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Precision in language is a lot like precision in code—swap a semicolon for a comma, and things break. In English, choosing between a gerund (the -ing form) and an infinitive (the to + verb form) changes the logic of your sentence.

Here is a targeted drill designed for IT professionals to master these structures in a technical context.

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1. The Logic: Gerund vs. Infinitive

While some verbs can take both, most have a “preferred” partner.

• Gerunds (-ing): Often used for actions that are ongoing, completed, or being discussed as a general concept (e.g., “We finished testing the API”).
• Infinitives (to…): Often used for actions that are intended, planned, or related to a specific goal (e.g., “We plan to deploy on Friday”).

Common IT Verbs Cheat Sheet

Use a Gerund (-ing) after:	Use an Infinitive (to…) after:
Finish (finishing a task)	Agree (agreeing on a spec)
Avoid (avoiding a bug)	Manage (managing to fix a leak)
Involve (the job involves coding)	Decide (deciding to refactor)
Consider (considering a migration)	Wait (waiting to sync)
Stop (stopping a service)	Fail (failing to compile)

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2. The Drill: “The Deployment Dilemma”

Instructions: Choose the correct form (Gerund or Infinitive) for the verbs in brackets to complete the incident report.

Yesterday, the team attempted (1) _________ (update) the production database. We decided (2) _________ (proceed) despite the late hour. However, we failed (3) _________ (account) for the legacy dependencies.

After the crash, we considered (4) _________ (roll back) the changes immediately. The senior dev suggested (5) _________ (check) the logs first. We avoided (6) _________ (reboot) the entire cluster because that would involve (7) _________ (lose) unsaved cache data.

We managed (8) _________ (patch) the script by 3:00 AM. We recommend (9) _________ (postpone) future updates until we finish (10) _________ (build) a better staging environment.

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3. The “Meaning Shift” Warning

Be careful with Stop and Remember. In IT, the difference is critical:

• Stop + Gerund: “I stopped coding” (I am no longer typing).
• Stop + Infinitive: “I stopped to code” (I paused my walk/meeting in order to start typing).
• Remember + Gerund: “I remember saving the file” (I have a memory of doing it).
• Remember + Infinitive: “Remember to save the file” (Don’t forget to do it in the future).

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Pro Tip: If you’re ever unsure, remember that prepositions (of, in, about, for, with) always take the gerund.

• “We are responsible for maintaining the server.”
• “He is tired of debugging spaghetti code.”

Since those “Meaning Shift” verbs can literally change the outcome of a project if misunderstood, let’s dive into the logic behind them.

In these cases, the verb choice isn’t just a grammar rule—it’s a sequence of events or a change in intent.

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4. The “Big Three” Meaning Shifts

Verb	+ Gerund (-ing)	+ Infinitive (to…)
Stop	To cease an action permanently or temporarily.	To pause one action in order to do another.
Try	To experiment with a new method or “hack.”	To make an effort to do something difficult.
Remember	To have a past memory of an action.	To not forget a future or required task.

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5. Deep Dive: Try & Stop

Think of “Try + Gerund” as troubleshooting. You are testing a solution to see if it works. Think of “Try + Infinitive” as a struggle. You are attempting a difficult feat.

Example:

• “Have you tried restarting the router?” (An experiment/suggestion).
• “I tried to restart the router, but the button is broken.” (An attempted effort that failed).

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6. Advanced Drill: The Troubleshooting Ticket

Instructions: Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb. Pay close attention to the intent of the speaker.

1. Stop: The script was eating up 90% of the CPU, so I had to stop _________ (run) it immediately.
2. Stop: While I was refactoring the code, I stopped _________ (check) the documentation for the new API.
3. Try: The server is still down. Have you tried _________ (clear) the cache?
4. Try: I spent four hours trying _________ (recover) the corrupted SQL database, but the files were gone.
5. Remember: Did you remember _________ (commit) your changes before the power went out?
6. Remember: I remember _________ (commit) them, but I don’t see them in the repository.

Summary Table for IT Contexts

Scenario	Verb Construction	Example
Experimental Fix	Try + Gerund	“Try pinging the gateway.”
Difficult Task	Try + Infinitive	“I’ll try to fix the leak by 5 PM.”
Stop a Process	Stop + Gerund	“Stop logging every request.”
Pause for Task	Stop + Infinitive	“Stop to update your Jira ticket.”

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Answer Key to 2

1. To update (Attempt requires an infinitive).
2. To proceed (Decide looks forward to a goal).
3. To account (Fail always takes the infinitive).
4. Rolling back (Consider views the action as a concept).
5. Checking (Suggest is almost always followed by a gerund).
6. Rebooting (Avoid requires a gerund).
7. Losing (Involve describes what the process contains).
8. To patch (Manage implies succeeding at a goal).
9. Postponing (Recommend follows the same rule as suggest).
10. Building (Finish marks the end of an ongoing action).

Answer Key to 6

1. Running (You ceased the action of the script).
2. To check (You paused refactoring in order to look at the docs).
3. Clearing (An experiment/troubleshooting step).
4. To recover (A difficult effort that was unsuccessful).
5. To commit (A reminder of a necessary task).
6. Committing (A memory of a past action).