When we use two verbs together the form of the second verb usually depends on the first.
Verbs can be followed by the following patterns:
+ gerund : keep on, miss, stop, avoid, begin, continue, don’t mind, end up, enjoy, finish, hate, keep, like, love, forget, prefer, regret, remember, start, try
eg. I regret going to that party last night. I stopped smoking last year. He doesn’t mind doing the housework. Try doing yoga.
+ infinitive with to: need, expect, manage, stop, try, learn, begin, continue, decide, forget, hate, hope, like, love, plan, prefer, pretend, refuse, regret, remember, seem, start
eg. She needs to see a doctor. We expect to see an increase in sales from November. She realised she’d forgotten to lock the door when she left.
+ object + infinitive: help, let, make
eg. She helped him get up off the floor. They let him borrow the car to get to the airport. The teacher made the students stand when he entered the classroom.
+ object + infinitive with to: persuade, allow, encourage, help, ask, convince, expect, force, pay, teach
eg. She persuaded him to join the football team. I expected them to be hungry when they arrived. They paid the band to play at their wedding reception.
+ infinitive: would, can, could, had better, might, should, will, would rather
eg. She might study abroad. You’d better find out what she wants. He would rather die than go to prison.
NB: Some verbs can use more than one verb pattern and have the same meaning. Some verbs can use more than one verb pattern but change meaning.