Verb Patterns - Tricky Ones
Source: goforitingles Some verbs can be followed by either the infinitive or -ing form. Take the verb to start " She started crying when he shouted at her. 😍 She started to cry when he shouted at her. 😍 The bells start ringing at twelve. 😍 The bells start to ring at twelve.😍 There is no difference in meaning between the sentences. We don't use two -ing verbs together. So: Look! It is starting raining. 😡 Look! It is starting to rain . 😍 I was just starting falling asleep when the phone rang. 😡 I was just starting to fall asleep when the phone rang. 😍 Be careful with the verb to stop . Consider the following sentences: Stop laugh ing at me! 😍 Stop to laugh at me! 😡 We stopped putting petrol in the car. 😡 We stopped to put petrol in the car. 😍 Stop is normally used with the -ing form. The -ing verb is the action that stops. When stop is followed by the infinitive, it gives the reason for sto...