-ing Form and Infinitive ( … to …) - Unit 8 HR BE 3

Infinitive with to	-ing form (Gerund)
The verbs below are often followed by the infinitive: intend to attempt to promise to plan to mean to try to arrange to offer to want to pretend to hope to forget to seem to fail to wish to expect to claim to guarantee to	The verbs below are often followed by the –ing form: admit appreciate contemplate give up   involve deny enjoy consider carry on mean mind justify can’t stand don’t mind remember resent detest recommend risk delay miss suggest avoid put off look forward to

Example infinitive

We are continuing to cut our manufacturing cost.

Management agree to offer generous redundancy terms to all staff affected.

We can’t afford to increase their pay.

The manager seemed impressed by my cv and promised to call me back in a couple of days.

The company simply can’t afford to raise the minimum wage.

He was fired because he refused to follow a directive given by his supervisor.

He intends to sign the new contract next week.

He promised to review our complaint procedures.

He wanted to review our complaint procedures.

I decided to meet the HR Director.

I arranged to meet the HR Director.

She refused to check the redundancy arrangements.

She failed to check the redundancy arrangements.

We hope to review our policy for anti-bullying in the work place.

We plan to review our policy for anti-bullying in the work place.

Example of –ing form

The decision involves reducing our heavy losses.

My job involves monitoring sickness.

I suggested improving interpersonal skills training.

I recommended improving interpersonal skills training.

HR Division recommends working weekends sometimes.

3 members of staff stopped smoking after the programme.

Both, without a big change in meaning:

I started working there last month.

I started to work there last month.

He started loading the software.

He started to load the software.

Both, with a change in meaning:

We stopped to have lunch = we stopped what we were doing in order to have lunch.

We stopped having lunch = we stopped our habit of having lunch.

HR’s new computer programme has stopped working.

She was driving in a hurry, but she stopped to answer her mobile phone.

Did you remember calling HR yesterday?

I can’t remember to offer you a raise.

I forgot to tell you I would quit my job.

I will never forget making my first sale.


Other example:

In my job, I have to chase after bad debts.

My job involves chasing after bad debts.

Send them the brochures they requested – don’t forget, will you?

Please remember to send them the brochures they requested.

I think it would be a very good idea to contact another supplier.

He recommended contacting another supplier.

I am not sure, but I think there is a problem with the air conditioning unit you installed yesterday.

There seems to be a problem with the air conditioning unit you installed yesterday.

If we don’t improve quality, there is a danger we will lose business to our competitors.

If we don’t improve quality, we risk losing business to our competitors.

Flying doesn’t bother me as long as there is no turbulence.

I don’t mind flying as long as there is no turbulence.

Our plan is to invest in new office equipment.

We intend to invest in new office equipment.