Verb Patterns
Verb Patterns are verb-verbal pairings and are also referred to as ‘Verb Complementation’. These verbals take the form of to _____ (Full Infinitives) or _____ing (Active Participles, which Gerunds). Which of the two forms you use may depend on the verb that comes before it. Normally, you’d have to take into account a very long list of verbs for either form, but Insights to English has narrowed those verbs into groups and has found patterns for when to use the to _____ form and when to use the _____ing form.
What to Expect
When we want to take the idea of a verb and make that the complement of another verb, we use Verbals. A verb-verbal pairing is called a ‘Verb Pattern’. Some verb patterns use Infinitives, while others use Participles (sometimes specifically Gerunds). Knowing which to use generally requires looking up which verbals come ‘after certain verbs’, then committing that long list to memory.
A better way is to find the patterns among those ‘certain verbs’, which gives us a lot less to remember.
Prerequisites
Learners should already be familiar with the following:
This method is about simplifying one of the key distinctions between using these two forms. It works better if students have already used them before and are ready to expand the list of ‘certain verbs’ they come after.
There are about 200 different verbs featured in this video. While it’s not necessary for learners to know all of them yet, it helps to be familiar with a lot of them.
Elementary Tenses don’t come directly into play here, but students need to know past, present, and future. There is a reference to continuous vs simple tenses, so knowing the difference is helpful.
Proficiency Level
Students at the A2 level should be familiar with Verb Patterns (although a few common ones are expected at the A1 level). The more advanced a student gets, the more ‘after certain verbs’ they should know. They’ll likely learn ‘like’, ‘love’, and ‘hate’ at a Beginner level, but most Verb Patterns might be taught starting at a Pre-Intermediate level (3rd out of 6)* and continuing onward.
*actual starting level varies from one course-book series to the next
to _____
Verbs indicate:
- Desire
- Habit
- Influence
- Intent
- Opportunity
Infinitive Compliments are:
- Modal
- Future
- Specific
_____ing
Verbs indicate:
- Behavior
- Contemplation
- Influence
- Perception
- Preference
- Process
Participle Compliments are:
- Actual
- Progressive
- General
Bonus Notes
Check out our interactive lists of Verbs that Initiate Verb Patterns. We have one for Infinitive Verb Patterns and one for Participle Verb Patterns. You can sort or filter either list in order to arrange or select groups (like ‘Influence’, ‘Intent’, ‘Preference’ etc.) or see which ones require Indirect Objects.
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