25/2/2016
Viv Quarry's upperintermediate grammar practice
Viv Quarry's upperintermediate/advanced grammar practice (www.vivquarry.com)
Gerunds and infinitives
Student's name _________________________ Date ___________________
The gerund (verb in the present form + 'ing') is used:
1. After prepositions and adverbs.
I'm good at running.
He apologised for waking me up early.
After having lunch, we tidied up.
2. After certain verbs.
She denied stealing the money.
I enjoy visiting my relatives.
3. As subject or object of a sentence.
Living in a big city is exciting.
I find working in the city centre a pain in the neck.
4. After some expressions and verbs which are followed by the preposition 'to'.
I'm looking forward to meeting you.
We can't get used to driving on the left.
The infinitive ('to' + the present form of the verb) is used:
1. After certain verbs.
I didn't mean to do that.
2. After some verbs followed by an object (sb/sth).
I can't afford to go abroad this year.
I want (you) to go home.
3. After certain adjectives.
It's difficult to explain.
4. After certain nouns.
There's no need to ask for permission.
It's time to go.
5. To express purpose.
I came here to learn English.
6. After question words (how, where etc.) and compounds of 'some' and 'any' (somebody etc.)
I don't know what to do.
I'd like something to read.
7. With 'too' and 'enough' @
I was too tired to eat.
It's cold enough to snow.
8. Stative verbs are more common in the infinitive.
I began to like Susan. (not 'I began liking.')
Forms of the infinitive
Present simple: I want to have an icecream.
Present continuous: It's nice to be lying next to a swimming pool.
Perfect: I'd like to have seen his face when you told him.
Passive: I'd like to be promoted.
Modal verbs: You should be working.
She must have gone home early.
This exercise must be done by tomorrow.
Infinitive without 'to' (present form of the verb) is used:
1. After modal and auxiliary verbs.
You mustn't do that again!
It should be done immediately.
2. After 'make' and 'let' in the active voice (in the passive, the full infinitive is used)
She made me do it again. / I was made to do it again.
He let me go home early (this is not possible in the passive)
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Viv Quarry's upperintermediate grammar practice
Gerunds and infinitives Special Cases
* Like, love, hate, prefer (+)
Sometimes both gerund and infinitive can be used:
I like to get up early / getting up early.
When these verbs refer to something in general, the gerund must be used.
I like going to the beach.
If they refer to one specific situation, the infinitive is more common:
I like to cook a roast on Sunday afternoons.
When 'like' means 'it's a good idea', use the infinitive:
I like to go to the dentist regularly.
After 'would' only the infinitive is possible:
I'd love to see that film again.
** Begin, continue and start
These verbs can be followed by both gerund and infinitive except in the present continuous
form, where the infinitive must be used
It started raining. / It started to rain.
Look! It's starting to rain!
*** Stop
Stop + Gerund = Finish one action
She's angry with me and has stopped talking to me.
Stop + Infinitive = Stop one action and start another
I saw Jane and she stopped to talk to me. (she stopped walking and we started chatting)
**** Try
Try + Gerund = What you do to get what you want.
I wanted to improve my English so I tried having private classes.
Try + Infinitive = Your objective, what you want to do.
I tried to learn English but I didn't have enough time to study properly.
In the continuous tenses, the infinitive is used
He's been trying to learn the piano.
*5 Help (sb) and ask (sb)
Help + sb. can be followed by infinitive or infinitive without 'to'
He helped me tidy up the room. / He helped me to tidy up the room.
If there is no direct object (sb) then infinitive without 'to' is more natural.
He helped tidy up the room.
'Can't/couldn't help' means 'can't stop oneself' and is followed by the gerund.
I can't help buying chocolate when I'm at the supermarket.
*6 Remember & forget
Remember / forget + Gerund = Sth which happened before or in the past.
I remember having to wake up very early when I was at school
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Viv Quarry's upperintermediate grammar practice
I'll never forget arriving at work for the first time.
Remember / forget + Infinitive = Sth which happened after or will happen in the future.
Please remember to buy some more sugar when you go to the supermarket
Don't forget to pay the electricity bill tomorrow.
*7 Need
If a person is the subject of the sentence, the infinitive is used:
John needs to take his cat to the vet's.
If a thing is the subject of the sentence, the gerund is more common.
The grass needs cutting.
A final note on gerunds and infinitives
Verbs of perception (see, hear, observe, notice, spot) can be used with both gerund and infinitive without
'to'.
I could hear her crying all night long.
I didn't hear you come in last night.
However, using the gerund suggests that the activity has duration and was in progress when it was
perceived.
We heard him playing the piano.
I can smell something burning.
Infinitive without 'to' suggests that the whole, completed action is perceived.
I saw the girl fall off her horse.
I saw her walk across the room and take a gun out of the desk drawer.
Viv Quarry's intermediate grammar practice
Gerunds and infinitives
Here is a list of the verbs and expressions and the form which any verb which follows them should take:
Gerund = doing Infinitive = to do Infinitive without 'to' = do
GERUND
INFINITIVE
INFINITIVE
WITHOUT 'TO'
Preps. and adverbs.
Verbs
Adjectives
Auxiliary verbs
after
agree
be delighted
sth./sb. doesn't
before
afford
be difficult (for sb.)
Does sth./sb?
arrange
be easy
Doesn't sth./sb.?
Verbs
attempt
be good
sth./sb. didn't
admit
choose
be hard
Did sth./sb.?
avoid
dare
be kind of sb.
Didn't sth./sb.?
begin*
decide
be important
will sth./sb.
consider
forget*6
be impossible
won't sth./sb.
continue*
hope
be interesting
would sth./sb.
deny
learn
be lovely
wouldn't sth./sb.
hate*
long
be lucky
enjoy
manage
be mean of sb.
Modal verbs
finish
offer
be nice (of sb.)
can
like*
promise
be pleased
can't
love*
refuse
be safe
could
mean
remember *5
be sorry
couldn't
prefer*
seem
be surprised
may
remember *6
stop***
be unusual
may not
suggest
try****
might
start**
be too+adj.+inf.@
might not
stop***
Verb (+ object)
be+adj+enough+inf.@
must
try****
ask (sb.)*5
mustn't
beg (sb.)
Nouns
should
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Expressions
can't help *5
can't stand
don't/doesn't mind
feel like
would sb mind
Verb + 'to'
be/get used to
look forward to
Subject or object
Swimming is healthy
I like swimming
expect (sb.)
help sb.*5
need (sb) *7
want (sb)
would like/love (sb)
would hate/prefer(sb)
Verb + object
advise sb.
allow sb.
encourage sb.
invite sb.
order sb.
persuade sb.
remind sb.
teach sb.
tell sb.
force sb.
warn sb
(the) decision
(a good) idea
(no) need
(the) opportunity
(it's) time
Question words
how
what
when
where
who
Compounds
anybody
everywhere
nothing
something
shouldn't
Verbs
help sb.*5
let sb.
would rather
Viv Quarry's upperintermediate/advanced grammar practice
Gerunds and infinitives exercises
Student's name _________________________ Date ___________________
Exercises taken from old Headway upperintermediate workbook.
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