Gerunds vs. Infinitives

**Gerund (-ing) after these verbs:** enjoy, avoid, consider, finish, mind, suggest, practise, keep, risk, deny - I **enjoy cooking** South local food. - She **avoids travelling** during peak hours. **Infinitive (to + verb) after these verbs:** want, need, decide, plan, hope, offer, promise, agree, refuse, learn - He **wants to study** at MIT. - They **decided to move** to Singapore. **Both (same meaning):** start, begin, continue, like, love, hate, prefer - I **like swimming** / I **like to swim**. (both OK) **Both (different meaning!):** - **remember doing** = recall a past action: I remember **locking** the door. - **remember to do** = not forget: Remember **to lock** the door. - **stop doing** = quit: He stopped **smoking**. - **stop to do** = pause in order to: He stopped **to smoke**. (paused to have a cigarette) - **try doing** = experiment: Try **adding** more salt. - **try to do** = attempt: I tried **to open** the jar.