VERB Pattern
VERB Pattern
ADMIT
_ I admitted stealing the money / He admitted cheating on the test / He will never
admit not knowing where Mickey Mouse lives / He admitted stealing the wallet.
ADVISE
ANTICIPATE
APPRECIATE
_ You should avoid walking home after 2 a.m. / He avoided answering my question /
You must avoid cutting your toe nails in bed / She avoided meeting him.
CANT HELP
_ He cant help talking so loudly / I cant help worrying about it / I cant help thinking
of her sweet rosy honey lips night and day,
CANT SEE
CANT STAND
_ I cant stand waiting in long lines / He can't stand her smoking in the office/ I cant
stand people vomiting on the bus/ I cant stand watching football.
CELEBRATE
COMPLETE
CONSIDER
_ She considered moving to New York / Have you considered living in Italy? / She
considered starting a new business.
DEFEND
_ He delayed doing his taxes / He delayed leaving for school / I always delay buying
my Christmas presents till after Christmas, when its much cheaper / She delayed doing
her homework
DENY (negar)
_ He denied committing the crime / He denied stealing it / Do you still deny having
killed Roger Rabbit? / He denied stealing the money.
DESERVE
DETEST
_ He detests missing a game / She detests exercising/ I detest sitting on the plain with
a neurotic scared cat.
DISCUSS
DISLIKE
ENJOY
_ We enjoy hiking / I enjoy travelling around the world / We enjoyed visiting them /
He enjoys pulling his head out of the car window while driving.
FANCY (gustar)
FEEL LIKE
_ I dont feel like taking your mother for a walk just now.
FINISH
_ Have you finished cleaning the kitchen? / She finished studying about ten / She
finished writing the letter.
FORGIVE
GIVE UP
GO
_ Go swimming.
IMAGINE
_ He imagines working there one day / Can you imagine winning the lottery? / Imagine having
all Barbies complements, wouldnt it be heaven on earth? / He imagines meeting her.
_ The job involves traveling to Japan once a month / The job involves working in teams.
MENTION
_ He mentioned going to that college / She mentioned going to a movie / She didnt
mention having thrown your lovely child out / He mentioned working in that company.
MIND
_ Do you mind waiting here for a few minutes? / I dont mind sleeping on the sofa / Do you mind
getting your scruffy finger out of my eye? It hurts, you know? / Would you mind helping me?
MISS
_ I miss playing guitar on the weekend / I miss being with my family / I miss feeling her
sweet hands stroking all the length of my back at the cinema / He misses talking to her.
NEGLECT (abandonar)
POSTPONE
_ Lets postpone leaving until tomorrow / He postponed returning to Paris / You mustnt postpone
writing to him or hell forget hes got a girlfriend back in Spain / They postponed traveling to
Japan.
PRACTICE
_ The athlete practiced throwing the ball / She practiced singing the song / I have to
practice frying eggs, Im terrible at that / She practiced painting.
PREVENT
QUIT
RECALL
_ I dont recall meeting him before / Tom recalled using his credit card at the store.
RECOLLECT
RECOMMEND
_ She recommended seeing the show / They recommended meeting earlier / The police
recommended people to be good and nice.
REJECT
RESIST
_ I couldnt resist eating the dessert / I resist eating too much / He couldn't resist eating the cake.
RISK
_ We cannot risk going home late because there are no buses / She risks losing all of
her money / She risks losing her job.
SUGGEST
_ They suggested going to the cinema, but we said no/ He suggested staying at the
Grand Hotel / I suggest picking our noses to kill the time / I suggest leaving early.
TOLERATE
_ I cannot tolerate living here. The weather is too bad! / I tolerated her talking.
UNDERSTAND
WASTE TIME/MONEY
TO LOOK FORWARD TO+GERUND _ I look forward to seeing you next week / Im looking forward to seeing them again.
PREFER SOMETHING TO + GERUND _ I prefer swimming to running / I prefer going out to staying al home.
OBJECT TO + GERUND (objetar, reputar, contradecir)_ I object to working overtime / I object to working so hard for so little money.
IN ADDITION TO + GERUND _ In addition to learning English, he is also learning German / In addition to working in a supermarket,
he has a cleaning job.
TO BE COMMITTED TO + GERUND (estar comprometido, entregado)_ We are committed to raising money for our charity /
We are committed to reducing inflation.
TO GET / BE USED TO + GERUND _ I am getting used to the Spanish culture. I am used to living in Spain / Im not
used/accustomed to getting up so early.
TO BE SICK OF + GERUND
VERB+INFINITIVE
ADVISE
AFFORD (permitirse)
AGREEE
_ I agree to help you, but only if you pay me money / They agreed to help us.
AIM
APPEAR (parecer)
ARRANGE
ASK
_ He asked her to jump out of the window / He asked to come with us.
