Allow, permit, advise, forbid

We use an -ing form after these verbs on their own:

They didn’t allow eating in the laboratories.

However, if we specify an object or use a passive form, we use a full infinitive form instead:

They didn’t allow anyone to eat in the laboratories.

We weren’t allowed to eat in the laboratories.

Bare infinitives

What do they look like?

Bare infinitives are one-word infinitive forms such as be, do, give, ask:

He made me ask a question.

What do they do?

We use bare infinitives:

· in some tense forms.

· after certain verb + object combinations.

· in a number of expressions for giving advice, making suggestions, requesting, inviting or giving orders.

Where do they come in sentences?

· Tense forms and after auxiliary verbs

We use a bare infinitive in the question and negative forms of simple present and past tenses after the auxiliaries do, does, and did:

Do you love me? They didn’t like the film.

We also use a bare infinitive after ‘pure’ modal verbs:

He can swim. Why shouldn’t people protest?

· After verb + object combinations

Make and let

We use a bare infinitive after make and let:

We made the children clean up the mess. We didn’t let them go out of the house.

· ‘Inert perception’ verbs

We can use a bare infinitive after many verbs of ‘inert perception’, e.g hear, see, perceive, notice, sense.

Did you hear a child scream?

In passive constructions we have to use the full infinitive form of these verbs:

The children were made to wash the walls.

Something was dimly perceived to move.

· After why...? and why not...?

We can use the bare infinitive with Why..? to question or cast doubt on someone’s intention or suggestion. The reason for questioning this is frequently introduced with when:

Why tell her the bad news when she doesn’t need to know?

We use Why not...? to make suggestions:

Why not try phoning again?

(some learners find it helpful to think of Why not...? as an abbreviation of Why don’t you...?)

· After try and, come and and go and

When we make suggestions or give advice, we often use try and with the bare infinitive as an alternative to try + -ing.

Why don’t you try and get here early if you can?

We also use and with the bare infinitive after come and go in suggestions, orders, requests, and invitations:

Come and sit down.

Could you go and see who's at the door?

In American English and can be left out after come and go (Come sit...; Go see...).

Choosing between bare infinitives and -Ing forms

· After verbs of inert perception + object

Momentary and extended actions

We sometimes use an infinitive to describe a momentary action, and an -ing form for a more extended action:

momentary action	extended action
I heard something snap.	1 heard someone groaning.

Completed events and actions in progress

We can also use the bare infinitive to describe something which has been completed while we use the -ing form to show that something has started or is in progress:

completed event	action in progress
I saw Olivier perform 'Othello'.	I saw the children leaving school.

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