Gerunds vs infinitives
Which verbs take -ing, which take to-, and which change meaning.
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Gerunds vs infinitives: worked examples
Five from the set, with the answer filled in and the rule that decides it. The remaining questions are in the answer key below.
- 01
My brother really enjoys playing football at the weekend.
'enjoy' is always followed by the -ing form.
- 02
We left at six to avoid driving through the city centre.
- 03
She suggested meeting outside the cinema at eight.
'suggest doing', never 'suggest to do'.
- 04
Would you mind opening the window? It's very warm in here.
- 05
He kept asking the same question until I answered.
'keep doing' = go on doing something again and again.
Answer key: all 25 questions
- 01My brother really enjoys playing football at the weekend.
- 02We left at six to avoid driving through the city centre.
- 03She suggested meeting outside the cinema at eight.
- 04Would you mind opening the window? It's very warm in here.
- 05He kept asking the same question until I answered.
- 06I'm really looking forward to hearing from you.
- 07In the end she decided to study medicine.
- 08He refused to answer any of my questions.
- 09Somehow we managed to finish the whole project in three days.
- 10She pretended to be asleep when I came in.
- 11The doctor told me to wait outside for a few minutes.
- 12We finally persuaded her to come with us.
- 13My parents never allowed me to use the car.
- 14She's very good at cooking Thai food.
- 15We walked home instead of taking a taxi.
- 16You should start with the easy questions.
- 17Swimming in cold water is good for your health.
- 18Please remember to lock the door when you leave.
- 19I clearly remember locking the door, so someone else must have opened it.
- 20The doctor told him to stop smoking ten years ago.
- 21He was walking so fast that I had to stop to catch my breath.
- 22She tried hard to pass the exam, but she failed.
- 23I'll never forget seeing the sea for the first time.
- 24I really regret telling him the truth, it only made things worse.
- 25Taking this job would mean moving to another city.
- Gerund vs infinitiveThere is no rule that predicts it: the first verb decides.
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