LanguageGuide: English Grammar: Introduction: Eat, Food

As we already mentioned, when verbs are strung together the second verb is an infinitive.

	She hates to wait.
	(Noun + Verb + Verb)
	We like to smell roses.
	(Noun + Verb + Verb + Noun)

Sometimes verbs aren't followed by another verb but by a gerund (gerund). If you remember, gerunds are used to create the present progressive. Technically, they are nouns.

	They hate waiting.
	(Noun + Verb + Noun)
	She likes studying.
	(Noun + Verb + Noun)

The verbs below can be followed by either an infinitive or a gerund.

begin	like	hate
start	love	prefers
stop

	I like listening to music.
	She hates waiting.
	We began watching TV.
	They stopped to smell the roses.
	Stop eating all the food!

continue

	Please continue to study.
	Please continue studying.
	They continued eating for another hour.

The following verbs are always followed by a gerund.

enjoy

finish

	She enjoys reading British novels.
	They finished watching the movie.

quit - quit

	Please quit annoying me!
	Quit speaking in Spanish. Speak English please!

Infinitives almost never follow prepositions. Instead gerunds are used.

	Thank you for coming.
	I don't feel like working today. Let's sleep in.
	Before walking the dog, be sure to do your homework.
	After eating two pizzas, he felt full.

success

successful (adj.)

failure

succeed
manage
fail

	We succeeded!
	She succeeded in eating the entire plate.
	By studying hard, he succeeded in learning everything.
	She failed to tell me about that.
	We managed to pass the test.

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