can't bear | He can't bear being alone. | He can't bear to be alone. |
can't stand | Nancy can't stand working the late shift. | Nancy can't stand to work the late shift. |
cease | The government ceased providing free health care. | The government ceased to provide free health care. |
continue | She continued talking. | She continued to talk. |
hate | He hates cleaning dishes. | He hates to clean dishes. |
like | Samantha likes reading. | Samantha likes to read. |
love | We love scuba diving. | We love to scuba dive. |
neglect | He neglected doing his daily chores. | He neglected to do his daily chores. |
prefer | He prefers eating at 7 PM. | He prefers to eat at 7 PM. |
propose | Drew proposed paying for the trip. | Drew proposed to pay for the trip. |
Although the difference in meaning is small with these particular verbs, and gerunds and infinitives can often be used interchangeably, there is still a meaning difference. Using a gerund suggests that you are referring to real activities or experiences. Using an infinitive suggests that you are talking about potential or possible activities or experiences. Because of this small difference in meaning, gerunds and infinitives cannot always be used interchangeably, such as in the examples below.
Examples: