Gerunds and Infinitives: Can't Stand, Don't Mind, Feel Like

Several common expressions are always followed by gerunds. Can't stand and can't bear both mean "hate" or "find unbearable": "I can't stand waiting" and "She can't bear seeing animals suffer." Don't mind means "it's acceptable to me": "I don't mind cooking tonight." Feel like means "want" or "be in the mood for": "Do you feel like going out?" All of these expressions require gerunds — using an infinitive after them is always wrong.

Other useful gerund expressions include can't help (meaning "cannot stop yourself"): "I can't help laughing" (I cannot control it). It's worth means "it is valuable to do": "It's worth visiting the museum." It's no use or it's no good means "there is no point in doing": "It's no use complaining." Learning these expressions as fixed phrases helps you avoid the common mistake of adding "to" after them. They appear regularly in Cambridge B1 Preliminary and B2 First examinations.