Why after some verbs (like decide) can you write to + the infinitive
or sometimes the verbs ending with -ing?
For example: I decided to model.
I decided modeling.
It
is really a matter of learning which verbs take 'to-infinitive' clauses
and which take an '-ing' clause, Claudia.
For example, 'hope', 'expect', 'learn' normally take 'to-infinitive':
'I learnt
to swim in Portugal last summer.'
'I expect
to get high marks in this exam because I put in a lot of work
for it.'
'I hope
to recover in time for my business trip to Thailand in August.'
After
some verbs, e.g. 'tell', 'advise', 'ask', 'to-infinitive' follows
the object:
'We asked them to show us the way.'
'He advised me to drive more slowly through the
village.'
'I told him to be quiet.'
Other
verbs, such as 'enjoy', 'finish', 'admit', 'mind', 'feel like', 'can't
help', 'look forward to' take an '-ing' clause:
'I can't help feeling that it's going to rain
before we get home.'
'I feel like stopping work now and coming back
to it later. '
'Do you mind not talking in here? Speaking is
not allowed in the library.'
'He admitted taking the bribe and leaking the
documents to the press.'
'I always enjoy listening to Mozart whenever
I'm feeling stressed.'
'She finished cleaning the floor and then she
hoovered the room.'
'I look forward to hearing from you.'
'Prevent'
is followed by an object + (from) + an '-ing' clause.
'I prevented him from stealing the painting.'
Some
verbs such as begin, start, like, love, hate, continue, cease can
take either a 'to-infinitive' or an '-ing' clause and there is usually
little or no difference in meaning between them:
'I like to read in the bath.'
'I like reading in the bath.'
'I continued to work till Sally came in and then we
had supper.'
'I continued working till Sally came in and then
we had supper.'
Sometimes
the meaning does change:
'I stopped smoking when I married Joan.' = I
gave up smoking when I married Joan.
'I stopped to smoke a cigarette.' = I stopped what I
was doing in order to smoke a cigarette.
In
your example, 'decide to' would be the norm:
'She has decided to model clothes for both the English
and the Italian fashion houses this year.'
'Decide' + '-ing' would only be possible if the '-ing' form functions
as a gerund, as in:
'She decided modelling was the best career for
her.'
