Gerunds and infinitives
Gerunds and infinitivesWe use gerunds after prepositions (e.g. without, before) and after certain verbs (e.g. enjoy, can’tstand, afraid of).
She left without saying goodbye.
He enjoys going rollerblading at the weekend.
We use infinitives after certain verbs (e.g. want, hope, offer).
Paul offered to repair Sue’s bike.
After some verbs (e.g. like, love, hate, prefer, start, continue) we can use either the gerund or infinitive with no change in meaning.
I like playing tennis.
I like to play tennis.
1Rewrite the sentences using gerunds.
Tim cycled into town. He didn’t stop.
Tim cycled into town without stopping.
1Rachel lost the race. She was very angry.
Rachel was angry about ……………………
………………………………………………
2We didn’t go to the cinema, we watched a video at home.
Instead of …………………………………..
………………………………………………
3Ivan passed his driving test because he practised every weekend.
By …………………………………………
………………………………………………
4Gillian read the newspaper then she phoned her friend.
Before ………………………………………
………………………………………………
5They left the disco and went for a coffee.
After ………………………………………
………………………………………………
6Jake has split up with his girlfriend.
He’s upset.
Jake is upset about…………………………
………………………………………………
2Choose the correct forms.
1Tony wants to go / going travelling before he goes to university.
2He promised to buy / buying her a diamond ring for their anniversary.
3Have you ever considered studying / to study abroad?
4He agreed to buy / buying the motorbike
for £2,000.
5John has been a farmer for twenty years. He’s used to getting up / get up early.
6It’s cold today. You shouldn’t go out without wearing / to wear your coat.
3Complete the story with gerunds or infinitives.
A haunted house
When I was a child I used to spend my
holidays at my aunt and uncle’s old country
house. One summer I remember having (have)
a strange experience.
It was a hot afternoon, and my cousins
suggested 1……………… (play) hide-and-seek.
But instead of 2……………… (go) outside, we
decided 3……………… (play) in the attic. After
4……………… (turn off) all the lights, we all
hid in different places. I managed
5……………… (hide) behind an old sofa.
Then something odd happened. In the
darkness we heard footsteps come into the room.
The footsteps seemed 6……………… (walk)
towards the sofa. I wanted 7………………
(move), but I couldn’t. I expected something
terrible 8……………… (happen). Then
suddenly the footsteps stopped and the door
slammed shut. After 9……………… (wait) for a
few seconds, we jumped up and ran downstairs
without 10……………… (stop).
We told my aunt and uncle, but they refused
11……………… (believe) us. Mysteriously the
house burned down a year later. The fire started
in the attic.