Gerund vs Infinitive on TOEIC
Several common TOEIC Part 5 verbs require either a gerund (-ing form) or an infinitive (to + base) as their object, and choosing the wrong one is a frequent error at the 600–730 band. Knowing which verbs take which form is one of the highest-leverage memorizations on the test.
Rules
- Verbs that take ONLY a gerund: enjoy, finish, avoid, consider, suggest, recommend, mind, deny, postpone, quit, admit, delay.
- Verbs that take ONLY an infinitive: agree, decide, refuse, hope, plan, promise, manage, expect, want, intend, offer, fail, afford, prepare.
- Verbs that take EITHER with no change in meaning: begin, start, continue, prefer, like, hate, love.
- Verbs that take EITHER with a CHANGE in meaning: remember, forget, stop, regret, try.
Examples
"The accounting department has finished preparing the year-end report."
'Finish' takes only a gerund — 'finished to prepare' is wrong. Choose 'preparing'.
"Mr. Tanaka agreed to attend the conference in Singapore next month."
'Agree' takes only an infinitive. 'Agreed attending' is wrong.
"The manager stopped to read the email when it arrived."
'Stop + infinitive' means 'paused in order to do something'. 'Stop + gerund' ('stopped reading') would mean 'ceased the activity'. Both are grammatical; meaning shifts.
"We recommend submitting the proposal by Friday."
'Recommend' is gerund-only on TOEIC. 'Recommend to submit' is wrong on every standardized test, though it appears informally in spoken English.
What TOEIC specifically tests
- TOEIC Part 5 frequently pairs a gerund-only verb with an infinitive distractor as the most plausible-looking wrong answer. The distractor sounds natural in conversational English but is grammatically incorrect.
- Verbs that take either form with different meanings (remember, forget, stop, regret, try) are tested in Part 6 sentence-insertion questions — the surrounding sentences signal which meaning applies.
- A few verbs change meaning subtly with each form (begin, start, continue) but are treated as interchangeable on TOEIC L&R. Don't waste time deciding between them when both are offered as choices on Part 5.
Common questions
Which verbs take a gerund on TOEIC?
TOEIC tests gerund-only verbs including enjoy, finish, avoid, consider, suggest, recommend, mind, deny, postpone, quit, admit, and delay. Memorizing this list of about a dozen verbs eliminates a recurring Part 5 error pattern.
Is 'stop' followed by gerund or infinitive?
'Stop' takes either form with different meanings. 'Stop + infinitive' means 'paused in order to do something' ('She stopped to read the email'). 'Stop + gerund' means 'ceased the activity' ('She stopped reading the email'). TOEIC tests this distinction in context-dependent Part 6 items.
How does TOEIC Part 5 test gerunds vs infinitives?
A typical TOEIC Part 5 gerund/infinitive item presents a blank after one of the verbs above. The four answer choices include both forms plus two unrelated distractors. Choosing correctly requires knowing which form the specific verb takes — meaning-based reasoning is not enough.
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