Verb complementation in English

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Note

10/2/2026: Created with Copilot.

Intro

Verb complementation means the "rules" for what must follows a verb - like whether it's completed by a gerund (enjoy swimming) or an infinitive (want to swim).

Verbs followed by gerunds (-ing)

Gerund verbs followed by activities, habits, past actions, ongoing activities.

  • admit → He admitted cheating.
  • avoid → She avoids eating late at night.
  • consider → They considered moving abroad. (The infinitive (to + verb) is not used after consider in modern English.)
  • deny → He denied stealing the money.
  • enjoy → She enjoys reading novels.
  • finish → We finished cleaning the house.
  • keep (on) → He kept talking.
  • mind → Do you mind opening the window?
  • suggest → She suggested going to the park.
  • recommend → I recommend trying this dish.

Verbs followed by infinitives (to + verb)

Infinitive verbs followed by intentions, plans, future actions.

  • agree → She agreed to help.
  • decide → He decided to leave early.
  • hope → I hope to see you soon.
  • plan → They plan to travel next summer.
  • promise → He promised to call.
  • refuse → She refused to cooperate.
  • want → I want to learn Spanish.
  • need → You need to rest.
  • expect → We expect to finish soon.
  • offer → He offered to drive.

Common verbs of perception

These verbs can be followed by object + bare infinitive or object + -ing form:

Verb Bare Infinitive Example  whole action -ing Form Example ongoing process
see

I saw him cross the street.

I saw the child fall off the swing.

I saw the rocket climb into the sky.

I saw the teacher enter the classroom.

 full act of crossing, falling, climbing, entering.

I saw him crossing the street.

I saw the rocket climbing into the sky.

 crossing, climbing in progress
hear I heard her sing a song. whole song I heard her singing a song. caught mid-song
watch We watched the kids play football. full game

We watched the kids playing football.

We watched the sun setting behind the mountains.

 during play, while setting
notice She noticed the car swerve suddenly. single event She noticed the car swerving. continuous motion
observe They observed the scientist conduct the test. full experiment They observed the scientist conducting the test. mid-process
feel I felt the ground shake. one shock I felt the ground shaking. ongoing tremor
listen to We listened to the birds chirp. complete song We listened to the birds chirping. ing = ongoing sound

Sometimes the difference is tiny and both are acceptable. But in storytelling, the choice changes the vividness:

  • I saw him run away → emphasizes the fact he ran.
  • I saw him running away → paints the picture of him in motion.

Related causative verbs (slightly different rules)

These don’t always allow the -ing form, but they share the “object + verb” structure:

Verb Example Notes
make She made me laugh. Only bare infinitive (no laughing)
let He let us go. Only bare infinitive (no going)
help She helped me (to) carry the bags. Can use to or bare infinitive; -ing is rare

Common verb contrast pairs

Stop to do → You pause one activity in order to do another.

  • He stopped to tie his shoelaces. (Paused another activity in order to tie shoelaces.) (Not stop tying.)
  • He stopped to smoke. (Paused another activity in order to smoke.) (Not stop smoking.)

Stop doing → You quit the activity itself.

  • He stopped walking. (Quit walking.)
  • He stopped smoking. (Quit smoking.) 

Remember to do → Do not forget future action.

  • Remember to lock the door.

Remember doing → Recall past action.

  • I remember locking the door.

Try to do → Attempt something difficult, effort-focused.

  • She tried to lift the heavy box. (Attempted, maybe failed.)
  • Try to restart the computer. (Make an effort, may fail.)

Try doing → Experiment with a method, suggestion.

  • Try lifting with your legs. (Give this technique a go.)
  • Try restarting the computer. (Experiment with a method.)

Forget to do → You fail to perform the action.

  • I forgot to send the email. (Did not send.)
  • I forgot to meet him. (Did not meet.)

Forget doing → You don’t remember the action, even though it happened.

  • I forgot sending the email. (Did send, but failed to recall.)
  • I forgot meeting him. (Did meet, but failed to recall.) 

Go on to do → Move on to a new action.

  • After explaining the rules, she went on to give examples.

Go on doing → Continue the same action.

  • She went on talking for hours.
Regret to tell you → Formal, introducing bad news. Regret telling you the truth → Sorry about the past.

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