Gerund/Infinitive-Exercises

Gerund / To-infinitive

1. Nate deserved ____________ (win) the prize for ____________ (write) that amazing short story about ____________ (travel) through Peru.
2. I can't believe you wanted ____________ (go) ____________ (fish), and you forgot ____________ (bring) a fishing pole. How did you expect ____________ (catch) any fish? Were you just going to sit in the river ____________ (try) ____________ (catch) fish with your bare hands? You would have had a hard time____________ (do) that!

3. Vince is determined ____________ (save) enough money ____________ (travel) to South Africa next year. If he avoids ____________ (waste) his money and manages ____________ (save) what he needs ____________ (make) the trip, he plans on ____________ (leave) in June.

4. When Sam said ____________ (go) ____________ (swim), Nina warned him not to go into the river. She explained that the national park did not allow visitors ____________ (swim) for several reasons.

5. The Oscar-winning actor avoids ____________ (talk) to his fans and refuses ____________ (give) out his autograph. Moreover, he has difficulty ____________ (give) interviews and he seems ____________ (have) problems ____________ (interact) with other people. Doesn't he seem way too shy ____________ an actor?

6. Sarah and Michael discussed ____________ (go) to Tahiti on their honeymoon, but they had very different opinions about ____________ (visit) such an expensive destination. Michael said that after such a costly wedding, he didn’t want ____________ (spend) so much money on a vacation. Sarah defended her decision of ____________ (go) to Tahiti by ____________ (argue) that a honeymoon is a once in a lifetime experience.

7. ____________ (use) a search engine ____________ (look) things up on the Internet is a skill that all students need ____________ (learn). That is why the government is urging schools ____________ (begin) ____________ (teach) basic computer skills in elementary school. Schools also encourage parents ____________ (reinforce 強化) these skills at home by ____________ (surf) the Internet together with their children.

8. Samantha kept ____________ (have) problems with her computer at work. Her co-worker Denise suggested ____________ (shut) down the computer and ____________ (restart) it ____________ (see) if that would solve the problem.

9. Jack's interest in ____________ (learn) foreign languages is a major factor in his decision ____________ (move) to China. One of his life-long goals is ____________ (learn) ____________ (speak) Chinese fluently. ____________ (learn) Chinese will be quite a challenge, but ____________ (live) in China should enable him ____________ (achieve) his goal of ____________ (master) the language more quickly.

10. Simon's attempts ____________ (find) accommodation in Paris were not very successful. He tried ____________ (call) every hotel in his guidebook, but he was shocked ____________ (discover) they were all full. He called all the youth hostels ____________ (find) out if they had any beds, but they were full, too. Another traveler advised him ____________ (go) to the tourist information office ____________ (ask) for help, but the office was closed. Although Simon hated the idea of ____________ (leave) Paris without having seen anything, the thought of ____________ (sleep) in the train station or ____________ (walk) the streets all night convinced him ____________ (take) the train to another city ____________ (look) for accommodation there.

Gerund VS Infinitive

Gerund and Infinitive follow only certain verbs

Some differences between Gerund and Infinitive:

Gerund:

• Real activities and experiences:

I like eating ice-cream (you eat it every day).

• Before a main verb:

Singing is quite enjoyable.

• After GO + SPORTS / RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES:

go shopping, went skiing.

• After a preposition:

look forward to hearing from you, before starting the game

Infinitive:

• Potential or possible activities and experiences

I like to eat ice-cream. (for example, you’re on a diet and don’t usually eat ice-cream)

• To show purpose

We are here to help.

• To show reason

I’m shocked to hear the news.

Compare

I eat to sleep. - I eat in order to sleep. (Infinitive shows reason)

I eat sleeping. - I literally eat “sleeping”. (Gerund is an activity)

I love to paint so I wish I had time to paint more. (Painting is a potential activity)

As a painter, I love painting. (Real, concrete activity)