Thursday, May 7, 2015

verb forms - Why is "like to swim" possible, but "enjoying to swim" is not?



I read that like swimming and like to swim "are often interchangeable":



[...] While he likes to swim always means that he enjoys propelling himself through the water using his own body power, he likes swimming could also be used if he enjoys watching it as a spectator.




However, while liking and enjoying don't seem to be very different (the former meaning "find agreeable, enjoyable, or satisfactory" and the latter meaning "take delight or pleasure in (an activity or occasion)"), enjoy to swim is ungrammatical.


Therefore, I would like to know what the difference is between liking and enjoying in reference to the fact that, while like to swim is possible, **enjoy to swim* is not.


Thank you.




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