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Verb Forms

Using the "-ing" form, the infinitive (to + base verb), and the past participle (-ed for regular verbs) correctly enhances clarity. Knowing when to use "finishing," "to finish," or "finished" makes your communication more effective.

The “-ing” Form

The “-ing” form (also called the present participle) has six main uses.

Use

Examples

Additional Details or Resources 

In progressive verb tenses with auxiliary verbs (also known as helping verbs).
  • I am doing my homework.
  • I have been writing all day.
  • I was writing when the pizza arrived. 
 Learn more about verb tenses.

As a noun (called a gerund).  

A gerund can be the subject, followed by a third-person singular (he/she/it) form of the verb. 
  • Writing is an important skill.
  • Reading before bed helps me fall asleep.
 Learn more about subject-verb agreement. 

The "-ing" noun (or gerund) can be the direct object of certain verbs. 
  • He often avoids answering his phone.
  • She suggested taking notes. 

Some verbs followed by a gerund include:

admit; avoid; consider; deny; discuss; practice; recall; suggest  

After a preposition.  
  • He is bad at remembering appointments.
  • They complained about driving in rush hour.  
 Learn more about prepositions. 

Adjectives are sometimes formed using "-ing." 
  • I read an interesting book.
 Learn more about adjectives. 

In reduced relative clauses.  

The "-ing" form can replace "who/that is" or "who/that are" to create shorter sentences.

The woman wearing a dress is sitting by the window.

  • Longer version: The woman who is wearing a dress is sitting by the window.
 Learn more about reduced relative clauses.  

Infinitives

The infinitive form ("to" + base verb) has four main uses.

The infinitive is required after certain verbs in English.

Some verbs that take an infinitive following them include:

  • agree
  • choose
  • claim
  • decide
  • expect
  • manage
  • need
  • offer
  • plan
  • prove
  • refuse
  • want

Examples

  • I decided to go to a movie.
  • He expected to obtain reliable results.
  • She offered to help.

The infinitive is also used after certain verb + direct object structures.

Some verbs that take an infinitive following them include:

  • advise
  • allow
  • ask
  • encourage
  • help*
  • need
  • persuade
  • require

Examples

I advised him to stay. 

  • him = direct object 

He helped me to learn to read.     He helped me learn to read. 

  • me = direct object 

*Note: With the verb “help,” the infinitive can be used with or without “to.

Infinitives are used after certain adjectives.

Some adjectives that are followed by infinitives include: 

  • difficult
  • easy
  • impossible
  • wrong 

Examples

  • It was difficult to complete the rough draft.
  • She thought it was impossible to remember all the rules.
  • I was wrong to assume you did not understand.

Infinitives are used to express purpose (in order to do something). 

Examples

  • She is driving quickly (in order) to arrive on time.
  • He completed all his homework (in order) to earn a good grade.
  • I rewrote my draft three times (in order) to revise it the best I could.

Gerund ("-ing") or Infinitive ("to" + base form of the verb)

Some verbs can be followed by either a gerund or an infinitive and the meaning of the sentence does not really change.

  • begin
  • continue
  • hate
  • like
  • love

    • Examples using the verb “like” 

    • She likes to read (“to read” = infinitive).
    • She likes reading (“reading” = gerund).

    In these examples, both sentences convey the same meaning.

    For some other verbs that can be followed by either a gerund or infinitive, the choice of the gerund or infinitive creates a difference in meaning.

    • forget
    • remember
    • stop
    • try 

     

    Examples using the verb “remember”

    • He did not remember to go to the store. (“to go” = infinitive)  
    • He did not remember going to the store. (“going” = gerund)

    These two sentences convey different meanings. In the first example, he intended to go to the store, but didn’t do it. In the second example, he went to the store, but didn’t recall being there.

    Past Participles

    In a regular verb, the past participle is formed by adding “-ed.” However, there are many irregular verbs in English, and these past participle forms must be memorized. 

     

    Use

    Examples

    The past participle is used with “have” auxiliaries (also known as “helping verbs”) in active voice.  
    • She has completed her degree.
    • She had completed her degree before being hired. 

    In these examples, the past participle is “completed” and “has” and “had” are helping verbs.

    The past participle is used after "be" auxiliaries in passive voice.

    The plates broke when they were dropped.  

    • “were” (past form of “be”) + “dropped” (past participle)
    • This is passive because the plates did not drop themselves; someone or something caused them to be dropped.

    The past participle is sometimes used in a phrase to supply additional information. These participial phrases come from relative clauses with a passive meaning. 

    Taken by surprise, Alice hugged her long lost friend.

    • This is a shortened version of: Alice, who was surprised, hugged her long lost friend.
    • “Taken by surprise” is a participial phrase that describes Alice and is used to make the sentence more concise and fluid.

    The past participle is sometimes used as an adjective. 
    • The received goods were damaged in shipping. 
    • She tried to repair her broken phone.

    In these examples, “received” and “broken” are both past participles being used as adjectives. 

    “-ing” or Past Participle?

    Sometimes both the “-ing” and the past participle (“-ed”) forms can function as adjectives. However, each form has a different meaning. 

     

    Key Takeaways

    To find more information about when to use an “-ing,” an infinitive, or a past participle, look up the word in an online dictionary such as Merriam Webster, or use a corpus, such as The Corpus of Contemporary American English. While some rules can guide you, others must be memorized through practice. Keep exploring and practicing to build confidence in using these verb forms. 

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