 Re: don't like to
Have a look at what I said in the second paragraph : For me, the sentence which expresses enjoyment is the version with like + Ving
As for your other question - in real life communication it's impossible to have a sentence which doesn't have a context. Language is always used between at least two people (speaker/listener(s); writer/reader(s)) and the context is established by that : Where are they? What's the speaker/writer's purpose? What's their relationship? What's the surrounding co-text etc etc
Here, the distinction between whether the infinitive form expressed enjoyment or a recommendation would probably depend on the co-text, as in my previous example I don't like going to the dentist, but I like to go every six months so that there's never any huge problems.
Here the co-text makes it clear that the infinitive can't be talking about enjoyment. I've already said I don't like (=enjoy) going, and go on to give the reason why it's a good idea. The interpretation of the infinitive is therefore clear.
If on the other hand someone said :
A : My favourite sport is skiing. What about you? Do you like it?
B: Yes, I quite like to ski though it's not my favourite sport by any means.
A's first utterance makes it clear that the conversation is about enjoyment - and so B's reply would probably be interpreted in that sense.
But if you just invent a sentence using like to+ infinitive without a context, there's no way of deciding. |