1. They are used with a gerund when the action expressed by the gerund is the earlier action: I regret telling them this awful news. (telling is the first action, regret is the second) I remember hearing about their marriage from my friend. (hearing is the first action, remember is the second) remember can be followed by possessive adjective/object + gerund: I remember his/him explaining it to me. I remember my teacher(’s) explaining it to me. forget + gerund is possible only when forget is in the negative. It is of- ten used after will never forget: I’ll never forget visiting the Buckingham Palace = I’ll always remember visiting the Buckingham Palace.
2. When regret, remember, forgetthemselves express the earlier action they are followed by an infinitive:
I regret to say that you are fired. (regret is the first action, to say is the second)
regret here is normally followed by a verb such as say, inform, tell. It is normally used only in the present tense. rememberandforget can be used in any tense: I’ll remember to book the seats in the theatre. (remember is the earlier action) Compare: I remembered/I didn’t forget to post the letter. (I posted it.) I didn’t remember/I forgot to post the letter. (I didn’t post it.)
3. regret, remember, forgetcan also be followed by a noun/pronoun or a that-clause. rememberandforget can also be followed by clauses beginning with how, why, when, etc.: I don’t remember when I saw her last. I’ve forgotten how to use this machine.
I. like,love,hate, prefer, care
1. Very often there is not much difference between the two structures: My friends like working/to work in the garden after lunch, but I prefer working/to work in the morning.
2. When these verbs are used in the conditional or refer to one particular occasion, they are usually followed by the infinitive:
Would you like to come with me? I’d hate to spend Christmas alone. I hate to say but you are not allowed to work in this office. But would like can be followed by gerunds when we are not thinking of a particular action but are considering the subject’s tastes generally: She would like (=would enjoy) riding if she could ride better.
3. When used in the present or past tenses, these verbs are usually followed by the gerund:
They love wind-surfing.
He preferred walking to cycling.
4. Note however that like can also mean ‘think wise or right’, and is then always followed by the infinitive:
I like to go to the dentist twice a year. (I think this wise.) Compare this with I like going to the dentist, which implies that I enjoy my visits.
Similarly I don’t like to go = ‘I don’t think it right to go’ while
I don’t like going = ‘I don’t enjoy going.’ Notice another difference between these two negative forms. I don’t like to go usually means ‘I don’t go’
(because I don’t think it right). I don’t like going usually means ‘I go, although I don’t enjoy it’.
5. care is chiefly used in the negative and interrogative. care for + noun/gerund is very similar to like + noun/gerund. We can say: I don’t care for horror films or I don’t like horror films would care for + noun and would care + infinitive are similar to would like + noun/infinitive. But offers expressed by would you care (for)…? are less confident than would you like…?
Would you care to read my article, Ben?
(The speaker isn’t sure that Ben will want to read it.)
6. Do not confuse care as used above with care for (=look after) and care (about)(=feel concerned):
care for (=look after) is used chiefly in the passive:
The old people should be cared for by their children.care (about)(=feel concerned) is used chiefly in the negative and interrogative.
I don’t care (about) is similar to I don’t mind, which can often be used instead: I don’t care/mind how much it is. But note that I don’t care (about) = ‘I am indifferent (to)’ while I don’t mind = ‘I don’t object (to).
Note also that I don’t mind is much more polite than I don’t care which often sounds arrogant and selfish. In the negative interrogative either can be used but in the ordinary interrogative there is more difference between the two:
Do you care? = Are you concerned?
while Do you mind? usually means Do you object?
J. try
try + -ing = make an experiment; for example to see if you like it or what
will happen: Try adding some more sugar, it may improve its taste. try + infinitive = make an effort; attempt to do something difficult: I tried to explain it to them again but they didn’t understand anyway.
K. agree to do/agree to doing agree takes the infinitive. It is the opposite of refuse + infinitive:
Bill agreed to help us but Tim refused to work with us. agree cannot take a noun/pronoun object. The opposite of refuse + object is accept + object:
He refused the promotion but she accepted it. agree to (preposition) can be followed by possessive adjective + gerund or noun/pronoun object:
I agreed to their participating in the meeting. He agreed to the plan.
The opposite here is: I don’t agree to their participating in the meeting.
L. need
need + infinitive = it is necessary for me to do it: He needs to practice every day if he wants to play the guitar well. need + -ing = something needs to be done: This difficult problem needs thinking about. (=it needs to be thought about)
