DSE English — Gerund and Infinitive Guide for Tutors: Three Verb Groups, Four Meaning Shifts and Common Errors

2026-11-05

Tutor lesson-prep guides · Secondary English

Students can recite that enjoy takes -ing, then freeze at remember, stop and try. This lesson does not add another list: it gives three rules they can test themselves, so an unseen verb still has an answer.

Objectives — Students can: (1) sort 14 high-frequency verbs into three groups, -ing only (6), to only (5) and both with a meaning shift (3); (2) explain why remember to do differs from remember doing, naming the time direction, and write one sentence of each; (3) finish 14 classification items in the 9-minute drill, stating a reason for every answer instead of guessing.

01 Prerequisites (3-minute check)

If any of these fails, fix it before the lesson starts.

Skill	Quick check	Pass mark
Two verbs in one clause	Write a sentence with two verbs.	The second verb becomes to do or doing; two base forms cannot sit together.
Word class	Is enjoy a verb or a noun?	A verb, but the slot after it holds something noun-like, so we use doing.
Tense accuracy	He finished or he has finished the report?	Both are possible, but only one verb carries the tense.

02 Lesson flow (45 minutes)

Time	Stage	Tutor does	Student does
0-5 min	Prior knowledge check	Ask the three prior questions; circle wrong answers on the board	Answer aloud, copy the corrections
5-17 min	Act 1: -ing names an action	Frame doing as a noun; model enjoy, avoid, finish	Repeat, then build one sentence with a new subject
17-33 min	Act 2: to points forward	Model decide, hope, plan with an arrow to the future	Write a plan on the arrow and say it
33-42 min	Act 3 and drill	Contrast the two remember forms, then hand out 14 items	Sort and justify each choice
42-43 min	Error redo	Reteach only the two weakest groups; students correct their own work	Correct in red and write one reason
43-45 min	Exit check	Ask the three exit questions and note who misses	Answer aloud; misses become next lesson starters

03 Teaching script (read it out)

Scene 1: Act 1: -ing is an action turned into a noun

Say it plainly: a gerund is not an -ing verb, it is a noun. In I enjoy swimming, the slot after enjoy could hold the sea or music.
So any verb that is followed by a thing being talked about takes -ing: enjoy, avoid, finish, mind, suggest, practise. Suggest never takes to do; that is the most common error at this level.
Common misconception box: students think -ing always means progressive. I enjoy swimming is not “I am swimming now”.

Ask students to repeat: -ing stands in a noun slot, so no object follows it.

Scene 2: Act 2: to marks purpose and the future

The core meaning of to do is one thing: not yet done, pointing forward. Decide, hope, plan, want and agree all take to.
Draw an arrow: now at the tail, the future at the head. Students write one plan on the arrow. I plan to revise two chapters tonight. Ask: has it happened? No, so we use to.
Common misconception box: students think to is always a preposition. Here it is the infinitive marker. The to in look forward to really is a preposition, so it takes doing, and that belongs to Act 3.

Ask students to repeat: to points at something not yet done.

Scene 3: Act 3: same verb, different direction

Remember, forget, stop and try change meaning with the pattern because the time direction changes.
Remember to lock the door means the locking has not happened; remember locking the door means it did. Stop smoking means quit; stop to smoke means pause in order to smoke.
Use three fixed steps: ask whether the action happened, choose -ing if it did and to if it did not, then state the Chinese difference.
Common misconception box: memorising “remember takes to” makes remember doing look wrong, though it is correct.

Ask students to repeat: ask if the action happened first, then choose.

04 Question types and worked steps

Type	Example	Steps	Answer
-ing only gap fill	I enjoy ___ (read) before bed.	Check the verb group, insert -ing, check spelling	reading
to only gap fill	They decided ___ (move) to another district.	Check the verb group, insert to plus base form	to move
Meaning choice	He stopped ___ (smoke) last year.	Ask if the action happened, then choose	smoking, meaning he quit
Sentence rewrite	Rewrite: She suggested that we should take a break.	Drop should, keep the subject, use -ing	She suggested taking a break.

Sanity check (teach this): Sanity checks: two base-form verbs can never sit side by side; an -ing form needs a real verb or preposition in front of it; every rewrite of the four meaning-shift verbs must be explained in Chinese, or the student has not understood it; look forward to takes -ing and must be asked separately, because the to is a preposition there.

05 Independent practice (3 questions)

Question	Answer	What to watch
Write one sentence each with enjoy, decide and avoid about revision.	All three patterns correct	Whether avoid is followed by -ing
Explain the difference between remember to bring and remember bringing.	Not yet brought versus already brought	Whether the time direction is named
Correct three sentences and add one reason each: I suggest to go. She finished to read. He stopped to smoke last year.	suggest going, finished reading, stopped smoking	Whether a reason is given, not just a correction

06 Common mistakes and what to say

Mistake	Student writes	Say this
suggest plus to do	I suggest to start earlier.	Suggest takes doing or a that-clause; to do never follows it.
Two base verbs together	I want go home.	Two verbs cannot sit side by side; the second becomes to go.
Memorising one side of remember	Remember always takes to, so remember doing is wrong.	Ask whether the action happened: not yet means to, already means -ing.
Base form after look forward to	I look forward to see you.	That to is a preposition, so it takes seeing.

07 Homework (paper, section and question numbers)

Redo this chapter — Redo the three practice items and add a reason to the third
English chapter index — Open the passive and reported speech chapter and write three sentences using being done
Verb cards — Make cards for all 14 verbs in three columns, two original sentences each

08 Exit check (last 5 minutes)

Question	Answer	Decision
What follows enjoy?	doing	If to do, reteach Act 1
What follows decide, and why?	to do, because the action has not happened	If the reason is missing, reteach Act 2
Difference between stop smoking and stop to smoke?	Quit versus pause in order to smoke	If unclear, reteach Act 3

09 Tutor FAQ

How many verbs must be memorised?

About 14 cover most exam items; the three rules handle the rest.

How is -ing different from the progressive?

The progressive is be plus doing; a gerund has no be in front of it.

How many both-pattern verbs are needed?

Remember, forget, stop and try cover the common cases.

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A TutorZone lesson-prep guide. Written by the TutorZone team; questions and lesson flow are original and are not taken from any school or publisher material.