Gerunds and Infinitives

Gerunds and Infinitives

It can be a little difficult to know when to use gerunds and infinitives.
We use gerunds (verb + ing):
  • After certain verbs - I enjoy singing
  • After prepositions - I drank a cup of coffee before leaving
  • As the subject or object of a sentence - Swimming is good exercise
We use 'to' + infinitive:
  • After certain verbs - We decided to leave
  • After many adjectives - It's difficult to get up early
  • - I came to London to study English
We use the bare infinitive (the infinitive without 'to'):
  • After modal verbs - I can meet you at six o'clock
  • After 'let', 'make' and (sometimes) 'help' - The teacher let us leave early
  • After some verbs of perception (see, watch, hear, notice, feel, sense) - I watched her walk away
  • After expressions with 'why' - why go out the night before an exam?
Verbs that take the gerund or 'to + infinitive' with examples and exercises:
  • Verbs with gerunds and infinitives part 1 [CLICK HERE]
  • Verbs with gerunds and infinitives part 2 [CLICK HERE]
  • Verbs with gerunds and infinitives part 3 [CLICK HERE]
  • Verbs with gerunds and infinitives part 4 [CLICK HERE]

Gerund and Infinitive Exercises

# Gerunds and Infinitives Part 1 

Put the verb into the correct form: 

1. I don’t fancy ______________ (go) out tonight. 
2. She avoided ______________ (tell) him about her plans. 
3. I would like ______________ (come) to the party with you. 
4. He enjoys ______________ (have) a bath in the evening. 
5. She kept ______________ (talk) during the film. 
6. I am learning ______________ (speak) English. 
7. Do you mind ______________ (give) me a hand? 
8. She helped me ______________ (carry) my suitcases. 
9. I’ve finished ______________ (cook). Come and eat! 
10. He decided ______________ (study) Biology. 
11. I dislike ______________ (wait). 
12. He asked ______________ (come) with us. 
13. I promise ______________ (help) you tomorrow. 
14. We discussed ______________ (go) to the cinema, but in the end we stayed at home. 
15. She agreed ______________ (bring) the pudding. 
16. I don’t recommend ______________ (take) the bus, it takes forever! 
17. We hope ______________ (visit) Amsterdam next month. 
18. She suggested ______________ (go) to the museum. 
19. They plan ______________ (start) college in the autumn. 
20. I don’t want ______________ (leave) yet. 

# Gerunds and Infinitives Part 2 

Put the verb into the gerund or the infinitive with ‘to’: 

1. She delayed ______________ (get) out of bed. 
2. He demanded ______________ (speak) to the manager. 
3. I offered ______________ (help). 
4. I miss ______________ (go) to the beach. 
5. We postponed ______________ (do) our homework. 
6. I’d hate ______________ (arrive) too late. 
7. She admitted ______________ (steal) the money. 
8. I chose ______________ (work) here. 
9. She waited ______________ (buy) a drink. 
10. I really appreciate ______________ (be) on holiday. 
11. I couldn’t help ______________ (laugh). 
12. It seems ______________ (be) raining. 
13. I considered ______________ (move) to Spain. 
14. They practised ______________ (speak). 
15. Finally I managed ______________ (finish) the work. 
16. I really can’t stand ______________ (wait) for the bus. 
17. Unfortunately, we can’t afford ______________ (buy) a new car this year. 
18. She risked ______________ (be) late. 
19. I’d love ______________ (come) with you. 
20. I prepared ______________ (go) on holiday.

# Gerunds and Infinitives Part 3 

Put the verb into the gerund or the infinitive with ‘to’: 

1. It appears _________________ (be) raining. 
2. We intend _________________ (go) to the countryside this weekend. 
3. I pretended _________________ (be) sick so I didn’t have to go to work. 
4. Can you imagine_________________ (live) without TV? 
5. They tolerate_________________ (smoke) but they prefer people not to. 
6. I anticipate _________________ (arrive) on Tuesday. 
7. A wedding involves _________________ (negotiate) with everyone in the family. 
8. He denies _________________ (steal) the money. 
9. He claims _________________ (be) a millionaire but I don’t believe him. 
10. I expect _________________ (be) there about seven. 
11. Julia reported _________________ (see) the boys to the police. 
12. It tends _________________ (rain) a lot in Scotland. 
13. Do you recall _________________ (meet) her at the party last week? 
14. She mentioned _________________ (go) to the cinema, but I don’t know what she decided to do in the end. 
15. The teenager refused _________________ (go) on holiday with his parents. 
16. I understand _________________ (be) late once or twice, but every day is too much! 
17. I would prefer you _________________ (come) early if you can. 
18. That criminal deserves _________________ (get) a long sentence. 
19. She completed _________________ (paint) her flat. 
20. We arranged _________________ (meet) at four but at four thirty she still hadn’t arrived.

# Gerunds and Infinitives Part 4 

Put the verb into the gerund or the infinitive with ‘to’:
1. I couldn’t sleep so I tried _____________ (drink) some hot milk. 
2. She tried _____________ (reach) the book on the high shelf, but she was too small. 
3. They tried _____________ (get) to the party on time but the bus was delayed. 
4. We tried _____________ (open) the window, but it was so hot outside it didn’t help. 
5. He tried _____________ (get) a job in a newspaper firm but they wouldn’t hire him. 
6. He tried _____________ (get) a job in a newspaper firm but he still wasn’t satisfied. 
7. You should stop _____________ (smoke), it’s not good for your health. 
8. We stopped _____________ (study) because we were tired. 
9. They will stop _____________ (have) lunch at twelve. 
10. We stopped _____________ (have) a rest, because we were really sleepy. 
11. Oh no! I forgot _____________ (buy) milk. 
12. Please don’t forget _____________ (pick) up some juice on your way home. 
13. I forget _____________ (lock) the door, but I’m sure I must have locked it. 
14. Have we studied this before? I’ve forgotten _____________ (learn) it. 
15. Please remember _____________ (bring) your homework. 
16. I remember _____________ (go) to the beach as a child. 
17. Finally I remembered _____________ (bring) your book! Here it is. 
18. Do you remember _____________ (eat) steak in that little restaurant in Rome? 
19. I regret _____________ (tell) you that the train has been delayed. 
20. I regret _____________ (tell) Julie my secret; now she has told everyone.

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