Page 307 - Practical English Usage 3ed - Michael Swan, Oxford

-
-
-
I wouldn't advise taking the car - there's nowhere to park.
I wouldn't advise you to take the car ...
We don't allow/permit smoking in the lecture room.
We don't allow/permit people to smoke in the lecture room.
The headmistress has forbidden singing in the corridors. The headmistress has forbidden children to sing . ..
-ing forms (7): remember, go on etc + -ing or infinitive 299
1 remember and forget
Remember/forget + -ing form looks back at the past - at things that one did. Forget • . •ing is used mostly in the phrase I'll never forget . . .ing, and expressions with similar meanings.
I still remember buying my first bicycle.
I'll never forget meeting the Queen.
Remember/forget + infinitive looks fOlWard in time - at things that one still has or still had to do at the moment of remembering or forgetting.
You must remember to fetch M r Lewis from the station tomorrow. I forgot to buy the soap.
2 goon
Go on + -ing form means ·continue'.
She went on talking about her illness until we all went to sleep.
Go on + infinitive refers to a change of activity.
She stopped talking about that and went on to ckscribe her other problems.
3 regret
Regret + -ing form looks back at the past - at something that one is sorry that one did.
I regret leaving school at 14 - it was a big mistake.
Regret + infinitive is used mostly in announcements of bad news.
We regret to inform passengers that the 14.50 train is one hour late. We regret to say that we are unable to help you.
4 advise, allow, permit and forbid
In active clauses after these verbs, we use an -ing form if there is no object. If there is an object we use an infinitive. Compare:
Note the corresponding passive structures.
- Smoking is not allowed/permitted in the lecture room.
People are not allowed/permitted to smoke in the lecture room.
- Singing is forbidden. - Early booking is advised.
Children are forbidden to sing. Passengers are advised to book early.
5 see, watch and hear
After these verbs, the difference between object + -ing form and object + infinitive is like the difference between progressive and simple tenses. With -ing forms the verbs suggest that one pays attention to events or actions that are already going on; infinitives usually refer to complete eventsI actions which are seen/heard from beginning to end. (Note that these verbs are followed by
the infinitive without to.) Compare:
~
page 275