Verbs Followed by Infinitive

Many verbs are followed immediately by the
infinitive form of the verb. Other verbs are
followed by the gerund form of the verb.
Finally, other verbs are followed by a noun,
noun phrase or pronoun and then the
infinitive. All of these verbs follow no
specific rules, and must be memorized.

The following list provides verbs that are
immediately followed by the infinitive form
of another verb (verb + to do). Each verb
followed by the infinitive is followed by two
example sentences to provide context.
1. afford
I can't afford to go on vacation this
summer.
Can you afford to buy that sweater?
2. agree
I agreed to help him with the problem.
Do you think he would agree to take
the test again?
3. appear
He appears to think I'm crazy!
They appear to be available tomorrow.
4. arrange
I arranged to spend the week in New
York.
Mary arranges to meet everyone each
time.
5. ask
She asked to do the job.
Franklin will ask to be promoted.
6. beg
Shelley begged to be released as soon
as possible.
The minster begged to donate as
much as possible.
7. care
Do you care to spend some time with
me?
Tom doesn't care to ask any more
questions.
8. claim
9. consent
We consented to adopt the measure in
the next year.
Sherry will consent to marry you. I'm
sure!
10. dare
Those kids won't dare to break into
that house.
She often dares to break convention.
11. decide
I'm going to decide to appoint the
teacher next week.
Mary and Jennifer decided to
purchase an old house to fix up.
12. demand
The protesters demanded to see the
president about the economy.
The client demanded to speak with his
lawyer before making a statement.
13. deserve
I think Jane deserves to get the
promotion.
Our boss deserves to be fired!
14. expect
Tom expects to finish the job soon.
The students expect to receive their
grades before the end of the day.
15. fail
Susan never fails to mention that she
knows the president personally.
You shouldn't fail to mail in the form
by the end of the week.
16. forget - NOTE: This verb can also be
followed by the gerund
with a change in meaning.
I think Peter forgot to lock the door
before he left home.
We seldom forget to do our
homework, but last week was an
exception.
17. hesitate
I hesitate to mention this, but don't
you think ...
Doug hesitated to tell us about his
plan.
18. hope
I hope to see you soon!
He had hoped to have more success
before he lost the election.
19. learn
Have you ever learned to speak
another language?
Our cousins are going to learn to
mountain climb on vacation.
20. manage
Ted managed to get his work done on
time.
Do you think we'll manage to persuade
Susan to come with us?
21. mean
Tim certainly meant to finish the job
on time.
They mean to do business here in
town.
22. need
My daughter needs to finish her
homework before she can come out
and play.
They needed to fill out a number of
forms in order to purchase the house.
23. offer
Jason offered to give Tim a hand with
his homework.
She offers to help students whenever
they have a question.
24. plan
Our class plans to put on a play next
semester.
I'm planning to visit you when I'm in
New York next month.
25. prepare
Our teachers are preparing to give us
a test today.
The politicians prepared to debate the
issues on television.
26. pretend
I think he is pretending to be
interested in the subject.
She pretended to enjoy the meal, even
though she didn't think it was good.
27. promise
Yes, I promise to marry you!
Our coach promised to give us next
Friday off if we win the game.
28. refuse
The students refused to quiet down at
the assembly.
I think you should refuse to do that
job.
29. regret - NOTE: This verb can also be
followed by the gerund
with a change in meaning.
I regret to tell you that it is not
possible.
The officer regretted to inform the
citizens of the horrific facts about the
case.
30. remember - NOTE: This verb can also
be followed by the gerund
with a change in meaning.
Did you remember to lock the doors?
I hope Frank remembered to telephone
Peter about the appointment.
31. seem
It seems to be a beautiful day outside!
Did he seem to be nervous?
32. struggle
The boys struggled to understand the
concepts presented in the lesson.
I sometimes struggle to stay
concentrated when I'm on the job.
33. swear
Do you swear to tell the truth, the
whole truth, and nothing but the truth?
Alice swore to help in any way
possible.
34. threaten
Chris threatened to call the police.
The owner will threaten to kick you out
if you don't stop making noise.
35. volunteer
I'd like to volunteer to judge the
competition.
Sarah volunteered to take Jim to the
piano lesson.
36. wait
I'm waiting to hear from Tom.
She waited to eat until he arrived.
37. want
Jack wants to help everyone with the
new concepts.
The principal wanted to put on a
teacher workshop.
38. wish
I wish to see you soon.
Franklin wished to come and visit last
month.