbing the store.	promise	Politicians promise to fix our problems.
Finish	I finished doing the job.	hope	Inga hoped to enter the Olympics.
Risk	Investors risk losing their money.	afford	Bob could not afford to miss work.
Practice	Ellen practices singing every day.	fail	David failed to stop for the red light.
Delay	Don't delay sending your payment.	decide	The driver decided to change lanes.
Consider	Will you consider staying home?	aim	We aim to please!
Deny	Fred denied cheating on the test.	learn	Jackie will learn to type someday.
Involve	The contest involved writing an essay.	deserve	Rover deserves to have a treat.
Stop	Please stop kicking my chair.	plan	Roy plans to retire early.
Postpone	Mary postponed having the party.	arrange	They arranged to fly home.
Avoid	Sam avoided signing the contract.	attempt	Don't attempt to get out of bed yet.
Miss	I miss playing tennis in the summer.	manage	Can you manage to climb the ladder?
put off	Many kids put off taking their baths.	forget	Will Sally forget to bring a salad?
carry on	We must carry on doing the right thing.	refuse	Willy refused to finish his vegetables.
give up	You should give up smoking today.	threaten	The man on the roof threatened to jump

Fun Exercise A: Circle the correct verb form in the following sentences.
1. Grace could not imagine (to wear) (wearing) her hair in curlers when she leaves the house.
2. Mark agreed (to wash) (washing) the dishes after supper.
3. Most hikers avoid (to walk) (walking) in bare feet.
4. The store manager offered (to pay) (paying) for the Christmas party.
5. A nurse should not fail (to give) (giving) the correct medicine to her patients.
6. Betty's new job involved (to lift) (lifting) heavy boxes.
7. Jim's little brother admitted (to break) (breaking) the model airplane.
8. Have you decided (to go) (going) fishing with us?
9. Mother said, "Will you please stop (to slurp) (slurping) your soup!"
10. The little old lady attempted (to cross) (crossing) the busy road on foot.

Example: They deny	dropping	closing	seeing
Example: They plan	to arrive	to buy	to drink

1. I threatened +
2. He hopes +
3. We risk +
4. They offer +
5. She forgot +
6. You miss +

Fun exercise C: Put a correct verb form in the blanks in the following sentences. Use the following verbs: solve, perform, see, buy, paint, clean, live,
1. Donald managed _________________ the difficult problem.
2. The doctor decided ________________the operation before it was too late.
3. One should not delay _________________ a doctor after an automobile accident.
4. Can you afford _____________________________ a new car this year?
5. When will you finish ___________________________ the walls?
6. The old man offered ___my windshield while I waited for the traffic light to change.
7. Can you imagine _______________________ in an old castle during the winter?