اسم مصدر یا مصدر — وقتی معنا عوض می‌شودGerund or infinitive — when meaning changes

Verbs whose meaning changes with -ing or to

برخی افعال هر دو صورت را می‌گیرند و انتخاب، معنا را کاملاً عوض می‌کند. REMEMBER / FORGET: «remember to lock the door» = کار پس از یادآوری می‌آید (وظیفه). «remember locking the door» = خاطره پس از عمل می‌آید (یادآوری). STOP: «stop smoking» = ترک عادت. «stop to smoke» = ایستادن برای سیگار کشیدن. TRY: «try swimming» = امتحان کردن به‌عنوان راه‌حل. «try to swim» = تلاش برای کاری سخت. REGRET: «regret telling him» = کاش نگفته بودی. «regret to tell you» = عذرخواهی رسمی پیش از خبر بد. MEAN: «mean doing» = مستلزم بودن («This means working weekends»). «mean to do» = قصد داشتن. GO ON: «go on talking» = ادامه دادن. «go on to talk about» = رفتن سراغ موضوع تازه. NEED: «the car needs washing» = مجهول، باید شسته شود. «I need to wash the car» = وظیفهٔ معلوم.

Some verbs take both forms, and the choice changes the meaning completely. REMEMBER / FORGET: "remember to lock the door" = the task comes after the memory (a duty). "remember locking the door" = the memory comes after the act (a recollection). STOP: "stop smoking" = end the habit. "stop to smoke" = pause in order to smoke. TRY: "try swimming" = experiment with it as a solution. "try to swim" = attempt something difficult. REGRET: "regret telling him" = wish you had not. "regret to tell you" = a formal apology before bad news. MEAN: "mean doing" = involve, entail ("This means working weekends"). "mean to do" = intend. GO ON: "go on talking" = continue. "go on to talk about" = move to a new topic. NEED: "the car needs washing" = passive, it must be washed. "I need to wash the car" = active duty.