Gerunds and Infinitives

Level 3 — Grammar Practice

-ing form  •  to + verb  •  either one

Two Forms After a Verb

When one verb follows another verb, the second verb changes form.

Gerund: verb + -ing  →  She keeps a diary. She enjoys writing.
Infinitive: to + base verb  →  He needs a job. He wants to work.

The first verb tells you which form to use. There is no rule you can hear — you learn the lists.

Group 1 — Verb + -ing

advise, avoid, consider, deny, dislike, enjoy, finish, postpone, practice

The judge advised paying the ticket online.

My brother avoids flying in small planes.

We considered hiring a plumber.

She finished packing at midnight.

Quick check: After these verbs, never write to.

Practice 1 — Verb + -ing

Say the answer, then click to check.

1. The driver denied ____ (see) the stop sign.

seeingdeny is a Group 1 verb.

2. We practiced ____ (park) on a steep hill.

parkingpractice is a Group 1 verb.

3. The doctor advised ____ (walk) every morning.

walkingadvise is a Group 1 verb.

4. Please avoid ____ (text) while you drive.

textingavoid is a Group 1 verb.

5. They finished ____ (sweep) the hallway.

sweepingfinish is a Group 1 verb.

6. Nobody enjoys ____ (repeat) the same story.

repeatingenjoy is a Group 1 verb.

Group 2 — Verb + to + verb

agree, ask, decide, expect, learn, need, offer, plan, promise, want, would like

The bank agreed to lower the fee.

My neighbor learned to fix his own bicycle.

We expect to hear from the school on Monday.

Would you like to try the soup?

Quick check: After these verbs, always write to + the base verb — never to + -ing.

Practice 2 — Verb + to + verb

Say the answer, then click to check.

1. Omar agreed ____ (drive) me to class.

to driveagree is a Group 2 verb.

2. The kids want ____ (stay) up late.

to staywant is a Group 2 verb.

3. She promised ____ (return) my book.

to returnpromise is a Group 2 verb.

4. We need ____ (call) the landlord today.

to callneed is a Group 2 verb.

5. He expects ____ (finish) by Friday.

to finishexpect is a Group 2 verb.

6. My cousin decided ____ (join) the army.

to joindecide is a Group 2 verb.

Group 3 — Either Form

begin, can’t stand, continue, hate, like, love, start
Both forms are correct, and the meaning is the same.
Verb-ing formto + verb
beginThe baby began crying.The baby began to cry.
hateI hate cleaning the oven.I hate to clean the oven.
continueHe continued reading.He continued to read.

Practice 3 — Either Form

Both forms are right here. Say one, then click.

1. It began ____ (snow) around midnight.

snowing or to snowbegin takes either form.

2. They continued ____ (talk) after the movie.

talking or to talkcontinue takes either form.

3. I love ____ (dance) at weddings.

dancing or to dancelove takes either form.

4. Do you like ____ (travel) by train?

traveling or to travellike takes either form.

5. My uncle can’t stand ____ (fly).

flying or to flycan’t stand takes either form.

Preposition + -ing

After any preposition (of, about, at, in, for, on), use the -ing form.

She is good at remembering names.

They are tired of paying for parking.

We are thinking about painting the hallway.

Thank you for coming so early.

Watch out: to is sometimes a preposition — look forward to seeing you.

Practice 4 — Preposition + -ing

Say the answer, then click to check.

1. She is afraid of ____ (speak) in public.

speakingof is a preposition.

2. Thank you for ____ (invite) us.

invitingfor is a preposition.

3. He is interested in ____ (learn) Korean.

learningin is a preposition.

4. We talked about ____ (change) the schedule.

changingabout is a preposition.

5. She is excited about ____ (start) college.

startingabout is a preposition.

Exercise 5 — Mixed Practice

Click a, b, c, or d. The correct button turns green.

1. The city postponed ____ the parade.

2. Rosa offered ____ the dishes.

3. We plan ____ a picnic on Sunday.

4. Mia denied ____ the message.

5. Are you interested in ____ a class?

6. They can’t stand ____ homework late at night.

7. My parents want ____ to Texas.

8. We considered ____ a used car.

Exercise 6 — Fix the Mistake

Each CAPITALIZED part is wrong. Say the correct form, then click to check.

1. We enjoy TO WATCH baseball.

watchingenjoy is a Group 1 verb.

2. He decided BRINGING the tools.

to bringdecide is a Group 2 verb.

3. They avoid TO EAT after nine.

eatingavoid is a Group 1 verb.

4. The class would like MEETING outside today.

to meetwould like takes to + verb.

5. The team practiced TO THROW the ball.

throwingpractice is a Group 1 verb.

6. Do you want HEARING the news?

to hearwant is a Group 2 verb.

Summary

PatternVerbsExample
-ing formadvise, avoid, consider, deny, dislike, enjoy, finish, postpone, practiceShe avoids driving downtown.
to + verbagree, ask, decide, expect, learn, need, offer, plan, promise, want, would likeHe offered to drive.
either formbegin, can’t stand, continue, hate, like, love, startThey began working. = They began to work.
preposition + -inggood at, tired of, excited about, interested in, afraid ofI am good at listening.

End of Deck — Great work!