Infinitives vs. Gerunds Examples: Correct and Incorrect

Correct and incorrect forms side by side

Examples make the infinitive-versus-gerund choice clear. The tables below pair incorrect sentences with corrected versions and a short reason. Read the incorrect version to feel the awkwardness, then the correct one to see how the right form smooths it out.

These examples cover the most common verbs and the meaning-changing cases where the choice really matters. Use them as references when you edit your own sentences.

Basic form examples

Meaning-changing and rule-based examples

More example pairs

• Incorrect: I finished to write the report. Correct: I finished writing the report.
• Incorrect: we hope seeing you soon. Correct: we hope to see you soon.
• Incorrect: I suggest to leave early. Correct: I suggest leaving early.
• Incorrect: she agreed helping me. Correct: she agreed to help me.

Use examples to fix your verbs

1. 1
   Find a verb complement that feels off

   Copy a sentence where the second verb seems wrong.

2. 2
   Match it to a model

   Locate the closest pair in the tables above.

3. 3
   Apply the same fix

   Swap the form to match the correct version.

4. 4
   Re-read for meaning

   Confirm the sentence now says what you intended, especially for meaning-changing verbs.

Examples build instinct

After working through a range of examples, the correct form starts to feel natural. You begin to sense when a verb wants a gerund and when it wants an infinitive. Keep a short list of your own corrected pairs to revisit during edits.

To check a full document quickly, paste it into the free Grammar Checker at AI Humanizer Lab. It highlights infinitive and gerund errors across the whole text with no word limits, which is handy for longer drafts where these mistakes cluster.

Forms that flow from practice

The infinitive-versus-gerund choice flows from practice more than from logic. Once you have seen enjoy followed by a gerund a dozen times, the wrong form starts to feel jarring. Exposure is the real teacher, so read widely and notice which form each common verb takes.

A practical shortcut is to keep a short personal list of verbs that trip you up, with their required form beside each. Review the list before you write, and the forms stick faster than any abstract rule. Within a few weeks, the most common verbs stop causing trouble.

High-frequency verbs to master

• enjoy, avoid, finish, and suggest, which take gerunds
• decide, want, hope, and agree, which take infinitives
• stop and remember, which change meaning with the form
• any verb that follows a preposition, which always takes a gerund

Forms that become automatic

Verb forms become automatic through exposure and a little focused practice. The more correct English you read, the more your instincts align with native patterns, and the less you rely on rules you have to look up. Over a few weeks, the most common verbs stop causing hesitation.

Keep a personal list of verbs that trip you up, and review it before you write. That small effort pays off quickly, because the same high-frequency verbs appear in almost everything you write. Mastering them removes a steady source of error and lets your attention return to your ideas.