Gerund or Infinitive on the TOEIC®: The Simple Method to Stop Making Mistakes
Flow Exam team
The gerund (verb + -ING) and the infinitive (TO + verb or bare verb) cause a lot of confusion on the TOEIC®.
The difference does not depend on the meaning, but on the preceding verb or structure. For example, "enjoy" always works with the gerund ("enjoy working"), never the infinitive.
On the TOEIC®, this distinction comes up very often in Part 5, where you have to choose between several forms in just a few seconds.
The main trap? Some verbs accept both forms, but with a change in meaning ("stop doing" ≠ "stop to do").
Verbs That Require the Gerund
Some verbs only work with the gerund. There is no choice.
List of the most frequent verbs on the TOEIC® (business context):
- enjoy, consider, recommend, suggest, avoid, finish, postpone, delay, practice, risk, mind, miss, deny
Typical TOEIC® Examples:
- "The manager suggested postponing the meeting until next week."
- "We enjoyed working with your team on this project."
- "Please consider updating your contact information."
Why This Trap Appears Frequently
Based on our experience coaching candidates, the confusion often comes from French: we say "suggérer de faire" (suggest TO DO), "envisager de partir" (consider TO LEAVE). The French "de" suggests the infinitive, but in English, these verbs require the gerund. The result: many people reflexively select "to postpone" or "to work" due to direct translation habits.
On Flow Exam, you can practice specifically on the Gerund/Infinitive topic in Part 5, with exercises that exactly reproduce the traps of the official test. If you struggle with this topic, you will never make the same mistakes again.
Verbs That Require the Infinitive
Other verbs only accept the infinitive (with TO).
Frequent List for TOEIC®:
- plan, decide, agree, offer, promise, refuse, fail, hope, expect, manage, arrange, afford
Examples in Context:
- "The company decided to expand its operations in Asia."
- "We hope to receive your feedback by Friday."
- "The team agreed to meet every Monday morning."
Special Case: Bare Infinitive (Infinitive without TO)
After verbs of perception (see, hear, watch, notice) and certain causative verbs (let, make, have), the infinitive loses its TO.
- "I heard the phone ring three times."
- "The manager let us leave early on Friday."
Verbs That Accept Both Forms (With Change in Meaning)
This is where the TOEIC® places its most difficult traps.
| Verb | Gerund (-ING) | Infinitive (TO) | TOEIC® Trap |
|---|---|---|---|
| stop | To cease an ongoing action | To pause what you are doing in order to do something else | "stop talking" ≠ "stop to talk" |
| remember | To recall having done (past) | To make sure to do (future) | Temporal context is crucial |
| forget | To forget that one has done (past) | To neglect to do (future) | Same logic as remember |
| try | To test, to experiment | To make an effort to | "try doing" = try it out to see |
| regret | To regret having done | To be sorry to have to do (formal) | Rare, but a classic trap |
Concrete Examples:
- "He stopped smoking last year." → He no longer smokes.
- "He stopped to smoke a cigarette." → He paused his activity in order to smoke.
- "I remember sending the report yesterday." → Past action, already done.
- "Remember to send the report before 5 PM." → Future action, something to do.
What We Observe in Practice
Generally, the distinction between "stop doing" and "stop to do" is clear in lessons, but under pressure in Part 5, the reflex disappears. Why? Because the TOEIC® inserts words between the verb and the verbal form to obscure the issue.
Example: "The technician stopped briefly to check the equipment" – the word "briefly" creates a distance that makes the trap less obvious.
Prepositions Followed by the Gerund
Always use the gerund after a preposition.
Frequent Structures on the TOEIC®:
- be interested in + -ING
- be good at + -ING
- thank you for + -ING
- apologize for + -ING
- look forward to + -ING (trap: "to" is a preposition here, not an infinitive marker)
- in addition to + -ING
- prior to + -ING
Examples:
- "We look forward to hearing from you soon."
- "Thank you for attending the conference."
- "She is good at managing large teams."
Specific Trap: Prepositional "to" vs. Infinitive "to"
The "to" in "look forward to" is a preposition, so the gerund must follow. However, many candidates automatically write "look forward to receive" because they think it's the infinitive. The TOEIC® loves this trap.
Checklist for Choosing the Right Form in Part 5
Use this 3-step method, in order:
1. Identify the preceding verb or structure → This dictates the form, not the overall meaning of the sentence.
2. Check if there is a preposition immediately before → If yes, gerund is mandatory.
3. If the verb accepts both forms, look for the temporal clue → Past/already done = gerund / Future/to be done = infinitive
Table of Typical Errors and Corrections
| Error | Correction | Why |
|---|---|---|
| We suggest to meet tomorrow | We suggest meeting tomorrow | "suggest" + gerund only |
| Thank you for organize this event | Thank you for organizing this event | After a preposition = gerund |
| I look forward to receive your reply | I look forward to receiving your reply | "to" = preposition, not infinitive |
| The company plans expanding | The company plans to expand | "plan" + infinitive only |
| He stopped to smoke | He stopped smoking | Context: He quit permanently |
Memorization Strategy for the TOEIC®
Candidates who progress the fastest share one thing: they don't review endless lists. They memorize 10 to 15 ultra-frequent verbs in each category, then practice under real test conditions.
Top 5 Gerund Verbs (must be memorized by heart):
- enjoy, consider, recommend, avoid, finish
Top 5 Infinitive Verbs (must be memorized by heart):
- decide, plan, agree, hope, manage
Top 3 Meaning-Change Verbs (TOEIC® Traps):
- stop, remember, try
Contrary to what is often read, our experience shows that reviewing lists of 50 verbs is useless. The TOEIC® always recycles the same 15-20 verbs in Part 5. It's better to master them completely than to skim over 100.
Ready to Practice?
The gerund and the infinitive represent one of the most recurring grammatical traps on the TOEIC®, but also one of the simplest to master once you know the key verbs and the tricky prepositions.
On Flow Exam, you can practice the Gerund/Infinitive topic directly in Part 5, with thousands of questions in the exact same format as the official TOEIC®. If you struggle with this topic, you will never make the same mistakes again.
Some Superpowers of the Flow Exam Platform:
- 150 truly exclusive tips based on the experience of over 500 candidates who scored +950 on the TOEIC®: clear, concrete, field-tested, and validated.
- Intelligent training system that adapts exercises to your profile and trains you directly on the topics where you make the most mistakes. Result → 3.46x faster progress compared to traditional platforms.
- Ultra-personalized learning path: targeted training only on the questions and themes that cause you to lose points → continuously adjusting to adapt to your evolving level.
- Personalized statistics on over 200 precise topics (adverbs, pronouns, linking words, etc.)
- Real Conditions mode exactly like Test Day (listening instructions, timer, etc.) → You can activate it whenever you want.
- Flashcards automatically generated from your own mistakes, optimized by the Spaced Repetition System (SRS) for lasting memory and zero forgetting.
- +300 points on the TOEIC® guaranteed. Otherwise, we will fully refund you.