_ Are you going to attempt to pass the exam? / He attempted to join them.
CARE
CHOOSE
CLAIM
CONSENT
DARE (*)
_ I wouldnt dare to call him. Hes very angry / Not one of them dared to ride on the
ghost train / I wouldnt dare to enter his office without knocking.
DECIDE
_ He has decided to live in France / They decided not to make pizza / She decided to
go with Elliot instead / They decided to go to the movies /I have decided to leave it.
DESERVE
_ I deserve to pass the exam. Ive studied so much! / He deserves to be punished / She
deserves to win the prize.
DEMAND
ENDEAVOR
EXPECT
_ What time do you expect to arrive home? / People expect him to tell the best jokes /
They expected to arrive early / I expect to graduate next year.
FORBID
FORCE
HAPPEN
HELP
_ Do you need help to fix your car? / She helped me to do the exercise. (Note, help is
also followed by a bare infinitive: She helped me do the exercise.)
HESITATE
HOPE
_ He hopes to find a job in Cork soon / I hope to join you as soon as possible / Jack
hopes to arrive by 5.00p.m.
INTEND
INVITE
LEARN
_ He learned to play the guitar when he was young / He learned to play the piano.
MANAGE
_ He managed to do his homework without his mother's help / She managed to finish
work early.
OFFER
_ She offered to help me move my things / He offers to help us / They offered to help
me get home.
ORDER
PERMIT
_ They don't permit smoking here. (Note that, like allow, when an object is introduced an
infinitive is used instead of a gerund: they permitted us to leave early.)
PERSUADE
PLAN
_ Next year I plan to travel around the world / I planned to go to some real Italian restaurants /
He plans to follow a career as an engineer / Were planning to have a party.
PREPARE
_ She was pretending to cry. I knew she was lying! / The child pretended to be asleep /
He pretends not to understand.
PROCEED
PROMISE
_ He promised to collect her from the airport / She promised to take me there / She
promised to come on time / I promise not to be late.
REFUSE
_ I refuse to watch that film. Its terrible! / She refused to forgive him / I refuse to
believe his story.
REMIND
REQUEST
SEEM
SWEAR
TEACH
_ My father taught me to spit with elegance / Did Martin teach Gary to play squash?
TELL
_ He told her to call me and she told him to mind his business.
TEND
THREATEN (amenazar)
VOLUNTEER
WAIT
WANT
_ Do you want to watch a movie? / I want him to go/ I wanted to visit Rome / I want to
finish my work early / She wants to tell me something.
WARN
WISH
WOULD HATE
WOULD LIKE
WOULD LOVE
VERB+BARE
MUST
MIGHT
MAY
SHOULD
HAVE TO
USED TO
WOULD
RATHER
HAD BETTER
INFINITIVE
VERB+BOTH
HELP _ Help is followed by infinitive with or without to: Everybody helped (to) clean up. Everybody helped her (to) clean up.
BUT! I cant help doing sth = I cant stop myself from doing sth. Eg. I tried to be serious but I couldnt help laughing.
LIKE
_ doing sth. I really like going for walks in the countryside (Enjoy in general).
_ to do sth Id like to go to the cinema this evening (One specific occasion).
_ to do sth I like to go to the gym twice a week to keep fit (I think its a good idea. I might not enjoy it).
REMEMBER
_ doing sth. - When you did something and now you remember it; after you did sth.
. I dont know how the burglar got in. I clearly remember locking the door and shutting the windows.
. I still remember seeing her for the first time (I remember an event in the past)
_ to do sth - you remembered that you had to do sth, so you did it; before you did it
. I remembered to lock the door but I forgot to shut the windows.
. I remembered to post the letter you gave me (I remembered and then I posted it)
FORGET
_ doing sth. Ill never forget seeing her for the first time.
_ to do sth I didnt forget to post the letter you gave me.
STOP
GO ON
REGRET
MEAN
NEED
_ doing sth. - sth. needs to be done about sth else (the meaning is passive)
. Look at this room. It needs painting.
. The curtains are dirty. They need cleaning (This will improve them. You dont say who should clean them).
_to do sth - It is necessary for me to do it.
. He put on weight. He needs to take more exercise. I need to do the shopping today.
. I need to have a word with Bill (It is necessary for me to do this).
ALLOW
TRY
TRY
KEEP
FIND
_ doing sth. I saw him crossing the road (When I saw him, he was crossing the road).
_ to do sth. I saw him cross the road (I saw the complete action).
HEAR
_ doing sth. When I got home, I heard him singing in the bath (He had already started before I arrived).
_ to do sth. I heard him sing in Madam Butterfly (I heard the whole performance).
VERB+BOTH
LIKE
HATE
LOVE
PREFER
START
BEGIN
CONTINUE
_ I continued speaking.