Verbs that are followed by infinitive OR -ing

These verbs can be followed by either verb+ing or the infinitive form.

Verb	Example with Gerund	Example with Infinitive
begin	She began singing.	She began to sing.
can’t bear	I can’t bear being alone.	I can’t bear to be alone.
can’t stand	She can’t stand sitting in the sun.	She can’t stand to sit in the sun.
cease	The government ceased providing free health care.	The government ceased to provide free health care.
continue	He continued talking.	He continued to talk.
hate	He hates cleaning dishes.	He hates to clean dishes.
intend	I intend going to the party. (More British English usage.)	I intend to go to the party.
like	Chris likes reading.	Chris likes to read.
love	We love scuba diving.	We love to scuba dive.
neglect	He neglected doing his daily chores.	He neglected to do his daily chores.
prefer	We prefer eating dinner early.	We prefer to eat dinner early.
propose	Peter proposed paying for the trip.	Peter proposed to pay for the trip.
start	She started working at the company.	She started to work at the company.

Verb	Meaning/Example with Gerund	Meaning/Example with Infinitive
dread	She dreaded taking the test. (General fear or dislike of an action.)	She dreaded to think of the consequences. (Did not want to consider something specific.)
forget	I forgot meeting you. (No memory of a past event.)	I forgot to call her. (Failed to do a planned action.)
go on	He went on learning English. (Continued the same action.)	He went on to learn French. (Moved to a new action.)
keep	She kept talking. (Continued an action.)	She kept hostages to prevent entry. (For a purpose; often with object.)
mean	Being a doctor means working long hours. (Involves or results in.)	I meant to call you. (Intended to do.)
need	The house needs cleaning. (Passive: requires being done.)	I need to study. (Active: necessary to do.)
quit	She quit working here. (Stopped an activity permanently.)	She quit to work here. (Stopped one thing in order to do another.)
regret	I regret promising to help. (Sorry about a past action done.)	I regret to inform you. (Sorry to give bad news now.)
remember	I remember mentioning it. (Recall a past memory.)	Remember to lock the door. (Don’t forget to do a future action.)
stop	He stopped smoking. (Quit an activity.)	He stopped to rest. (Paused one action to do another.)
try	Try opening the window. (Experiment with.)	Try to open the window. (Attempted but possibly failed.)