word usage - Why is `enjoy to [verb]` incorrect

I can say:

I love to read. I hate to read.

But it must be:

I enjoy to read. I enjoy reading.

What is enjoy so different?

Answer

A good question: Why do some verbs take a to-infinitive and why are some verbs followed by a gerund. The silly thing is grammars don't give an answer to this interesting question. They only give lists. And that does not give an understanding of language.

When you study the problem verb + to-infinitive (tinf) or gerund (ger) in grammars you wil find the following lists: a) vbs (verbs) + tinf b) vbs + ger c) vbs + tinf/ger (with no difference) c) vbs + tinf/ger (wit a difference)

These lists are not optimal and there is not comment. What one has to know is the normal verb-construction (vcs) is verb + tinf. There are hundreds of verbs + tinf. Grammars give only a small list of common verbs + tinf. As this vcs is the normal thing you don't have to learn this list by heart.

verbs + ger The general rule is when the verb is followed by a preposition (prp) you automatically use the gerund as it is the noun-form of a verb. After a prp only a noun/noun group or a ger can follow. In the lists given in grammars for verbs + ger you find a lot of verbs with prp. You don't have to learn these verbs as it is a general rule that after a prep there can be no tinf but only a ger

But in the list of verbs + ger there are some verbs where the preposition was dropped. Often it is the prp with. Some examples: - to stop smoking - Fill in "with/with the" and you will understand why people say " to stop smoking". - They spent some time playing chess (They spent some time with playing chess) - I couldn't help laughing (Probably: I couldn't help against laughing)

As to "to enjoy + ger" I would say the verb actually means to be in joy about something. So when you say "I enjoy reading" then you could explain the use of the gerund by saying: I am in joy about/by reading. I don't know whether this is historically correct, but it may be probable, in any case it makes the use of the gerund plausible.

In the lists verb + gerund there is a small number of verbs that need a gerund where obviously no preposition was omitted. And these verbs are the only ones that must be learnt. And this group of verbs is not very large.

This is meant to give some help and understanding. But the problem tinf or ger is a problem in English grammar and must be studied carefully in a good grammar.