Pronouns before the gerund or infinitive

In cases where the infinitive is used as a complement, any noun or pronoun directly preceding it preceding it will be in the complement form, some common verbs which are followed by the infinitive and which often require an indirect object are listed here.

Allow    invite remind     ask    order   urge     beg    permit   want     convince     persuade    Expert      prepare      instruct        promise

Subject       +   Verb  +    complement form (Pronoun noun)    + (to + verb)………….

• Joe asked Mary to call him when she woke up.
• We ordered him to appear in court.
• In urge you to reconsider your decision.
• They were trying to persuade him to change his mind.
• The teacher permitted them to turn their assignments in late.
• You should prepare your son to take this examination.

However, before the gerund, a noun or pronoun must appear in the possessive form. 

Subject     +    verb     + (possessive form of noun/possessive adjective) + (verb + ing)……

• We understand your not being able to stay longer.
• He regrets her leaving.
• We are looking forward to their coming next year.
• We don’t approve of John’s buying this house.
• We resent the teacher’s not announcing the test sooner.
• We object to their calling at this hour.

Adjectives followed by the infinitive

The following adjectives are always followed by the infinitive form of the verb and never by the gerund.

Anxious      eager      pleased        usual       boring      easy      prepared       common     Dangerous    good      ready      difficult     hard     strange     able

Able means the same as capable in many instance, but the grammar is very difficult. While able is followed by the infinitive, capable is followed by of + (verb + ing )

• These students are not yet able to handle such difficult problems.
• These students are not yet capable of handling such difficult problems.

Examples of adjectives followed by infinitives:

• Mohammad is eager to see his family.
• It is dangerous to drive in this weather.
• We are ready to leave now.
• It is difficult to pass this test.
• It is uncommon to find such good crops in this section of the country.

Verbs that are always followed by the infinitive

Some verbs can take another verb as the complement instead of a noun. Sometimes the verb functioning as the complement must be in the infinitive (to+ verb) and sometimes it must be in the gerund (verb +  ing) form. The following verbs are always followed by the infinitive if the complement is a verb.

Agree     desire      hope     plan       strive         attempt       expect     intend     prepare     tend     Claim    fail      learn       pretend        want        decide       need     refuse        wish      demand     Hesitate    offer    seem

For example:

•  John expects to begin studying law next semester.
• Mary learned to swim when she was very young.
• The budget committee decided to postpone this meeting.
• The president will attempt to reduce inflation in the next four years.
• Cynthia has agreed to act as a liaison between the two countries.
• The soldiers are preparing to attack the village.