Blog about English
Verb combinations with objects, complements and clauses.
Verb patterns describe the grammatical structures that may follow a verb.
Different verbs require different complements, such as noun phrases, infinitives, gerunds, clauses or combinations of these.
Some verbs are followed directly by a noun or pronoun object.
Examples include open the door, answer the question and watch television.
Many verbs are followed by a to-infinitive.
Examples include want to leave, decide to stay and hope to win.
Some verbs are followed by a gerund.
Examples include enjoy reading, avoid making mistakes and finish writing.
Some verbs require an object before a to-infinitive.
Examples include tell someone to wait, persuade somebody to come and encourage students to practise.
Some verbs are followed by the infinitive without to.
This pattern occurs after modal verbs and verbs such as let, make and help.
Some verbs require an object followed by the bare infinitive.
Examples include let him go, make her apologize and have someone repair something.
Some verbs are followed by an object and a present participle.
Examples include see someone running, hear someone singing and catch somebody stealing.
Many verbs are followed by a that-clause.
Examples include believe that..., explain that..., admit that... and suggest that....
Some verbs are followed by clauses beginning with what, why, how, when, where or whether.
Examples include know what to do, explain why and wonder whether.
Many verbs followed by prepositions require a gerund.
Examples include insist on paying, succeed in finding and apologize for arriving late.
Some verbs require both an object and a particular preposition.
Examples include accuse somebody of something, congratulate somebody on something and remind somebody about something.
Some verbs allow both an infinitive and a gerund with little or no change in meaning.
Examples include begin, start, continue and like.
Some verbs change meaning depending on whether they are followed by an infinitive or a gerund.
Important examples include remember, forget, stop, try, regret, go on and mean.
Perception verbs allow several grammatical patterns.
Compare I saw him cross the road with I saw him crossing the road.
Causative verbs have their own characteristic patterns.
Examples include make somebody do something, have somebody do something and get somebody to do something.
Reporting verbs allow different complement structures.
Examples include admit doing, promise to do, recommend doing and explain that....
Some verb patterns include passive infinitives.
Examples include expect to be invited and want the work to be finished.
Perfect infinitives refer to actions completed before another point in time.
Examples include seem to have forgotten and appear to have left.
Dictionaries indicate the grammatical patterns allowed by each verb.
Learning dictionary notation helps learners use verbs accurately.
Every verb licenses a particular set of complements.
Valency explains why some verbs require objects, clauses or infinitives while others do not.
Some verb patterns are more common in formal or informal English.
Choosing the appropriate pattern improves style and naturalness.
Modern corpora reveal which verb patterns are most common.
Frequency information helps learners prioritize the most useful constructions.
Verb patterns vary greatly across languages.
Learners should avoid translating verb patterns directly from their native language.
Choose the verb pattern required by each verb.
Common mistakes include confusing infinitives and gerunds, omitting required objects, using incorrect prepositions and selecting the wrong clause type.