VERB PATTERNS BLOCK I Look at the following examples and focus on the verb to COOK. From the grammar point of view, what do these sentences have in common and what is different about them? * I need to cook something now. * I enjoy cooking. * I can’t cook. Every time there is a cluster of two[1] verbs[2] in a sentence we need to determine the form of the second verb. The second verb exemplified in the following examples by the verb to PAY can take the following forms. A. full infinitive I want to pay now. (WANT + PAY) B. ing form She dislikes paying by credit card. (DISLIKE + PAY) C. bare infinitive We all must pay taxes. (MUST + PAY) Below is the selection of first verbs which determine the form of the second verb in three different ways suggested above. A) VERBS FOLLOWED BY FULL INFINITIVE afford /əˈfɔː(r)d/ - We can’t afford to buy another car. agree /əˈɡriː/ - The school agreed to send the students on course. arrange /əˈreɪndʒ/- They arranged to go shopping together. decide /dɪˈsaɪd/ - They decided to accept the offer. deserve /dɪˈzɜː(r)v/ - They didn’t deserve to lose the match. forget /fə(r)ˈɡet/ - She forgot to ring him. hope /həʊp/ - They hoped to win the match. learn /lɜː(r)n/ - She learnt to drive a left-hand drive car very fast. manage /ˈmænɪdʒ/ - They managed to escape the fire. need /niːd/ - She needs to revise before the exam. offer /ˈɒfə(r)/ - They offered to help me with the garden. plan /plæn/ - They didn’t plan to stay in England for the rest of their lives. pretend /prɪˈtend/ - She pretended to know all the answers. promise /ˈprɒmɪs/ - He promised not to open the present until Christmas. refuse /rɪˈfjuːz/ - She refused to pay for the meal. seem /siːm/ - They seemed to know all the answers. tend /tend/ - We tend to take technology for granted. threaten /ˈθret(ə)n/ - He threatened to kill himself. want /wɒnt/ - She doesn’t want to retire. would like /wʊd/– He would like to join us on our next trip. would love /wʊd/– She would love to come to our party. B) VERBS FOLLOWED BY –ING FORM admit /ədˈmɪt/ - She admitted telling lies. avoid /əˈvɔɪd/ - He avoids meeting her. consider /kənˈsɪdə(r)/ - He briefly considered giving up his job. deny /dɪˈnaɪ/ - She denied stealing the money. dislike /dɪsˈlaɪk/ - I dislike expressing my emotions. enjoy /ɪnˈdʒɔɪ/ - I enjoy travelling by train. finish /ˈfɪnɪʃ/ - They finished eating. keep (on) /kiːp/ - Despite the noise, she kept (on) talking. like /laɪk/ - He likes going to parties with friends. love /lʌv/ - She loves playing the piano. mind /maɪnd/ - Would you mind shutting the door? risk /rɪsk/ - He risked losing his job. A/B) VERBS FOLLOWED BY -ING FORM OR FULL INFINITIVE WITHOUT CHANGE OF MEANING begin /bɪˈɡɪn/ I began doing it. = I began to do it. start /stɑː(r)t/ I started writing my diploma thesis. = I started to write my diploma thesis. TASK 1 Complete the gaps with the correct forms of the verbs in brackets. 1 They denied ______________ the money when they were interviewed by the police. (STEAL) 2 I cannot afford ______________ tonight. (GO OUT) 3 Stop ______________ me questions, it’s annoying. (ASK) 4 I refuse ______________ any more questions which insult my family. (ANSWER) 5 He promised ______________ the window broken in the storm. (REPAIR) 6 My memory is getting worse. I keep ______________ things. (FORGET) 7 She has now finished ______________ her children so they can go out and play with their friends. (DRESS) 8 Would you mind ______________ the window? It’s stuffy in here. (OPEN) 9 He threatened ______________ the police if we did not leave his garden. (CALL) 10 His parents agreed ______________ him with repaying the loan if he found a proper job. (HELP) BLOCK II A) VERBS FOLLOWED BY -ING FORM OR FULL INFINITIVE WITH THE CHANGE OF MEANING A) With some verbs (e.g. remember, regret) the key to understanding the difference is the time sequence of the actions the two verbs represent (1) remember (2) to write = remembering happens before writing (2) remember (1) writing = remembering happens after writing I regret to inform you that we are unable to offer you the job. = the speaker apologizes for bad news which he is going to deliver I regret informing him about it. = in retrospect the speaker feels sorry about informing him We (2) stopped (1) eating. = we were eating and then we stopped We (1) stopped (2) to eat. = we stopped what we were doing and started eating With the verb to stop the sentence very often contains two additional verbs which indicate the activity which was stopped (walking) and the activity which was started (have something to eat). We (2) stopped (1) walking (3) to have something to eat. B) try to do sth = attempt to do, make an effort to do try doing sth = try sth as an experiment I tried to move the table but it was too heavy. I didn't like the way the furniture was arranged, so I tried moving the table to the other side of the room. But it still didn't look right so I moved it back again. Murphy, R. (2004). English Grammar in Use – third edition, p. 113. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, p. 114 TASK 2 Complete the gaps with the correct forms of the verbs in brackets. 1 Please remember ______________ the door when you go out. (LOCK) 2 A: You lent me some money a few months ago. B: Did I? Are you sure? I don’t remember ______________ you any money. (LEND) 3 When you see Steve, remember ______________ him my regards. (GIVE) 4 I believe that what I said was fair. I don’t regret ______________ it at all. (SAY) 5 She stopped ______________ too many sweets because she wanted to lose weight. (EAT) 6 They had been playing for a very long time. Totally exhausted, they stopped ______________ a rest. (HAVE) 7 A: Do you know how to start the photocopier? B : Try ______________this button. (PRESS) B) VERBS WITH A PREPOSITION ARE ALWAYS FOLLOWED BY –ING FORM The following list is only illustrative. The exhaustive list is much longer, plus it contains numerous instances of passive voice constructions, e.g. He was accused of stealing the money. He was prevented from entering Germany. accuse sb of doing sth /əˈkjuːz/ - She accused her partner of taking all her money.. decide against doing sth /dɪˈsaɪd/- She decided against moving to Prague. dream /driːm/ about doing – He dreams about playing for the national team. look forward to doing – I look forward to meeting him. specialize /ˈspeʃəlaɪz/ in doing – They specialize in producing best quality wine. talk about doing – He talks about getting married. thank sb for doing sth/θæŋk/- I could not thank her enough for rescuing my dog. think of doing – I am thinking of applying for this job. TASK 3 Complete the following sentences with a suitable preposition. 1 I look forward __________ our skiing holiday in the Alps. 2 She insisted __________ talking to my boss about my family issues. 3 I apologize__________ not letting you know about the event. 4 She never thanked me __________ helping her. 5 She is thinking __________ quitting the school. 6 She decided __________ studying at Masaryk and chose Charles in Prague. 7 He accused her __________ not looking after their children properly. ________________________________ [1] There can be clusters of more than two verbs, e.g. I hate having to get up early, which are not included in this handout. [2] There are situations when the first verb has an object, which we do not consider in this handout, e.g. I wanted him to come. She didn´t expect me to win.